STEM Concentration
Women represent only thirty percent of the STEM workforce in the U.S. — and Notre Dame Belmont (NDB) is working to close the gender gap. NDB’s STEM Concentration immerses students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, preparing them for a college-level academic career.
NDB has earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). This award acknowledges 1,153 schools for their work toward equal gender representation during the 2023-24 school year. NDB is one of only 847 schools to be recognized for achieving this important result in AP CSP. Learn more.
Who is a STEM Tiger?
STEM Concentration Curriculum
If you are a rising sophomore interested in NDB’s STEM Concentration, please keep the requirements below in mind for planning purposes.
Additional Program Experiences
- Independent Experiences: Completion of at least three independent STEM-related experiences outside of NDB
- Academic Experiences: Attendance at three STEM-related academic lectures, conferences or workshops
- Co-curricular Experiences: Sustained participation in NDB co-curricular activities related to STEM during the junior and senior years
Independent Experiences: Completion of at least three independent STEM-related experiences outside of NDB
Academic Experiences: Attendance at three STEM-related academic lectures, conferences or workshops
Co-curricular Experiences: Sustained participation in NDB co-curricular activities related to STEM during the junior and senior years
Students achieved 100% pass rate on the following AP exams, exceeding CA and global scores:
Capstone Project Example: Virtual Economics Class
What is money? Where does money come from? Why does it seem like our money is spent so quickly? The answer will be found in Susie Liu's (Class of 2024) Capstone project called Women in Economics -- Teenager Economics Online Classroom, which serves as an online platform for economics foundation courses for middle and high school students. Visit Teenager Economics Study Online Classroom to join the classroom, with no pay, no commitment, self-paced comprehensive platform.
Forensics Mock Trial
Forensic students take to the courtroom following mock crime scenes that are staged on campus. Faculty and staff take on the roles of perpetrators, accomplices and witnesses among staged crimes of vengeance on campus! Students evaluate the crime scene using their knowledge of fingerprint and bloodstain pattern analysis. Following crime scene evaluations, students hold an ongoing mock trial in the courtroom as they play out the roles of courtroom judges, lawyers, clerks and more. Various classes on campus attend the trial each day as the jury, along with American Sign Language students translating the courtroom correspondence. Students exude exemplary confidence and poise as they present evidence, record testimony, cross-examine witnesses and more!
Tri-School Productions Build and Tech Team
Go behind the scenes as part of the Tri-School Productions Build and Tech Crew. Students work side-by-side with our team of professional designers to put on all aspects of each show.
- Learn sound engineering to set up audio equipment and manipulate audio levels to obtain excellent sound quality.
- Work with lighting designers to hang and focus lighting instruments and run light board operations.
- Learn to properly and safely use a variety of power tools.
- Construct, paint and dress the set using theatrical painting and set techniques.
Why You Should Join Tri-School Productions Build & Tech Team
Best Practices for STEM Education
NDB’s STEM Concentration embodies five best practices for STEM education, highlighted by the Center for STEM Education for Girls:
- Take Risks
- Engage in Inquiry-Based and Project-Based Learning
- Connect Learning to a Higher Purpose
- Craft 3-Dimensional Spatial Skills
- Connect With Role Models
Take Risks
Engage in Inquiry-Based and Project-Based Learning
Connect Learning to a Higher Purpose
Craft 3-Dimensional Spatial Skills
Connect With Role Models
Career Examples:
- Medical Physician
- Engineer
- Geologist
- Laboratory Scientist
- Veterinarian
- Marine Biologist
- Architect
- Astronomer
- Computer Programmer
- Genetic Counselor