Rockets For Inclusive Science Education

The Rockets for Inclusive Science Education (RISE) program is run by the McEntaffer Group at the Pennsylvania State University and seeks to foster and maintain an interest in STEM fields for underrepresented students. In the United States, even though black/African American students make up ~14% of the college-going population, only ~4% of physics degrees are awarded to these students each year. Bright students like these are being turned away from the sciences at an early age and something must be done to combat this. Specifically, our goal is to immerse these students in the fields of physics, astronomy, and engineering to create a “scientific identity” so that they can envision themselves as professionals in these fields.