Our Mission
STEM bridge program aims to create synergies in STEM education by providing high-school students hands-on study experience with current university professors at local universities for a consecutive 6 to 7 weeks STEM related researching and study program.
"[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world..."
* President Barack Obama, March 23, 2015
What can CAST's STEM bridge do for you?
Organized by CAST-TX, the program is collectively led by 10 – 12 hosting professors, each professor will form a 4-5 students study group to research on a STEM related topic that has been or will be offered in the university classes.
Students will get great exposure to real research environment and being inspired for creative thinking.
6-7 weeks hands-on experience
Before the class starts, students will choose a research topic, and form a study group with other students in the program that share the similar interest.
Once the study group is formed, the group and together with the assigned professor will decide on the details of how the research will be conducted.
Students will be able to use the university classroom, research equipment, and labs under professors’ supervision.
Competition for Awards
STEM bridge Summer Camp program will host a final symposium for students to showcase their research result.
At the symposium, students will compete for CAST STAR (Science, Tech, Academic Researcher) Awards and the winner will receive STAR trophy.
Students who completed the program will also receive a certificate of completion issued by CAST-TX.
STEM Skills Development
By working with professors and researchers in the lab, students will develop a variety of skills that are essential for STEM students to succeed in collage, such as literature search, data collection, data analysis, design of experiments, technical writing, presentation, and problem-solving, etc.
Non-profit & for the future of our children
The hosting professors are all volunteering their time to sponsor CAST STEM bridge Summer Camp program. Each hosting professor will use their own resources and leverage their expertise to maximize the impact they can bring to the community. All CAST STEM bridge organizers and workers are all volunteers. We are here for the community and our children’s future.
Dr. Dong Qian
Director of STEM Bridge
Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
UT Dallas
UTD 001
Research interests:
Computational Mechanics, Multiscale Methods and Applications, Surface Engineering
Dr. Arif S. Malik
STEM Bridge Program Host
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 002
Research interests:
Efficient Computational Mechanics Modeling, Uncertainty Analysis, Manufacturing Process Prediction, Reliability-Based Design Optimization, and Laser Treatment of Metals to Extend Fatigue Life.
arif.malik@utdallas.edu
STEM Bridge Program Host
Professor in Computer Science,
UT Dallas
UTD 003
Research interests:
Big Data Management and Analytics, Data Mining, Database Systems, Semantic Web, and Complex Data Management (Multimedia, Geo-Spatial)
Latifur.khan@utdallas.edu
Dr. Hongbing Lu
STEM Bridge Program Host
Louis A. Beecherl Jr. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 004
Research interests:
Experimental mechanics, Nanomechanics, Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials, Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials, Dynamic behavior of materials, Fracture Mechanics
Dr. Weili Wu
STEM Bridge Program Host
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 005
Research interests:
Big Data Management and Analysis, Social Networks, Database Systems, Wireless Sensor Networks, Data Mining, Spatial Data Mining, Parallel and Distributed Systems, Algorithm Design and Analysis and Bioinformatics
Dr. Golden Kumar
STEM Bridge Program Host
Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 006
Research interests:
Nanomanufacturing, Metallic Glasses, Nanomechanics, Surface Engineering, Phase Transformations, and Photothermal Properties
Golden.Kumar@utdallas.edu
STEM Bridge Program Host
Professor of Computer Science, UT Dallas
UTD 007
Research interests:
Computer Graphics, Computer Vision, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Geometric Modeling and Processing, Physics-Based Deformation, Medical Image Computation, 3D/4D Reconstruction
Dr. Xianming (Simon) Dai
STEM Bridge Program Host
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 008
Research interests:
Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Wetting, Nanofabrication, and Thermal Management
Dr. Zhenpeng Qin
STEM Bridge Program Host
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 009
Research interests:
Biotransport, Neuro Nanotechnology, Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Dr. Wei Li
STEM Bridge Program Host
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 010
Research interests:
Additive manufacturing, 3D printing, Onsite repair and remanufacturing with AM process, Fabrication and characterization of customized alloy with multi-materials
Dr. Yaqing Jin
STEM Bridge Program Host
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 011
Research interests:
Fluid mechanics, Renewable energy, Fluid-structure interactions, Turbulent flow, Energy-efficient locomotion
Yaqing.Jin@UTDallas.edu
Dr. Fatemeh Hassanipour
STEM Bridge Program Host
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UT Dallas
UTD 012
Research interests:
Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics with Applications in Bioengineering, Health, and Energy Management
fatemeh@utdallas.edu
Announcement from STEM Summer Camp - Apr 3, 2020
Dear Students and Partners,
Our hearts are with people around the world who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
CAST-STEM bridge Summer Camp has made the decision to do our part to help prevent the further spreading of this virus by cancelling 2020 summer camp. Our decision is aligned with guidelines from the University that the campus remains closed through out the summer of 2020, and professors continuing to work remotely.
