Local student entries in the Poster and Essay contests are judged at Bowie State University, with winning entries traveling to the Summer Institute for display there. The Summer Bridge Program is a partnership between Bowie State University and Prince George's County Public Schools funded by the National Science Foundation. Summer Bridge provides a two-week summer science camp experience at Bowie State for high school students, to encourage them to take math and science courses in high school and to continue study in a technological field in college. A group of students will participate in the summers before their freshman, sophomore and junior years, and have a related summer internship during the fourth summer. The first group in the program is returning this summer to study Chemistry, the second group is returning to study Biology, and a new group of rising 9th graders will study Earth Science.
Participants also receive career development and leadership training, and go on related field trips.
On their final day, students present their projects to an audience of family and friends. It is required that all participants take the Summer Academy Math placement test before the start of the program to ensure proper placement. Students register for the placement test by selecting the appropriate date on the SSA 2000 application form. The purpose of the SEM Showcase is to highlight, recognize and celebrate student accomplishments in the SEM domain.