STEM RAYS

Franklin County Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Research Academies for Young Scientists

Franklin County Research Academies for Young Scientists (STEM RAYS) provides science research programs for grade 4-8 students in after-school and summer programs. The lead partner is the University of Massachusetts (UMass), which is just outside Franklin County; the other higher education partner is the only college in this county, Greenfield Community College (GCC). Other partners are the county's eight school districts plus local businesses and informal science organizations. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation Academies for Young Scientists program.

STEM RAYS connects students and teachers with five ongoing interdisciplinary environmental research programs, providing them with authentic science experiences and interactions with scientists, engineers, and college and graduate students from UMass, GCC, and Smith College. Students and teachers will collect and analyze data relevant to these environmental research efforts.