One is a mentorship program with Intel. The other is a collaborative internship with Explora, the children’s museum in Old Town Albuquerque that provides interactive learning opportunities focused on science, technology, math and art.

“These are both opportunities for the students to grow in their fields,” said Heather Fitzgerald, CNM STEM coordinator. “It requires a lot of commitment and dedication on the part of the students.”

The Intel/CNM STEM Mentoring Opportunity, which started this month, provides 13 students majoring in Intel-related STEM fields with a unique opportunity to meet with Intel mentors, explore career paths and learn about jobs in these fields.

Students selected for the Intel program must meet regularly with Intel mentors during the fall and spring terms -- a 20-25 hour a term commitment. Scholarships are awarded to the students who have met the requirements at the completion of each term. The Intel Foundation gave CNM $25,000 for the stipends.

To be eligible for the Intel program students must have a declared major at CNM in Engineering, Physics or Advanced Systems Technology, have a GPA of 2.5 or greater and have completed at least 15 credits toward a degree.

“Students learn about career topics, like what it’s like to be an engineer,” Fitzgerald said. “They will work with local Intel engineers one on one, in round robin sessions and they will tour Intel.”

Explora Program

CNM also received a $50,000 grant from the New Mexico's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR), a National Science Foundation program, to provide students majoring in STEM fields or an education field the opportunity to work as a team to learn how to develop and deliver science education to the general public. The students will learn how Explora teaches science, which will provide them ideas for how to present science to others as they progress in their fields.

The topic for this project is Uranium Energy Waste and Remediation. The students will devote between 45-60 hours of their time to this internship during the fall and spring terms.

The students will receive scholarships at the completion of each term if they have met requirements. Twelve students have been selected for the program and are being led in this program by CNM instructor Elizabeth Dolan, who teaches chemistry and education.

“The students are learning from science educators at Explora and from local experts in the field of uranium mediation – the cleanup of uranium mines,” Fitzgerald said. “By the end of the year-long program they will make their own educational modules and give presentations to students and the general public.”