Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech A Summer Youth Program counselor helps a student in a previous year's Summer Youth Program.

HOUGHTON — Michigan Technological University’s Summer Youth Programs (SYP) begins next month for students in grades 6-11. The more than 50 year-old program will bring in excess of a thousand students from 30 states and four foreign countries to Houghton between June 14 and July 17.

Assistant Director of the Center for Educational Outreach, Brad Wells, said SYP got its start in 1972 with the Women in Engineering summer program. The programs offered gradually expanded in the last half century to accommodate new interests and future pathways for prospective students.

“It was a time when nationally women in STEM rates were even lower than they are now,” he said. “So, as our campus programming has expanded, we’ve expanded our Summer Youth Programs.”

The Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence degree, approved by the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees in April, is a key influence in adding new AI-based programs to the SYP catalogue. Wells said the new AI-focused programs help students stay engaged with current technological advances.

“We try to always make sure we’re including new, up-to-date things,” he said. “Such as this year, we have an AI coding class, trying to stay kind of on that cutting edge of computer science.”

According to Wells, the registration for all SYP classes has exceeded the 1,000 mark. He said around 10 percent of SYP attendees are from the Upper Peninsula, with the rest coming from downstate, 29 other states and four different countries — including 43 South Korean students from Gyeonggi Science High School.

Different scholarship opportunities bring students to Michigan Tech’s SYP. Copper Country Intermediate School District students are the recipients of GEAR UP scholarships, bringing students from grades 9-11 to SYP, Wells said.

According to the Center for Educational Outreach pages on Michigan Tech’s website, GEAR UP helps students pursuing all types of degrees and educational experiences — from four-year universities to trades.

Whether students are dreaming of a university, community college, skilled trade, or advanced degree, the program empowers them to move forward with confidence and purpose — at no cost to participants,” the GEAR UP webpage reads. “Now in its sixth year at Michigan Technological University, GEAR UP is celebrating a major milestone as its cohort of high school seniors prepares to step boldly into their futures — ready, motivated, and inspired.”

The TRIO pre-college program will be running in a five-week, concurrent window with SYP, with an additional week out-of-state. TRIO will be cohabitating the same dorm space and will be working closely with SYP staff and students, Wells said.

According to Wells, around 125 staff will be employed at Michigan Tech this summer working in SYP. This includes counselors and instructors.

“We have a really great team of Michigan Tech students coming together for our staff this year,” he said. “I know there’s a bunch of traction moving in the department to get students involved with SYP.”

SYP will run in one-week blocks for each class starting June 14 and ending July 17. Wells said students can stay multiple, concurrent weeks with the stay-over program.

The base price for resident programs is $1,175, with lab fees making up the rest of the bill. A commuter student option is also available without room and board for a $700 base price.

Wells said with the amount of interested technical education students in the area who are interested in SYP, the commuter option is still a viable way to spend a portion of their summer.

“The cool thing about living in the Copper Country is that you could pretty feasibly come as a commuter student,” he said. “You get the exact same experience and you’re welcome to stay for evening activities, have lunch and dinner with your classmates, go to all the classes — everything’s the same.”

Registration is still opn for all classes and will close approximately two weeks before each section begins.