Microsoft Corp. has partnered up with Atlanta University Center, Inc., to sponsor a summer program for beginner engineers, which will take place in the Atlanta University Center Consortium’s (AUCC) Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP).
The Summer Bridge Program is a virtual intensive workshop for undergraduate students. For six weeks, the program will prepare students who have been accepted into AUCC DDEP to adjust to the assertive curriculum of the engineering program. It will also introduce the students to leadership opportunities and careers in engineering, as well as getting to know the Atlanta University Center institutions and the college experience.
The program highlights the importance of being prepared and dedicated to academic excellence. Students will have pre-calculus, chemistry, and introduction to engineering courses. Further on, students will have industry tours of Atlanta’s leading engineering companies to communicate with professionals and learn about career opportunities.
“As we continue to expand our footprint in the Greater Atlanta area, the AUCC’s intensive engineering workshop was the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to contribute financially and give students access to Microsoft engineers to learn about career options post-graduation,” said Kory Hawkins, Microsoft University Relations lead.
The Summer Bridge Program is limited to 24 students, with eight from each three undergraduate AUCC institutions, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Full scholarships are available for students. The deadline for the registration is June 1st, while the program will be held from Monday, June 28th – to Friday, Augustus 6th.
“I am thrilled that together with Microsoft, we can help more of our students reach their academic and career goals,” said Michael Hodge, Executive Director of the AUCC. “It is these types of partnerships with a purpose that provide sustainable impact for our students, their communities and the broader society.”
“This is a continuation of our mission and who we are as a community of educators and thinkers,” says Said Sewell, Ph.D., Director of Academics, Research and Student Success at the AUCC. “We hope that these students really take advantage of this opportunity and will be able to take their theoretical experiences in the classroom and apply them in the real world, perhaps at Microsoft.”
Established in 1969, The AUCC’s Dual Degree Engineering Program aims to increase the number of African Americans and women in engineering. Students would spend their first three years at one of the AUCC’s historically black colleges and universities to earn the first bachelor’s degree and continue the study at one of the AUCC’s 11 partner universities.