Statewide Virtual Engineering Program

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) will launch Accelerate, a new statewide virtual engineering program, next week with an official boot camp, July 14-19, on the school’s Hartsville campus. Fifty-five students from eight partner school districts comprise the inaugural class. Boot camp will feature team building exercises, daily engineering challenges, introductions to core engineering concepts, guest speakers and a field trip to Boeing. Developed by GSSM, Accelerate is designed to help high-achieving students complete the first year of college engineering during the last three years of high school. Students will remain in their home high schools throughout the academic experience while participating in virtual classes taught by GSSM faculty. Years one and two of the Accelerate program will includes virtual courses, regional Saturday experiences and summer camps on partnering college campuses. Year three will feature virtual courses and regional Saturday experiences, plus culminate in industry internships. For its pilot year, GSSM has selected eight partner school districts. The program will expand annually to include additional schools and students.