College of Engineering Vergnano Institute for Inclusion

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For our Current UConn Community

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For Incoming Students

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BRIDGE is a five-week intensive summer program held at the Storrs campus. This program is designed to prepare students who are underrepresented in engineering fields for the rigor of engineering curriculum at UConn, introduce leadership opportunities and careers in engineering, and to familiarize students with the University of Connecticut and the college experience as a whole.

For questions, please contact engr-bridge@uconn.edu

For K-12 Students

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This is an interactive conference designed for 8th grade students. The morning consists of hands-on activities facilitated by our amazing UConn Engineering students. The afternoon consist of interactive speakers and learning more about careers in engineering from our inspirational UConn Engineering Alumni, and other close friends who are engineers in CT.
Next Event: October 24, 2025
Sign up mechanism: Teachers/School Administrators sign up groups of students to attend.
Eligibility: We highly encourage. CT Alliance District Schools and/or Title I schools. All schools are welcome to apply. We welcome students from all backgrounds, identities and experiences to attend, but all who attend must have an interest in STEM.

The UConn Explore Engineering (E2) Program is a two week residential STEM summer camp for current high school sophomores and juniors. During this week at the Storrs Campus, participants work in small groups with engineering faculty and students to learn what various engineers do in the workplace and see engineering concepts demonstrated. In the evenings, through our Grand Challenges, students focus on and fabricate a single engineering discipline-specific device. The program ends with demonstrations of items the students created during the week. Examples have included: rudimentary EKG devices, Smart Lego vehicles, fuel cell and other energy efficient devices, wooden bridges, and environmentally friendly processes. 

Next Event: July 12 - 24, 2026. Applications open January 2026

For questions, please contact engr-explore@uconn.edu.

This is an interactive conference designed for 8th grade students. The morning consists of hands-on activities facilitated by our amazing UConn Engineering students, a majority of them from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The afternoon consist of interactive speakers and learning more about careers in engineering from our inspirational UConn Engineering Alumni, many of them who are women or in the SWE Professional chapter, and other close friends who are engineers in CT.
Next Event: March 27, 2026 and April 10, 2026
Sign up mechanism: Teachers/School Administrators sign up groups of students to attend. Girl Scout Troops are also welcome to sign up groups.
Eligibility:
March 27, 2026: We prioritize CT Alliance District Schools and/or Title I schools. If spots remain, any schools are welcome to apply. We welcome students from all backgrounds, identities and experiences to attend, but all who attend must have an interest in STEM.
April 10, 2026: All schools welcome. We welcome students from all backgrounds, identities and experiences to attend, but all who attend must have an interest in STEM.

Pre-Engineering (PEP) is an enrichment program for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students that includes hands-on math and science exploratory activities aimed at increasing interest in careers involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Next Session: Starts October 4, 2025
For questions, please contact jerri.robinson@uconn.edu.

If you are a current 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grade female student, the University of Connecticut invites you to challenge yourself by incorporating your math and science skills into hands-on projects and experiments, exciting engineering concepts, and fun activities.

SPARK is committed to the safety and equal opportunity for girls in this program by providing single-sex dormitories and single-sex athletics during the program.

For questions, please contact engr-spark@uconn.edu.

 

Queer Science (QS) is a one-day conference designed to support the success of high school who students who are or are allies of LGBTQIA+ students in CT. This event is facilitated by proud LGBTQIA+ students and researchers at UConn. Anyone is welcome to attend this positive day filled with STEM activities and lab tours.
For questions, please contact stephany.santos@uconn.edu.

Archived Programs