Kent State University’s Brain Health Research Institute recently welcomed 94 fourth-grade students from the I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio, for a day of activities aimed at sparking their interest in science and technology.
The purpose of the visit was to show the students what types of careers are available in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math – and to learn about the brain and its functions.
Lique Coolen, Ph.D., assistant director of the institute, professor of biological sciences and assistant to the provost for special projects, who organized the visit, said another important aspect of the day was to help the students to envision themselves as Kent State students one day.
Events included numerous activity stations to get students thinking, moving and learning about all facets of the brain and brain health, from the basic senses to which parts of the brain control different functions and emotions.
The I PROMISE School is part of Akron Public Schools and is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is dedicated to students who are falling behind and in need of additional supports. The foundation wraps around all students and their families with resources to help them achieve their goals.
Kent State has an ongoing partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation to support its I PROMISE scholars. In 2020, the university provided the opportunity for a college education to all eligible students from the I PROMISE Program by guaranteeing four years of tuition and one year of room and meal plan at Kent State through its I PROMISE Scholars program.
The tuition opportunity was an extension of Kent State's collaboration with Kent State and the foundation, in which I PROMISE students attend summer enrichment college preparation programs at the university. Those existing programs have continued.
Photo Credits: LeBron James Family Foundation and Lique Coolen, Ph.D./Kent State University