STEM LAUNCH Study Tour

Since 2013, Cultural Vistas has provided Spelman College and Morehouse College students and faculty members with a firsthand look at global prospects in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through the STEM Learning and Understanding New Career Horizons (LAUNCH) tour of Germany, made possible through the generous support of The Halle Foundation.

STEM LAUNCH Study Tour participants with some of their German counterparts in Munich.
The program aims to encourage and inspire students from Georgia-based historically black colleges & universities (HBCUs) to add an international context to their educational and career paths through a two-week professional and cultural tour of Berlin and Munich following the end of their spring semesters.

Cultural activities complement the group’s experience of living, learning and experiencing Germany for the first time, and include visits to the U.S. Embassy and the German Bundestag, as well as excursions to museums and several historical sites, including Neuschwanstein Castle, the Reichstag building, Berlin Wall Memorial, and the KW Center for Contemporary Art.

The STEM LAUNCH program kicks off in April with four weeks of virtual learning designed to prepare students for their trip and facilitate relevant discussion about STEM research and career pathways, and how to internationalize them.

The majority of the program costs, including airfare, accommodations, travel within Germany, activities, and logistical support prior to departure and upon reentry are covered through a generous grant from The Halle Foundation.

The Halle Foundation supports initiatives to promote understanding, knowledge and friendship between the people of Germany, as seen in its European context, and those of the United States.

By taking the next generation of U.S. innovators to Berlin and Munich, the STEM LAUNCH Study Tour fulfills the foundation’s mission of promoting understanding, knowledge, and friendship between Germany and the United States.

The STEM LAUNCH Experience

Host Institutions