Signature and Affiliate K-12 Programs

CU Pre-Health Scholars (CUPS) Program

The CU Pre-Health Scholars Program (CUPS) is an academic enrichment and support program designed to motivate first-generation college-bound students to graduate from high school successfully, complete a college preparatory curriculum, pursue a college education and matriculate into a professional health career program or graduate school program.​

Contact: Sam Dancis | Sam.Dancis@cuanschutz.edu | CUPS  Homepage

The Denver STaRS

This program provides positive exposure to the Anschutz Medical Campus for junior and senior high school students just beginning to explore career and education options in clinical translational science and biomedical fields. This program includes many students from the DSST.

Contact: Sam Dancis | Sam.Dancis@cuanschutz.edu |  Denver STaRS Homepage

​Combined BA/BS-MD Program​

The BA/BS-MD degree program​ is a partnership between CU Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the CU School of Medicine. The purpose of the program is to assemble outstanding students from broadly diverse backgrounds that are committed to serving the health care needs of Colorado. Being accepted into the program, and successfully completing the requirements, enables you to have a reserved seat in a top-ranked medical school while having the freedom to explore other interests during your exciting college years at both the Denver Campus and the Anschutz Medical Campus.​
 

Contact: Trishia Vasquez | Trishia.Vasquez@ucdenver.edu |  BA/BS-MD  Homepage

Combined BA/BS-DDS Program

The BA/BS-DDS degree program at the University of Colorado Denver and CU School of Dental Medicine at Anschutz Medical Campus aims to promote the diversity of dental professionals practicing dentistry in Colorado and to better serve the health care needs of the State of Colorado by assembling and educating students from broadly diverse backgrounds. Applicants must be Colorado residents who are interested in serving the health care needs of Colorado as dentists. 

Contact: Trishia Vasquez | Trishia.Vasquez@ucdenver.edu | BA/BS-DDS  Homepage

The Medic​al Career (MC2) Collaborative Program at Children's Hospital

The Medical Career Collaborative (MC²) program propels high school students toward careers in healthcare through hands-on experiences and professional development opportunities. MC² focuses on recruiting students from groups that are under-represented in the healthcare workforce. This group of high-achieving young people typically consists of students of color and students from low-income backgrounds; the students come from schools all around the Denver Metro area. 

Contact: Haley Couch | Haley.Couch@childrenscolorado.org |  Medical Career Collaborative Homepage

 


CU Science Discovery

CU Science Discovery works in partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. These camps offer immersive, hands-on learning experiences, allowing participants a first-hand glimpse into the worlds of biomedical rese​arch​.   

Contact: Meredith Tennis, PhD | Meredith.Tennis@cuanschutz.edu |​​CU Science Discovery  Homepage

Colorado Black Health Collaborative (CBHC)

The Colorado Black Health Collaborative is a community-based organization that is committed to improving health and wellness in Colorado's Black, African, and African American communities through collaborations, partnerships, and teaming arrangements with community-based organizations, non-profits, public organizations, private entities, and government agencies.  

Contact: Thelma Craig |​​  Info@coloradoblackhelath.org |  CBHC Homepage​

Colorado Area Health Education Center

The Colorado AHEC Program Office works  with the regional offices to build state-wide network capacity and strengthen academic-community linkages in four core mission areas. The four core mission areas of the AHEC are: Health Careers and Workforce Diversity, Health Professions Student Education, Health Professions Continuing Education and Public Health and Community Education.

Contact: Matthew Hess | Matthew.Hess@cuanschutz.edu  |​ CO AHEC Homepage

CU School of Public Health: Integrated Nutrition Education Program

The Integrated Nutrition Education Program (INEP) is a creative and fun way for kids to learn about healthy eating in their classroom and to share what they learn with their families. Each lesson includes a hands-on cooking activity that teaches students how to prepare and taste new fruits and vegetables. INEP is funded by SNAP-Ed and conducted through partnerships with the University of Colorado and various school districts and schools from around the state.

Contact: Julie Atwood | Julie.Atwood@cuanschutz.edu  |​ Nutrition Program Homepage

Medical Day Treatment Program

The Medical Day Treatment Program provides medical, educational and psychosocial interventions to children and adolescents with chronic medical illnesses. This program is designed for children and adolescents ages 6 to eighteen who have difficulty functioning in a regular school environment either because of their illness or because of psychological reactions to their medical conditions. Twelve to 15 patients can be served at any given time. This is an accredited school program. A certified teacher from the Denver Public School system is employed full-time by the program. The program is also staffed with nurses, a psychologist​ and other medical personnel.

Contact:  Medical Day Treatment Homepage | 720.777.2900

Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair

The Annual Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair (DMRSEF) is for middle and high school students. This exciting and challenging event will draw from the eight-county Denver metropolitan area; the best minds from grades 6 through 12. 

