New UNH summer program aims to open doors for students of color
This past July, the University of New Hampshire launched an innovative new summer program that explores science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics, as well as the Black experience.
Offered through UNH Tech Camp, the Dinah Whipple STEAM Academy, as the program is called, was established to “stimulate interest in STEM-related subject areas among students of color who are traditionally underrepresented in the field,” explains lead instructor Dzijeme Ntumi. Intended for middle and high school students, the program is offered at no cost to participants and open to all levels of experience.
Ntumi credits staff at the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire for helping develop the Black history curriculum for the program and spreading the word to potential students. The namesake of the program, Dinah Whipple, was even inspired by an article written by BHTNH founding member Valerie Cunningham.
“Dinah Whipple was a significant figure in New Hampshire history who is best known for founding the state’s first school for Black children in Portsmouth in the early 1800’s,” says Ntumi. The former enslaved New Hampshire native went on to become a leader in the community, advocate for education and an inspiration to future generations.
For its inaugural year, nine students enrolled in the one-week Dinah Whipple program, which was held largely online due to COVID-19 safety concerns. The participants did gather in-person for a field trip to tour the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and learn from experts about marine engineering.
Based on positive feedback from students, parents and staff, the plan is to expand capacity for the Dinah Whipple STEAM Academy when it is held on campus at UNH moving forward.
“This is an important program because in both my personal life and career, I have experienced the inequities that exist in the world of STEM and engineering,” says Ntumi, who holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from UNH and works as design engineer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. “I don’t look like the typical engineer to most people. I’m usually the only Black woman—often the only Black person—at the table. I can now help change that reality.”
To learn more about the Dinah Whipple STEAM Academy, click here. If you are interested in being put on a mailing list for next year’s program, please email ccaw@unh.edu.
