About STEMLA

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Program History

Bryn Mawr College has a long history of excellence in STEM. In 1998, the College was one of only eight institutions nationwide to receive the NSF/Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. This award recognized the College’s extraordinary success in encouraging and training women in physics. In 2003, the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics chose Bryn Mawr as one of 21 institutions with an exemplary and thriving physics department. With the intent to build on this tradition of inclusive STEM practices and STEM education, the STEMLA program began in the summer of 2021.

At the core of the STEMLA program is the immersive summer experience, where selected STEMLA Fellows partake in a four-week program meant to introduce them to both the College and Bryn Mawr’s many STEM majors. The STEMLA program welcomed its inaugural cohort of 19 Fellows in the summer of 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the STEMLA Summer Program was held remotely. In the summer of 2022, the program welcomed its first in-person cohort of 18 Fellows to Bryn Mawr's campus.

Today, the program continues to thrive and currently comprises 74 active STEMLA Fellows. 

Our Purpose

Bryn Mawr College’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in the Liberal Arts (STEMLA) program is a free, interdisciplinary, college-transition and mentorship program designed for first-generation, limited-income undergraduate students entering Bryn Mawr College.

The STEMLA program was established to facilitate first-generation, limited-income students' academic exploration, personal enrichment, and professional success.  Constructed on a foundation of evidence-based psychosocial research and best practices, the program works to ensure that Fellows are provided the necessary support and mentorship to not only persist in STEM, but to succeed in STEM fields at Bryn Mawr and beyond.

To do this, we work to empower Fellows as they undertake a four-year process of exploration, self-discovery, and identity building. The program centers around the development of a STEM identity, community and belonging, and career exploration, all of which are recognized as significant contributors to persistence and success in STEM.

Our Mission

The mission of the STEM in the Liberal Arts program is to partner with and support first-generation, limited income students from matriculation to graduation and beyond. We believe that first-generation, limited-income students bring with them unique and valuable lived experiences that have the power to propel scientific discovery forward. As such, we see it as our duty to empower Fellows and cultivate their unique perspectives, skills, and attributes in a way that provides a solid foundation for success at Bryn Mawr and in their post-graduate lives. We work to ensure that Fellows not only persist through their respective majors, but thrive both in and outside the classroom with the support of a strong community and a thoughtfully constructed support network. We aim to provide spaces for Fellows to simultaneously explore interests and passions, no matter what they are, on the path toward discovering a career that is both fulfilling and aligns with their respective values.