Eighteen university students serve as mentors, providing science mentoring and career counseling to middle and high school students. The UNIST Leadership Center has been actively engaged in educational programs to expand the scientific culture in Ulsan for the past 13 years.
On April 11, the UNIST Leadership Center officially launched its first cohort of the Youth STEM Mentors. This program is dedicated to delivering diverse educational activities that connect science and career exploration for middle and high school students in the Ulsan region.
The mentorship team comprises 18 undergraduate students from UNIST. These mentors will organize science camps and STEM projects, offer mentoring sessions for middle and high school students, and conduct career-related lectures. The goal is to foster interest in science among local students and assist them in exploring careers within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields.
Particularly, the program emphasizes experimental STEM camps and participatory educational approaches tailored to youth, contributing to the dissemination of science culture. Additionally, activities such as science content creation and science communication will be continued to further promote scientific literacy.
UNIST has collaborated with the Ulsan Metropolitan City, Ulju County, Ulsan Bukgu, and various educational institutions to host a wide range of science events. Starting this year, the university will select young scientific talents to develop practical problem-solving activities reflecting the latest scientific trends and provide cutting-edge science content.
One of the student mentors expressed, “I want to share the scientific knowledge and experience I gained at UNIST,” and added, “I hope to guide those who love science but are uncertain about their career paths.”
A representative from the UNIST Leadership Center stated, “The mentorship program will instill confidence in local youth regarding science and offer mentors opportunities to build leadership and social experience,” adding, “We plan to expand activities such as STEM camps and science thinking classrooms in the future.”
The mentors shared their aspiration to serve as guides for adolescents who love science but do not know where to start, emphasizing that “[A]t UNIST, anyone can become friends with science.”
Since 2012, the UNIST Leadership Center has been actively working to bridge educational gaps and promote careers in science and engineering through programs such as the Ulsan U-City High-Leader Camp, The Dream Campus, Science Career Exploration, Science Mentoring, Ulsan Bukgu Dream Science Camp, Ulsan City STEM Camp, and university-linked career exploration camps organized by the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education.
