Wednesday, July 18, 2012

826NYC and 826LA kick off STEM workshops!

We’re brandishing our Bunsen burners and polishing off our periodic tables here at 826 as we start our new partnership to get students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education through writing! This summer we’ve launched an innovative pilot program that blends science and writing activities at 826NYC and 826LA, in collaboration with Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds, the Coalition for Science After School (CSAS), and UC San Francisco’s Science and Health Education Partnership.

"Time Warner Cable is proud to partner with 826 on this innovative program," said Tessie Topol, Time Warner Cable’s Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy and Community Affairs. "By integrating STEM learning opportunities into a highly creative out-of-school program where they do not traditionally exist, we are giving young people new ways to discover the wonders of STEM."

There is much research backing up the powerful duo of science and the arts. "Studies have revealed that many professional scientists credit inspirational experiences outside of the classroom as having influenced their decisions to pursue science as a career," says Dr. Carol Tang of CSAS. In this spirit, participants will explore science in a true 826-ian method: 826NYC students are investigating liquids and solids and experimenting with heating and cooling, while 826LA students are learning about experimentation and investigating phase changes by creating the perfect ice cream. Along the way both groups will be using their new skills to pen short stories about worlds of fire, heroic tales of space crews exploring planets, and haikus about slime, all to be published in chapbook form.

We are thoroughly excited by our new partnership and hope to create a long-lasting connection between science and the arts. As Tang says, "STEM is a way to foster lifelong learning and critical thinking and a way for young people to understand the world around them."