This pandemic has affected everyone’s lives. We thank our professors, students, parents, volunteers, sponsors, and CAST committee members for their support.
We are honored to be part of your lives and support our community's education needs. We look forward to resuming this program again in 2021.
We wish you good health, now and in the future.
Best Regards,
Angela Chen
President, CAST-TX
2020 STEM Summer Camp Program Details - Cancelled
Registration Process:
Each applicant will choose 3 preferred professors. Each hosting professor will decide which students to accept.
Depending on the research project to be announced by the hosting professor, additional cost may occur based on the estimated cost of the materials that might be used for the project in the lab or on the equipment.
Important Dates:
The program fee: $800, including the following:
The program fee is nonrefundable after April 27th
Program Agenda:
* Each study group’s schedule and study agenda is set by the group professor. The professor may conduct the class in the classroom, in the research lab, or visiting research related site.
$800 for 2020 STEM bridge Summer Camp
2019 STEM bridge Symposium: 20 High School Students Received CAST STAR Awards
WINNERS OF 2019 CAST-STAR AWARDS
Congratulations to the 2019 CAST STAR (Science Tech Academic Researcher) Award Winners!
First Prize Winners of CAST STAR Award:
First Prize Winners of CAST STAR Award:
Second Prize Winners of CAST STAR Award:
Students name: Ethan Zhao, Isaiah Lambert-Gutierrez, Angelina Xu, Stephen Yang, Angela Liu, Nicholas Tsao
Advisors: Prof. Chengkai Li, Dr. Damian Jimenez and Dr. Fatma Arslan at University of Texas at Arlington
Title: Macrovoid Formation in Foamed Aerogel through Pressurized Gelation
Title: Modeling of Tall Wind Towers
Third Prize Winners of CAST STAR Award:
Advisor: Dr. Weill Wu (Professor and Lab Director) and Smita Ghosh (Graduate Assistant) Data Communication and Data Management Laboratory
Title: Dermatologist-Level Classification of Skin Cancer with Deep Neural Networks
Students name: Vincent Chen, David Li, Berkley Yiu, Ian Zhang, Yikai Zhou
Advisor: Dr. Majid Minary
Title: 3D Printings of Ceramics and Alloys
A: The daily schedule is very flexible. It will be discussed and decided between the hosting professor and the family together to work around each other's summer schedule. It can be full day or half day arrangement. As long as the total time put into the project is more than 100 hours in total, it will satisfy the time requirements.
A: We aim to support a wide range of high school students, from K9 to K12, meaning that students will become K10-K12 in the coming Fall 2020. We will ask the hosting professors to tailor the project goals and tasks to fit the student maturity levels.
A: Parents are required to provide student transportation. The daily schedule can be discussed with hosting professor to work around parents' schedule. For example, students can work for a couple of days at school and then work at home for the rest of the time.
A: The project can be a basis for the student to prepare for Science Fair competition. The STEM bridge project can be continued after summer if the hosting professor agrees to support. Such arrangement needs to be discussed with the hosting professor. STEM bridge will provide related science fair information and schedule. For example, Fort Worth Regional Science and Engineering Fair has 17 categories to compete for middle school and high school students. Winners can advance to regional and national competition including prestigeous Intel international competition. More information about science fair is available at: www.fwrsef.org, dallassciencefair.org.
Donation from student parents
Chonghui Liu; Zhiyong Li; Li Zhang; Xinxin Sun; Dongjie Huang; Jin Zheng, Lynn Ma; Mei Tong; Yuan Zhang
"Great efforts of CAST for STEM education"
— Michael Weng, Vlife
ACP Foundation
Founded in 1993, ACP Foundation (formerly known as the Association of Chinese Professionals, Dallas / Fort Worth) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization registered in the state of Texas.