 

Contact: Erin Golden, PhD | Erin.Golden@ucdenver.edu  | Science Fair Homepage

Summer Child Health Research Internship

The Department of Pediatrics offers summer research opportunities for rising high school seniors, college students and first-year medical students. Students will work in the lab with members of the Department of Pediatrics faculty at Children's Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado on the Anschutz Medical Campus. The summer program will introduce students to research opportunities related to child health. The summer internships will include opportunities for students to participate in a lecture research series as well as present their research at the completion of the summer internship.

Summer Child Health Research Homepage​

Colorado UpLift

Colorado UpLift employs full-time staff who are committed to the students they serve. As teacher/mentors and life coaches, they develop long-term relationships as early as elementary school. This bond continues through middle and high school, providing the relational support missing from students’ lives. Colorado UpLift uses a relational approach that produces superior results.

Contact: Carrie Radant Flynn | Carrie.Radant@ucdenver.edu |  Uplift Homepage​

Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs

The Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs at ​the University of Colorado Denver administers pre-college and pipeline programs. These programs are designed to educate, motivate, and prepare students to be successful in secondary and post-secondary education with the ultimate goal of obtaining a higher education degree.

The Pre-Collegiate Middle School Academic Program

The Pre-Collegiate Middle School Academic Program (PCMSAP) at the University of Colorado Denver Downtown Campus is an academic enhancement program.  The Program is designed to adequately prepare first generation college bound students in grades 7th and 8th to enroll in a college preparatory curriculum and successfully complete their secondary school career. Therefore, students selected to participate in the Program will be expected to remain active participants throughout their middle school years.

The Pre-Collegiate Development Program (PCDP)

The Program is committed to providing its students every opportunity to develop their academic skills to succeed in high school and gain entrance into an institution of higher education. 

The CU Denver Scholars Program 

The CU Denver Scholars Program is an early college enrollment program for college bound, high-achieving first generation students who enroll in college courses on campus during their senior year of high school. Students begin their college studies by taking one course at CU Denver during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year in high school. The credit earned in the course can be applied toward a bachelor's degree at the institution the student will attend. While enrolled in the program, students participate in Saturday Academies. Workshops at these academies are designed to prepare students for college study and introduce them and their parents to the rigors of a college environment.

The LYNX National Arts and Media Camps

The LYNX National Arts and Media Camps are summer immersion programs for high school students interested in contemporary music, film, or visual arts. The camps are produced by the CU Denver College of Arts & Media and they have developed a reputation as some of the best high school summer arts camps in America. At the camps, students learn from CU Denver faculty, get a taste of college life, get mentored by current CU Denver students, and bond with other arts high school students from throughout the country. The camps are designed to be previews of our college programs. The camps take place on the CU Denver campus in downtown Denver, home to a thriving arts and music scene. We strive to inspire students, expose students to the latest arts and media technologies, and help students to learn about college and career options in the arts! 

Contact: Dave Walter | David.Walter@ucdenver.edu | Homepage​​
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The Office of Pre-College Outreach and Enga​gement

The Pre-Collegiate Development Program (PCDP) at the University of Colorado Boulder is an institutionally-funded academic enhancement program for targeted middle and high school students. It is designed to motivate and prepare first generation students in pursuit of their higher education goals. PCDP is structured to ensure that students are academically prepared to enroll and be successful at the University of Colorado or any postsecondary institution of the student's choice.

The Pre-Collegiate Middle School Program

The Pre-Collegiate Middle School Academic Program (PCMSAP) is designed to adequately prepare first generation college bound students in grades 7th and 8th to enroll in a college preparatory curriculum and successfully complete their secondary school career.

The Pre-Collegiate High School Program

The Pre-Collegiate High School Program is the continuation of the Pre-Collegiate Middle School Academic Program and is designed to continue the preparation of its first-generation participants to successfully complete their secondary school career and transition to the college of their choice.​

Upward Bound Program

Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in pre-college performance and ultimately in higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families, high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree, and low-income, first generation military veterans who are preparing to enter postsecondary education. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rates at which participants enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.

Girls At the Museum Exploring Science (GAMES)

Girls At the Museum Exploring Science (GAMES) is a unique program designed to encourage interest and excitement about science in 4th and 5th grade girls. The program consists of six weekly after school visits to the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History (CU Museum). While at the Museum, the girls explore the sciences of archaeology, botany, entomology, paleontology, and zoology through hands-on activities using real museum specimens and direct interaction with scientists and museum professionals. At the end of the six weeks, families of participants are invited to the museum for a pizza dinner and exploration.

Contact: Cathy Regan | Cathy.Regan@colorado.edu | GAMES Homepage​

Adaptation and Variation: Colorado Animals and Plants Program

Guided programs at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History on the CU-Boulder campus are designed as interactive and hands-on learning experiences where students use objects, inquiry, and critical thinking skills to discover, wonder and reflect.

