(Carson, CA) – American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has donated $100,000 to California State University, Dominguez Hills to create an endowment fund that will support the university’s Science Opportunity Program, which provides college-level science courses to students of the California Academy of Math and Science high school located on the campus.
Honda’s contribution ensures the program can continue to provide textbooks and course materials to the CAMS students free of charge. In honor of that support, the program will now be called the American Honda Science Opportunity Program (AHSOP).
“The American Honda Science Opportunity Program will help CAMS students realize their dreams of attending college,” says Steve Morikawa, assistant vice president of Corporate Community Relations at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “CAMS and Cal State Dominguez Hills share Honda’s commitment to youth, science and education, and we are proud to partner with them on this important program.”
CSU Dominguez Hills established this innovative program in 2009 to expand on the mostly humanities-based college course it offers to CAMS students. Prior to implementation of the American Honda Science Opportunity Program, few of the university’s science courses were available to CAMS students due to class and lab time requirements.
Through the program, CSU Dominguez Hills and CAMS officials have developed a cohort model curriculum that provides the opportunity for students to take a full complement of college-level science courses beginning with an introduction to college chemistry in the summer of the students’ sophomore year, and continuing with the addition of biology and physics classes in subsequent summers and throughout the semesters in their junior and senior years.
The program proved popular the first year, with more than 100 students applying for the 48 slots in the intensive six-week summer chemistry class. More than 80 percent of the first cohort has continued in the program, and a second cohort began this past summer. Upon graduation, these CAMS students will have earned up to 45 units of college credit, mostly in the sciences.
“At a time when college costs continue to rise, Honda’s contribution is especially noteworthy,” University President Mildred Garcia said. “Through this program students at CAMS could potentially enter college at a sophomore level having spent little to no money. That’s a substantial savings on their college education.”
For more information, contact the College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences at (310) 243-2547.
