ANSEP teaches academics, more

MAT-SU — University of Alaska Anchorage is hosting the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), which helps college-bound Alaska Natives as young as 11. This program guides students for a better future in engineering, mathematics, technology and science. Starting dates vary.

The best part about ANSEP — it’s free. Students can join beginning in sixth grade and at any point through the doctoral level. If students complete all components, they can even earn the Alaska Performance Scholarship.

However, ANSEP is not for the faint-hearted. It takes dedication and work, as do all STEM programs. According to the ANSEP website, a STEM program is one focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This does not mean students must be experts in the courses as ANSEP can help them gain a better understanding.

“ANSEP has evolved into a longitudinal model that is focused on providing inspiration, guidance and opportunity for students beginning as young as sixth grade and continuing on through the Ph.D. We have expanded to include BS degree programs in science. Now there are 1,250 students involved,” said ANSEP founder Herb Schroder.

ANSEP has been around for 18 years, but it has gained more recognition in the last few years. ANSEP had its early beginnings in the 1990s when Schroder was working on research associated with rural sanitation.

“There were 104 honey bucket villages at the time,” he said. “With honey bucket villages come high infant mortality rates, endemic enteric diseases and skin diseases.”

The research findings and Schroder’s team uncovered communication issues impeding resolutions to various health problems.

“There were communication problems between the villagers and the Public Health Service engineers who were working to develop solutions,” he said.

As a result, Schroder, who was an engineering professor at the time, decided he would find a way to draw more Alaska Natives into the field of engineering.

“Prior to ANSEP, there were chronic problems with Alaska Native students arriving at the university with the academic and social preparation necessary for success in BS science and engineering degrees. Few were successful,” he said. “ANSEP has transformed the education and resultant economic opportunities available.”

One student who is benefitting from ANSEP’s varied opportunities is Tim Bass, a ninth-grader at Colony High School. Bass participated in ANSEP’s computer building program last year. He said overall the program was a good experience, and he would recommend ANSEP to anyone who can participate.

ANSEP takes time and patience, but according to Bass, it is worth every bit of effort.

“If you start out early, it allows you to get familiar with the program, thus making it even easier to continue throughout the rest of the ANSEP programs, and the farther you go, the better it looks for college,” he said. “There’s even the possibility of getting scholarships; the program is bustling with opportunities.”

ANSEP does not teach just STEM-based things, according to Paul Chamblee, a senior at Colony High School who attended the ANSEP Acceleration Academy.

“I learned how to be a team member with people of different backgrounds as well as how to adjust to life as a college student,” Chamblee said. “Definitely, it was an awesome way to spend the summer. I think it is the ability to meet people from other parts of the state and have a genuine college experience. ANSEP enabled me to make new friends (and) have an awesome summer, all the while earning a college credit.”

ANSEP is a stepping stone to college for many Alaska students and it’s helping to pave the way to a brighter future for individuals and their communities.

For more information or to sign up, visit ansep.net.

Catherine Dunleavy is a junior at Mat-Su Central School. She also attends a few classes at Wasilla High School.