Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science
MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) is a rigorous six-week residential, academic enrichment summer program for promising high school juniors who are interested in studying and exploring careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. Despite the name, the program is open to all participant.
History
The MIT program now known as MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) was established in 1974 as the MITE (Minority Introduction to Engineering) Program. The MITE program was created as part of a national effort sponsored by the then Engineers' Council for Professional Development. The objective of the program was to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the engineering profession by exposing students to engineering during their high school years.
What started as a two-week residential summer program on the MIT campus with 37 students and a focus on career orientation has evolved into a six-week slice of academic life with 60-80 participants. Students now take courses in calculus, physics, biology/ biochemistry/ chemistry, humanities, genomics, programming, and engineering design. These high school juniors gain a better perspective about college and can take advantage of their senior year in high school to prepare for college and their professional careers.
Overview of Curriculum
Courses
Based on placement tests taken at the beginning of the program, students get placed in classes that match their ability in a specific area. Among the possible classes are Biochemistry, Multivariable Calculus, and Electricity and Magnetism. Students also get a choice in a supplementary activity in which they get to design robots, sequence genomes or learn how to create websites.
