BU Education, Advising & Mentoring in STEM (BEAMS)



OUR VISION
To recruit, develop, and retain youth from Boston and other areas of Massachusetts in post-secondary STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) education in an ongoing effort to expand the healthcare work force.
OUR GOALS
- Provide career exploration and mentoring in STEMM and healthcare professions for students (high-school, undergraduate, and post-graduate).
- Increase the number of students entering college and choosing STEMM majors.
- Increase the number of individuals in STEMM and healthcare work force.
WHO WE ARE
BEAMS is a pipeline program created by the Department of Medical Sciences & Education with three inter-related student levels: high school, undergraduate, and post-graduate. Between 2017 and 2020, we partnered with the Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC). In 2021, BEAMS enlarged its scope and is now reaching out to all Boston Public School (BPS) students to provide career exploration and mentoring for all high-school students attending BPS in grades 9 through 12. BEAMS provides programming by collaboration with faculty and students from the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS). BEAMS also provides programming by collaboration with students in the BU Kilachand Honors College. In addition, BEAMS has partnered with the Pre-Health Programs at BU College of Arts & Sciences and the College Access & Student Success Office at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, in our efforts to create bridges between high-school students and undergraduate students as well as bridges between undergraduate students and post-graduate students.
BEAMS could not have existed without the dedicated and tireless efforts of Dr. Maura Kelley, MedSci&Edu Assistant Professor. She developed many of the BEAMS programs, inspired the faculty and instructors, and motivated many students to pursue medicine and STEM. The Department of Medical Sciences & Education would like to give the utmost thanks, acknowledgement, and appreciation for Dr. Kelley’s vision.
WHAT WE DO
New High-School Programming: Boston University Lab Apprenticeship in Science & Technology (BLAST)
BLAST is a 2-year summer intensive program for high school students from Boston Public Schools. The first summer will feature problem-based learning and laboratory practicums, to help high school students foster scientific literacy and readiness for college-level science courses. The second summer will engage students in immersive research projects within BUMC laboratories, under the guidance of investigators who have shown a strong dedication to mentoring. Students will also participate in a structured mentoring program, to support their pursuit of careers in biomedical research. Applications now OPEN.
BLAST is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R01AR084505) from Dr. Dennis Jones, and run in partnership with BEAMS.
Previous High-School Programming
BUMC-MedSci Program (MSP)
BAHEC
Undergraduate Programming: CRC
Hee-Young Park, PhD, and Elaine Lee, PhD, BEAMS Committee Leaders CRC-BUMC Events
Post-Graduate Programming: BUMC
CRC-BUMC Events
CONTACT