Students at four West Philadelphia middle schools will show off the projects they developed in STEAM Initiatives programs facilitated by the University City Science Center. Over the next week, students from KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, Samuel B. Huey School, Morton McMichael School and The City School will demo the projects they created during the Science Center’s DNA Selfie and Polymer Play programs.
The Science Center’s STEAM Initiatives department uses Art to encourage entry into the STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Ninety-five percent of the 535 students who participated in the Science Center’s STEAM Initiatives Program in 2014 learned about new career opportunities as they delved deeper into material science and technology. “I’m curious and I think in the future the Polymer Play program could help me with my career choice,” said Kaylah, an 8th Grader from KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, who participated in Polymer Play.
Click here to view an infographic for more details about STEAM Initiatives’ impact.
The DNA Selfie program focuses on middle school girls. Participants from The City School learned about DNA and genetics as they created unique personalized projects using laser cutters and woodshop tools. Along the way they met with women scientists at the Science Center and the Monell Chemical Senses Center and discussed what makes them genetically unique.
Students from KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School, Morton McMichael School and Samuel B. Huey School re-imagined everyday products such as cutlery and Lego by creating them from bio-plastics and recycled containers during the Polymer Play program. The STEAM Initiatives Demo Days will feature presentations and a project fair in the Buckminster Fuller Conference Room at the University City Science Center at 3711 Market Street, Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19104. The Morton McMichael Demo Day will take place at the school, which is located at 3543 Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia. All Demo Days are free and open to the public.
Demo Day Schedule: Wednesday, December 10, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Polymer Play with KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School Friday, December 12, 1:00-2:00 p.m., DNA Selfie with The City School Tuesday, December 16, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., Polymer Play with Morton McMichael School (program will be held at the school) Thursday, December 18, 1:00-2:00 p.m., Polymer Play with Samuel B. Huey School
