Get ready for VALHEN STEM Academy

Required forms must be completed by June 26. Most mandatory forms may be completed through the secure Mason Dynamic Forms Portal. Students and parents/legal guardians must complete, sign, and submit all required forms by the deadline, or your spot in the program will be given to a student on the waiting list.  Note: Our program is the VALHEN STEM Academy, our program dates are 7/29-7/31. 

If you prefer to print/sign/submit these forms, please contact the VSA Director, Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon at khilkerb@gmu.edu.

You and a parent/guardian are required to sign two additional forms: the Acknowledgment of Risk for Laboratories and the STEM Academy Code of Conduct.  These forms will be sent to you in the mail and by email (if you address has changed since you applied, please let us know).  Please email us a picture of these signed forms to stempath@gmu.edu, AND bring the signed forms with you to the STEM Academy.

Bringing Prescription Medication? If YES, you need one more form! VALHEN staff does not dispense medication.  You must complete the Self-Administration of Medication form if you are bringing prescription or pharmacist-controlled (sold from behind the pharmacy counter) medications.  This form must be completed, signed by a health care provider, and submitted as a printable form (no virtual form option).  Obtain required signatures and email this completed form to stempath@gmu.edu by July 10.

Sign up for the pre-STEM Academy virtual Open House Session

Register for a pre-STEM Academy virtual open house on June 30 from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. to meet your fellow STEM Academy participants and the program staff.  You can preview our schedule and engage in Q&A.  

If you have special dietary requirements or need any accommodations to fully participate in the STEM Academy, please contact Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon at khilkerb@gmu.edu no later than July 10.

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES are strongly recommended. Please label your bottle with your name. Filling stations are located across campus

LAPTOP COMPUTERS OR TABLETS are strongly recommended for research and presentation development for the STEM Solutions Challenge. Please make a record of your personal device serial number(s). 

DRESS for the VSA program is casual (please see Code of Conduct for more specific information). STEM buildings and labs can be quite cool, so we strongly recommend packing a hoodie or light jacket (see packing list for more information). Long pants and close-toed shoes are required for Friday’s Electrochemistry session, and you should consider bringing an umbrella or rain jacket. Students are strongly encouraged to wear their VSA t-shirt on Friday for presentations and the closing session.

View complete packing list 

We strongly encourage you and your parent/guardian to sign up for Mason Alert to receive text messages about changes to campus operations (including severe weather and other alerts). To sign up, text “masonalert” to “226787”  and you will receive emergency text message notifications until you text STOP to 226787. This service is provided per the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to 226787 to cancel or HELP for tech support.

View Mason’s full emergency preparedness and campus safety plan.

Please reach out to us with any questions at stempath@gmu.edu. 

RESIDENTIAL CHECK-IN will begin at 9:15 am on July 29, and all residential students should have completed their check-in by 10:15 am. Students should come directly to Piedmont/Tidewater Hall on the Fairfax Campus (buildings 69 and 65 on the Campus Map). If you are driving to campus, please park in Rappahannock Parking Deck (building 43 on the Campus Map) and bring your bags to the front lobby to check in at the registration table. Please arrive as early as possible during the check-in window, as this will allow sufficient time for you to check-in, unpack, and meet your roommate before we leave the dormitory at 10:50 am. Kickoff programming begins promptly at 11:00 am, and we will not return to the dormitory until 9:30 pm! 

Parents/guardians/visitors assisting with check-in may help with delivering items and setting up their student’s sleeping room, but for security reasons all non-participants must vacate the residence hall by 10:30 am. Once check-in is completed, for security reasons no parents/guardians or any other visitors are permitted to enter the VSA dormitory until the program concludes on Friday afternoon. If a parent/guardian needs to visit a participant on campus during the program (for example, to bring a forgotten item), program staff will facilitate a meeting at a separate campus location.

RESIDENTIAL CHECK-OUT will begin at 4:15 pm on July 31, and all residential students should have signed out of the program no later than 4:45 pm. Residential students will leave the awards ceremony and return to the residence hall as a group, and may not leave with their parent/guardians until they have checked out of the program. Students must remove all of their personal items, dispose of their trash and recycling in provided receptacles, and return university-provided bedding/towels and their key card prior to departing. If you are being picked up, please have your ride park in Shenandoah Parking Deck (Building 44 on the Campus Map). Be sure to visit the check-out table in the residence hall lobby before departing.

Parents/guardians and other visitors assisting with check-out may enter the dormitory to help with clearing their student’s sleeping room, but all participants and family/visitors must vacate the residence hall by 4:45 pm.

