The National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) announced the selection of the Academically Interested Minds (AIM) program at Kettering University as the 2016 NAMEPA Outreach Program Award recipient. The AIM program aligns with NAMEPA's mission of providing quality service, information, and tools to students.

“It’s an honor for AIM to be recognized as an elite pre-college program that encourages students of color to pursue higher education careers in the STEM fields,” said Ricky D. Brown, Associate Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives. “The recognition means a great deal coming from nationally renowned educators and engineers.”

AIM is a five-week residential pre-college summer program that began in 1984 and has continued to thrive over the years. The program is designed to augment Kettering University's efforts to reach a greater number of multicultural students who have a strong interest in the areas of engineering, math, science and business. There is no cost to students to attend.

Since its launch, 100 percent of its participants have enrolled at a college or in military service upon graduating from high school. A large percentage continued their education in the STEM fields.

“Parents and students who are seeking one of the best STEM-related pre-college programs in the country should consider AIM,” Brown said. “AIM exposes rising high school seniors to state-of-the-art laboratories and technologies run by the very best faculty members at Kettering.”

The NAMEPA Outreach Program Award was established to honor outreach programs that have actively increased the participation of students from historically underrepresented minority (URM) populations in engineering. NAMEPA is a national network of educators and representatives from industry, government, and nonprofit organizations who share a common commitment to improving the recruitment and retention of Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic American, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander students earning degrees in engineering.

The Academically Interested Minds (AIM) Program will be recognized at the 37th Annual NAMEPA national conference at Purdue University in October 2016.

More information about NAMEPA.

More information about AIM.