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Vergnano Institute for Inclusion

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Program Details

What is the BRIDGE Program? The School of Engineering in coordination with the Engineering Diversity Program sponsors a five week intensive study of MATHEMATICS, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, and COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. The purpose of the summer BRIDGE Program is to prepare underrepresented students for the engineering curriculum at UConn, present an orientation to careers in engineering and to familiarize students with the University of Connecticut and the college experience. Who is Eligible? Students who have applied or are admitted into the School of Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Members of groups traditionally underrepresented among the nation's engineers namely, Women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Puerto-Ricans or Native Americans. Scholarship Opportunities: After successful completion of the BRIDGE program, you may qualify for one of several scholarships. Your hard work, positive attitude, and contributions to peers during the BRIDGE program are key to receiving one of these scholarships. A number of these scholarships are renewable. Financial Costs: The cost for tuition, meals, room & board, textbooks and transportation to all industry visits, tours, events and activities is $1995. Between 10 and 20 BRIDGE fellowships are awarded to applicants. These fellowships allow the recipient to attend BRIDGE at no cost. Students are chosen based on student need, both academic and financial. Students are responsible for health insurance coverage and meals if they choose to stay on campus for the weekends.

BRIDGE Program: Program Benefits: Instruction on college level chemistry, math, physics, and computer programming. Study skills workshops and structured group study sessions. Consideration for scholarships and renewable awards for up to $5000 per year. Exposure to the School of Engineering facilities and laboratories. University housing, weekly meals (excluding weekends), tuition, and books. Visits to engineering companies and tours of industry. Engineering career seminars presented by faculty / professional engineers. Social, community, recreational, and cultural activities. Hours of tutoring from BRIDGE alumni. Classroom Time: BRIDGE participants will attend approximately 120 hours of course work in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Programming. Based on the results of the Calculus Readiness Test taken on the first day of the program, students will be placed in a mathematics course that will give them an overview of the college level math that will be taken in the Fall. Attendance is mandatory for all classes. Group Study Sessions: Students will attend group study sessions in the evenings. These sessions are designed to give students time to work with classmates and our tutors on their homework problems, and to practice potential test and exam questions. Students will strengthen group problem solving skills as they learn to work as part of a team. Industry Visits/Tours: As participants in the BRIDGE program, students will travel off campus to a variety of engineering companies throughout the state of Connecticut. In past years, corporate visits have included Covidien, Electric Boat, Alston Power, Pratt and Whitney, Olin, Unilever, Sikorsky, Timken, CT Department of Transportation, Cigna, and Google, just to name a few. Students will explore the world of work by actually seeing engineers apply their academics to the real world. During the visits, students will see peer mentors and role models in the field of engineering while exploring the variety of career opportunities within engineering. These are professional visits so students will be required to wear suits/business attire. General Information: Once we have received the BRIDGE registration, parental consent, and health forms, you will be mailed a confirmation letter and the following information: BRIDGE Orientation and Check-In Day. Rules and Regulations. Checklist of Items to Bring. Meals/Spending Money: All program participants will eat in assigned cafes or dining halls Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served by us. Dining hours are as follows: Breakfast: 7am to 9am, Lunch: 11am to 1pm, Dinner: 5pm to 7pm. Students will be responsible for purchasing weekend meals. Additional spending money will be given as HuskyBucks that can be used for food around campus. Laundry facilities are provided by the university free of charge. Books and Supplies: The Vergnano Insitute for Inclusion will provide textbooks for summer use, free of charge. Students will need notebooks, loose leaf paper, pens, pencils, and calculators. Students will have access to the Engineering Computer Learning Center, so laptops are not required for the program. Laptops may be brought to the dorms, however, for personal use, if desired. Conference Sessions: All participants will have at least one scheduled meeting with the Director during the course of the BRIDGE program to discuss academic performance and any other concerns. These sessions are scheduled during free time periods. Requirements: Undergraduate Orientation: ALL STUDENTS WHO CONFIRM PARTICIPATION FOR THE SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM MUST ATTEND A UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT UNDERGRADUATE ORIENTATION SESSION. Sessions are held from late May to early July. During orientation, new students have the chance to become familiar with the UConn campus. ID photos and placement tests for mathematics and English are given during this time. You will receive information regarding orientation from the Office of Orientation Services once you have paid your room deposit/acceptance fee. Please notify the Vergnano Institute of Inclusion once you have received the confirmation of your orientation date. Residential Life/Housing: BRIDGE participants will be housed in an on-campus residence hall and will be assigned a roommate. Each resident will pay a $100.00 room key deposit which will be refunded upon receipt of returned assigned keys. STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED OVERNIGHT GUESTS during the program. The University reserves the right for authorized representatives of the Division of Student Affairs and Services Facilities Management, and Fire Department to enter students' rooms to determine occupancy and to inspect rooms for health and safety reasons. You and your roommate share joint responsibility for what is in your room. Each floor is assigned a Residential Assistant (RA) who is responsible for needs of the residents. Mandatory Health Insurance: All students are required to have some form of health insurance that provides coverage for accidents and/or illness. Students not covered by a personal or parental insurance policy are advised to purchase Supplemental Student Health Insurance until University insurance plan takes affect at the start of the first semester. Supplemental insurance is available by contacting the Bailey Agency at (203) 446-8255.

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