The SMILE Program: About Us

Related Links: A message from OSU President, Dr. Edward J. Ray; Contact Information;
SMILE Philosophy,, Our Awards, Volunteer with SMILE

Who Are We?

SMILE stands for Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences. The SMILE Program is a partnership between Oregon State University and 14 Oregon school districts -- mostly rural -- to provide science and math enrichment for underrepresented and other educationally underserved students in grades 4-12.

What Do We Do?

The purpose of the program is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students and those from groups with low high school graduation rates who graduate from high school qualified to enroll in college and pursue careers related to science, math, health, engineering, and teaching.

The program functions as a "pipeline", taking students from 4th to 12th grade and ultimately into post-secondary education. The SMILE Program conducts a year-round schedule of activities designed to provide hands-on science experience, strengthen students' knowledge, and raise students' academic and career aspirations. OSU resource faculty and The SMILE Program professional staff provide scientific and pedagogic expertise, access to equipment, mentoring, computer networking, teacher training, and administrative support; the schools provide energetic students and dedicated teachers.

SMILE Facts

SMILE began in 1988, serving 80 students in four middle schools. Today, the program serves more than 700 elementary, middle, and high school students, along with 60 teachers, in 35 schools. The areas served are poor, largely rural, and educationally under-served with significant numbers of American Indian and Hispanic students. Per capita income and educational achievement (rate of high school graduation, percent with college degrees) are below state averages.

SMILE Partnerships

Partnerships and grants provide program funding, content support in science and math, and support for teacher professional development. The Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies, CIOSS, supported through NOAA, supports teacher professional development and club materials focused on ocean sciences, as well as support for our high school challenge. The Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP), funded by NSF, supports the high school challenge and links us to researchers along the Oregon coast. We partner with the NSF-funded Long Term Ecological Research Station (LTER) at the Andrews Forest, which supports our focus on ecological activities in the clubs, and at the Elementary Outdoor Science Camp. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HHMI, also supports the EOSA as well as our summer bridge to college program, STARS. The JELD-WEN Traditions Foundation supports community outreach projects in SMILE Communities. We also partner with many OSU programs to provide a richer connection to college such as the ME Capstone, Oregon Space Grant, Oregon Sea Grant and many others.

Other partners:

CIOSS		http://cioss.coas.oregonstate.edu/CIOSS/index.html
CMOP		http://www.stccmop.org/
LTER		http://www.lternet.edu/sites/and/
HHMI		http://www.hhmi.org/
JELD-WEN		http://www.jeld-wentradition.com/index.cfm