Contact: Jim Hakala | museumed@colorado.edu 

Community-University Partnership to Improve High School Math Performance and Engagements Among at Risk Students

The goal of this project is to implement an innovative positive psychology intervention aimed at improving high school math performance, particularly among high school girls and Hispanics/ Latinos. This year we successfully piloted this intervention in four diverse math classes at Niwot High School. This outreach award will allow us to expand this exciting project, and to more specifically target at-risk Hispanic/ Latino and female students. 

Contact: Kelsee Henningsen | Kelsee.Henningsen@colorado.edu

​Art Meets Science: 3D Modeling of Cell Structures

The importance of integrating visual and spatial skills to engage learners has been well documented. Children are visual and creative beings, and it follows that teaching science in a visual-spatial environment will aid in their ability to learn and help them become excited about science. In this project, we offer a unique outreach opportunity to blend art with science by partnering with a St. Vrain Valley Public School that is a Focus School for the Arts (Sunset Middle School). We will provide an opportunity to teach 3D modeling software developed in our lab (Boulder Laboratory for 3D Electron Microscopy of Cells) and will supply computer-based, cell volume data sets for the students to model, study and display in an artistic context. 

Contact: Eileen O'Toole | eileen@bio.colorado.edu 

CIRES: Geomagnetism in the MESA Classroom: An Essential Science for Modern Society

Geomagnetism in the MESA Classroom is a four-part after-school module sponsored by NASA that allows students to explore geomagnetism. Students will use compasses, perform navigation exercises, complete a caching activity, and attend a field trip to NOAA's David Skaggs Research Center in Boulder.

Contact: Emily Morton | emily.a.moton@colorado.edu

Colorado Math Circle 

Join the Colorado Math Circle for exciting math talks and problem solving sessions hosted by the University of Colorado at Boulder. Speakers will include math professors and mathematicians from around the state. Topics are expected to include number theory, combinatorics, probability, and geometry.

Science Discovery

CU Science Discovery is a science education outreach program of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Division of Continuing Education. Founded in 1983 to heighten young students’ interest in science, CU Science Discovery coordinates an array of programs that connect K-12 students and teachers to current CU science. Each program utilizes CU scientific expertise, equipment, resources and graduate or undergraduate students in order to provide K-12 students and teachers with unique, experiential learning STEM experiences. All programs are designed to be highly interactive and relevant, in order to engage students in the scientific process while connecting them to the science and technology present in their everyday lives.


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UCCS Pre-Collegiate Development Program

The Pre-Collegiate Support and Success Center (PCSSC) at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is an institutionally funded academic enrichment program for targeted elementary, middle, and high school students.  It is designed to motivate and prepare first-generation and military dependent students in pursuit of their higher education goals.  The PCSSC is structured to ensure that students are academically prepared to enroll and be successful in postsecondary education. 

Contact: Anthony Trujillo | atrujil3@uccs.edu | PCSSC Homepage​

Colorado Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national program forming partnerships among public schools, higher education institutions and the private sector in order to encourage students to expand upon their knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). UCCS provides quality PLTW summer training for elementary, middle school and high school teachers, ongoing training, and networking opportunities throughout the school year. The campus also provides college engineering graduate credit opportunities for those middle and high school teachers that participate in engineering summer training, and undergraduate engineering and health science credit opportunities for high school students in PLTW-certified schools.

Contact: Aubrey Johns | ajohns2@uccs.edu | PLTW Homepage​

Center for STEM Education

The Center for STEM Education at UCCS is an academic program for regional students designed to motivate and expose students to a variety of STEM activities, careers, and programs. cSTEMe's goal is to increase STEM engagement among students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, the center provides academic and financial support to minority and first-generation students interested in pursuing a STEM degree at UCCS.

Contact: Dave Khaliqi | dkhaliqi@uccs.edu | STEM Homepage​
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Roaring Fork pre-Collegiate Program 

Roaring Fork pre-collegiate is college prep program for student in Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs. We prepare high school students success. 

 
Contact: Leslie Emerson Griffith | Roaring Fork Homepage​ | 970.384.5967 

Summit Pre-Collegiate Program

The mission of Summit Pre-Collegiate is to assist and encourage first-generation students in their quest to graduate high school and continue with post-secondary education. We provide academic and community resources to help students formulate and achieve their goals in middle school, high school and beyond.  Our goal is to create a college-going culture for our first-generation students, and all students, in Summit School District by helping to remove barriers that commonly deter students and families from attaining this achievement.  Our services include:  academic tutoring, community mentoring, peer mentoring, Padres Aprendiendo Juntos / Parents Learning Together, summer programs at Colorado Mountain College and the University of Colorado Boulder, college and career counseling, extension classes at SHS, study skills, career exploration, SAT test prep, and year long college and scholarship application assistance for seniors.