STEP Turns 50
Three generations of alumni gathered to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program, the university's flagship program to help increase the number of students from underserved communities in STEM fields.
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Colonel John Stevens, the patriarch of the Stevens founding family, is known to have contributed to the early development of the U.S. in many ways: he served in the Revolutionary War, built the first steam-powered ferry, and petitioned Congress for the creation of U.S. patent laws. Lesser known, perhaps, is his contribution to American horticulture. An avid gardener, Col. Stevens is credited for introducing to America various flowering plants originating from East Asia. One of those plants is a flower associated with the arrival of fall – the chrysanthemum. Although the autumn flower comes in various shapes and colors, Col. Stevens is said to have imported a "Dark Purple" mum in 1798.
