The Holliday Heine STEM Institute

The Holliday Heine STEM Institute at Roland Park Country School strives to foster within girls the attitudes, cognitive skills, and academic foundations to investigate intellectually rigorous problems in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Our goal is to produce young women with the confidence, passion, persistence, and curiosity to explore the empirical world and to develop innovative habits of mind. Engaging in a problem-based curriculum, students of the Institute learn to plan research projects, work with others, synthesize new knowledge, generate novel solutions, and communicate effectively about their results. Participants develop the necessary ethical, analytical, and creative reasoning skills to pursue interests in and to prepare for careers in the STEM disciplines.

Program Description

The core of the Holliday Heine STEM Institute program consists of a series of research seminars that start in the 9th grade spring semester and are taken in sequential order. These courses teach a collection of unique skill sets within specific STEM fields that complement the regular scope & sequence of the RPCS math and science programs. All courses employ differentiated instruction to meet the academic needs of students with prior STEM experience, as well as those of the novice researcher. Students interested in pursuing the full STEM Certificate apply to enroll in the program in their 9th grade year. Graduates of the Institute will be expected to take all three seminars: STEM I in 9th grade, STEM II in 10th grade, and STEM III in 11th grade, and develop a final portfolio of major work completed. During the summer before their senior year, students will participate in a summer fellowship outside of RPCS to explore a STEM field of their interest. Click here to learn more about STEM fellowships.

Dr. Neda Blackburn

Dr. Neda Blackburn

The Holliday Heine STEM Institute Director / US Computer Science

Total number of participants to date: 197 (typically around 40% of the junior class)

2022: 35
2021: 32
2020: 24
2019: 50
2018: 31
2017: 25