K-12 Outreach & STEM Programs

Cummings School prides itself on providing a unique assortment of K-12 STEM and other educational programs.

Examples include:

Grafton 5th Grade Veterinary Medicine/Engineering Outreach Program

In 2005, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University faculty developed a curriculum on veterinary medicine for fifth-grade students at Grafton Elementary. In addition to learning about all the possibilities available for working with animals, students are engaged in veterinary-related projects to create devices through the engineering design process to solve medical problems.

This is How We Role

This is How We Role is an afterschool program held at the Belmont Community Elementary School in Worcester. Led by Cummings School faculty, the eight-week program aims to introduce students to careers in veterinary medicine through interactive experiences on topics including working with various animals and common diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

STEM

Cummings School is a member of the Central Mass STEM Pipeline Network established by the State Board of Education in 2004. The network works to increase student interest and achievement in STEM areas and to promote the successful completion of post-secondary degrees or certificates in STEM subjects.

Gap Junction

Gap Junction is an after-school program for middle school students run by Cummings School student volunteers. Groups of middle school students from surrounding schools are brought to the Cummings School campus one afternoon per week for four weeks. This program has been a success story for STEM education and veterinary school outreach in Central Massachusetts for more than 15 years.

Geek is Glam STEM Expo

The Geek is Glam STEM Expo is an annually held interactive conference for middle school girls. Offering hands-on activities, the expo introduces attendees to exciting opportunities within STEM.  Specifically, Cummings School faculty and students share innovative ways to solve medical problems through engineering.  

Gear Up

Worcester East Middle School's GEAR UP Program promotes higher education to low-income, first-generation students. Cummings School has hosted the students, providing them with presentations on careers in veterinary medicine, admissions, and insight into health professional programs/schools.

High School Health Career Program

The High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) targets Massachusetts high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or groups that are under-represented in biomedical research, biotechnology and the health professions. Each year, the group visits Cummings School, where they attend a lecture on possible careers within veterinary medicine followed by a tour of the campus and an admissions information session.

Worcester Technical High School

Cummings School has collaborated with Worcester Technical High School (WTHS) to establish a primary care clinic for under-served animals and their owners. Located at the high school, the clinic assists economically disadvantaged segments of the Worcester population. The educational purpose of the clinic is to provide hands-on, vocational education to veterinary assistant students from WTHS and primary care instruction and responsibility for Cummings School fourth-year veterinary students.