Day-Only participants should report to the Johnson Center Bistro on the Fairfax Campus (building 31 on the Campus Map). The Bistro is on the bottom floor.  If you are being dropped off on campus, the best drop off location is to take Sandy Creek Way to York River Road, stop in front of Research Hall at the loading zone (building 51 on the Campus Map). It is a 5-minute walk up the hill past Exploratory and Enterprise Halls to the Johnson Center. Program staff will be available both at the Research Hall drop-off area and in the Bistro. 

Important: VSA students may be authorized by a parent/guardian to self-check-in/check-out through the Authorization for Drop-off/Pick-up form. Select this option if 1) you will be traveling independently to/from the program or 2) you will Kiss and Ride - be dropped off/picked up from campus (where the driver remains within the vehicle). If the self-check-in/out option is not selected, a parent/guardian or other designated individual over the age of 16 listed on the student’s Authorization for Drop-off/Pick-up form will need to park and enter the designated pick-up area and show ID to check the participant in/out of the program daily. For those who prefer to check their student in and out, please utilize the free, 30-minute visitor parking available in the Shenandoah Parking Deck. 

Day One - July 29 Check In/Out Options:

Check-in Options
Program Check-in (Johnson Center - Bistro) 10:30 am to 10:45 am. 

Check-out Options
After Dinner: 7:45-8:00 pm (Research Hall), or 

After Astronomy Night: 9:30-9:45 pm 

Day Two – July 30 Check In/Out Options:

Check-In Options
Join Residential Students for Breakfast: 8:15 a.m. (Johnson Center - Bistro), or 
No-Breakfast Option: 8:45 am – 8:55 am (Johnson Center - Bistro).

Check-Out Options

Before Dinner/STEM Gaming Analytics Session: 6:15 – 6:30 pm

After Dinner/STEM Gaming Analytics Session: 8:00 – 8:15 pm: 

Day Three – July 31 Check In/Out

Check-In Options
Join Residential Students for Breakfast: 8:15 a.m. (Johnson Center - Bistro), or 
No-Breakfast Option: 8:45 am – 8:55 am (Johnson Center - Bistro).

Check-Out Option
Program Check-Out: 3:45 p.m. (Johnson Center - Bistro)

HOUSING is provided in Tidewater/Piedmont Residence Hall. All rooms include a bed, desk, and closet. Bed sheets, a pillow, and a blanket, as well as a hand towel, bath towel, and washcloth are provided for all participants. If you prefer, you may bring your own linens (Twin XL) and towels. Wireless internet is available.  

Rooms are in a suite dormitory style, with two students per room with an interior bathroom shared by two sleeping rooms. Students are not permitted to enter any sleeping room that is not their own. Staff will conduct room checks each night.

Students will be assigned roommates of the same gender, based on the information provided in their application. Families with specific housing needs or questions are encouraged to contact us so we can make appropriate arrangements. 

KEY CARDS will provide room access and are programmed to each student’s individual room. You are required to carry your key card at all times. Any student who loses this card will be charged a $25 replacement fee.

PROVIDED MEALS include lunch and dinner on Wednesday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Thursday, and breakfast and lunch on Friday. One mid-afternoon snack is provided daily. Additional snacks and drinks are available for purchase on campus and in vending machines in the residence halls (at the students’ expense). Students may also bring additional food items to the program, but all snacks must be in sealable/closed containers (single-serve pouches are recommended). Refrigeration is not available, except in cases of medical necessity (must notify program in advance). For the safety of our staff and participants, no nut-containing products (peanut butter, etc.) are permitted in the dormitory, learning spaces or other VSA activity spaces.

DIETARY NEEDS must be reported two weeks in advance of VSA. We will work with food vendors to accommodate food allergies/dietary needs if sufficient notice is provided.

PROVIDED MEALS include lunch and (optional) dinner on Wednesday, (optional) breakfast, lunch, and (optional) dinner on Thursday, and (optional) breakfast and lunch on Friday. One mid-afternoon snack is also provided daily. Additional snacks and drinks are available for purchase on campus at the student’s expense. Students may bring additional food items to the program, but all snacks must be in sealable/closed containers (single-serve pouches are recommended). Refrigeration is not available, except in cases of medical necessity (must notify program in advance). No peanut- or tree nut-containing products (peanut butter, etc.) are permitted at VSA.

DIETARY NEEDS must be reported two weeks in advance of VSA. We will work with food vendors to accommodate dietary needs if sufficient notice is provided.