UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 20, Page 7
February 15, 1996
Partnership; Mentoring program offers gifted students guidance

     A new mentoring program is under way at the Center for Applied
Science and Engineering in Rehabilitation that pairs gifted high
school students with disabilities with professionals employed in the
fields of math, science and engineering.
     And, in an unusual twist, most of the mentor meetings and all of
the communication from the project director take place in cyberspace.
     The Science, Engineering and Math Mentoring Program aims to help
students make new friends and learn more about employment
opportunities in the math, science and engineering fields, while
having fun and becoming proficient at using the resources of the
Internet.
     Approximately 20 students, paired with professionals, are
connected to the Internet and use an e-mail program named Eudora and
the World Wide Web browser, Netscape.
     Kenneth E. Barner, a scientist at the center, and Richard Foulds,
center director, are directing the project. Barner, the survivor of a
spinal cord injury, knows firsthand the challenges students with
disabilities face when pursuing careers in science, engineering and
math.
     "There aren't many disabled people in math, science and
engineering careers," explained Barner, who holds master's and
doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from UD. "People have the
vision that if you're disabled you can't succeed in the sciences-that
you aren't able to do lab work, things like that."
     The mentoring program is working to change some of those
attitudes.
     All of the students in the program are in 9th to 12th grades and
come from Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
     All have disabilities that range from visual impairments to
spinal cord injuries to cerebral palsy. All have good grades and
expect to go on to college.
     The mentors work at UD and local companies, including, Hewlett-
Packard and DuPont, and some of the mentors are themselves disabled.
     The program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)
and is part of a larger project, also funded by NSF, that aims to
engage, recruit and retain students with disabilities in science,
engineering and mathematics educational programs so they can be
encouraged to pursue and remain in the professions.
     Among other things, funds are used to ensure that each student
has a computer and the necessary programs at home.
     Throughout the year, each student/mentor team will work on at
least three different projects. One is entitled MAD (Make A
Difference) Scientist, where the pair research scientists with
disabilities-such as Thomas Edison or Alexander Graham Bell-who have
made lasting contributions to society.
     Another project is the Virtual Classroom, where the student and
mentor pairs "meet" collectively in cyberspace for discussions that
can extend to others throughout the world. Networked video conferences
are another possibility and the class is submitting an entry to
CYBERFAIR96.
     The entry will be Web pages providing information on regional
services and information related to disability.
     Perhaps the most important aspect of the program is the chance
for the student and mentor to develop a relationship, one in which
they can share feelings and information and where the mentor can guide
the student in his or her career interest.
     For more information, contact Barner at 651-6830, via e-mail at
Barner@udel.edu or browse through the SEM web page at www
url:http://www.asel.udel.edu.
                                                          -Beth Thomas