For over 50 years, students from across the state of Indiana have had the opportunity to explore their interests in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines through summer research opportunities, hands-on experiences, and mentorship through the Project SEED Program, now SEED/STEM, in Indianapolis.
The Project SEED (Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged) program was launched in 1968 through the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the largest scientific organizations in the world. The ACS is a non-profit founded with the mission to advance the field of chemistry and support its practitioners.
Formed through a resolution passed by the ACS Council, Project SEED was created to address the needs of underprivileged students seeking education in STEM fields. Throughout its history the program has offered valuable research, learning, and growth opportunities to high school students, continually expanding its reach and impact.
Over time, the program has expanded to accommodate a diverse range of participants, making a significant impact on both individual students and the broader STEM ecosystem across 40 U.S. states and territories.
Indianapolis’ SEED program began operations in 1972 with three students in its first cohort. Since its inception, the program has operated locally, serving over 1,600 students in Indianapolis. In the 2010s, the Project STEM addition was introduced to expand opportunities for students regardless of socioeconomic status.
Students accepted into the SEED/STEM program are paired with research teams to gain hands-on experience in the research process. The full-time experience spans over 8 weeks during the summer and takes place in research environments at the IU Indianapolis campus, the Indiana Bioscience Research Institute, and Eli Lilly and Company. Should they be accepted, applicants are eligible to receive a stipend of up to $4,000 to participate in the program.
While one-on-one mentorship and the summer research projects are key components of the program, students also attend weekly group meetings, receive training in scientific instrumentation, and participate in research workshops that cover topics such as the ethical conduct of research. The program helps students gain multiple professional development skills, including time management, accountability, and working with a team.
Mutanda Mutombo was interested in the field of STEM from a young age, but had few opportunities to explore that interest before learning about the SEED/STEM program. After being accepted, Mutombo was able to work on research projects alongside fellow students and with mentors. After spending two summers with the program, Mutombo plans to enroll in college as a biology major and a pre-med track.
“This program has cultivated an even deeper love and appreciation for scientific inquiry and propelled me to continue learning,” Mutombo said.
Ann C. Kimble-Hill, PhD, one of Mutombo’s mentors with the SEED/STEM program, has been mentoring students since 2012. She keeps in touch with the students she’s worked with, who have gone onto medical school themselves.
As a woman of color and a member of one of the national ACS oversight committees, it was important for Kimble-Hill to become a mentor in the program, she said. When Kimble-Hill was younger, this type of opportunity didn’t exist or wasn’t accessible.
“I've been lucky and blessed along my academic journey to get where I am with a lot of support,” Kimble-Hill said. “Being a mentor in this program means paying that forward and providing a way for students that look like me to have opportunities that I didn't at this stage of life. It means helping the next generation go further than mine.”
The support doesn’t end once students leave the program. SEED alumni are eligible to apply for a range of local and national college scholarships offered each year, including scholarships to IU-Indianapolis and Purdue-Indianapolis, once they move onto the next step in their education.
Research from Indianapolis shows that the impact of participating in the SEED/STEM program extends beyond students’ high school years. Not only do SEED/STEM alumni have a higher college enrollment rate than their peers, but participation in the program also eliminates the socioeconomic gap in enrollment rates of disadvantaged students in Indiana.
While enrollment rates for the broad Indiana student body hovered around or under 60% and those of socioeconomically disadvantaged students typically stood at or below 50% from 2016-2019, SEED/STEM alumni enrolled in college at rates above 85%.
Program alumni have not only gone onto complete four years of studies to earn a bachelor’s degree, but some have also gone further and onto medical school, including the IU School of Medicine.
Safiya Sankari, a participant in the SEED/STEM program in 2020, conducted research on the impact of chronic kidney disease on COVID-19 patient outcomes. “Project STEM allowed me to explore medical research,” Sankari told the Indiana CTSI in 2021. “I was very interested in medicine but had no way of taking part in research in the field prior to the program.”
Sankari went on to earn a prestigious Rise Global Award, which provided a full tuition scholarship for four years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was one of just 100 applicants to receive an award from a pool of 16,000 students from around the world.
Audu Aishat, a 2015 graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, spent two summers with the SEED/STEM program. She is currently in her fourth year of medical school at the IU School of Medicine and credits the program for helping her get to where she is now. During her second summer, a mentor encouraged her to take up a student leadership position where she helped with interviews, set up meetings and served as a site leader for her cohort at Eli Lilly.
“I can, in large part, credit my comfortability as a leader to the responsibility I was given in Project SEED,” Aishat said.
Not only was Aishat able to connect with professional researchers who would go on to assist her in preparation for the MCAT exam, she still regularly speaks with fellow students from her two cohorts. Aishat encouraged any prospective students interested in STEM fields to not only apply to the program but also to work as hard as they can, should they be accepted, saying that the program gives back what participants put into it.
“While I have always had interest in medicine and going to medical school, SEED truly paved the way for me,” Aishat said. “I am forever grateful for how much this program has contributed to my medical journey.”
