Let the After School Science Directory Help You

We completely redesigned the search function and look of the National After School Science Directory!  Now it's easy to discover science-rich institutions and youth development organizations in your community with our new search options.  Start with a zip code search, then expand the distance around your search to find the area you're interested in.



The new search capabilities of the Directory make it a great tool for:

• Promoting your organization's after school science classes, workshops & camps
• Spreading the word about your virtual and online resources
• Finding potential partners in your city, state or nationwide
• Discovering professional development opportunities by using the new "Program" filter

As always, listing your after school science opportunities in our Directory connects you with a national audience of kids and parents through Time Warner Cable's Connect A Million Minds Connectory!

You can also look here for a list of organizations currently registered with the Directory.



Are your winter camps listed in the Directory yet? There's still time to promote your awesome out-of-school time science programming - log in today!

Service-Learning: An Innovative Approach to Science After School

Out-of-school time presents an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about how science, technology, engineering, and math are intertwined with the world around them. But even in an afterschool environment, science education program developers and teaching staff may struggle with helping students connect what they are learning to their everyday lives. In order to create meaningful learning, students should be able to emotionally invest themselves in their work, creating a personal connection that extends beyond academic value and achievement.

Service-learning is a hands-on method of learning that helps students connect to their projects in a meaningful way. In service-learning projects, students use their skills and subject matter to complete a project that benefits the community. Similar to citizen science--where individuals or groups of students participate in various components of the science process to contribute to a larger data-set--students participating in STEM service-learning projects do "real" science that benefits the world around them. In service-learning, students' projects often have a real effect on their own neighborhoods and communities, helping them to see the connection between science and their everyday lives.

Service-learning is a natural environment for STEM-related projects. In one form of service-learning, students use their scientific knowledge to craft a community program--as these students did at L'Anse Creuse Public Schools in Michigan, where they facilitated a recycling event to improve their local environment. Students in high school or college with advanced scientific knowledge can also form community partnerships to mentor students in STEM subjects, as in the Engineers as Teachers program designed by Iridescent (who are also members of the Coalition for Science After School).

If you're interested in starting a service-learning project in your community--or you would like to integrate it as a component into your existing program--check out the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. This database is a great starting point for research on service-learning outcomes, case studies of successful programs, and lots of other resources for getting started in service-learning. 

If you're looking for a way to share your service-learning program, consider listing it in the National After School Science Directory. 

Connecting Young Minds to STEM

Time Warner Cable's five-year Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) initiative has reached a major milestone just two years into its existence. The $100 million philanthropic initiative aims to introduce one million children in the U.S. the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and math. Already, CAMM has connected 400,000 young minds to STEM. 

How has CAMM managed to reach out to so many kids and their families--and how can you support their effort?

• Educators, parents and other individuals can join the campaign and pledge to bring STEM learning opportunities to their communities.   
• Check out the CAMM-produced videos featuring kids from all over the world talking about why STEM is important to them.
• If you're in a Time Warner Cable market, you can request support from CAMM. In just the last few weeks, CAMM has supported groups in South Carolina and California, and Time Warner Cable corporate volunteers have volunteered as coaches for robotics teams.

We're proud to say that we have worked with CAMM by operating the National After School Science Directory. The STEM programs and events in the Directory populate the Connectory, where kids and families from across the country can find STEM learning opportunities in their hometowns. 

Thanks to Connect a Million Minds and Time Warner Cable for their great work!
 

Manufacturing and STEM

Manufacturing skills--designing and creating the materials, parts, and products that we use every day--are a sometimes-overlooked outcome of a solid STEM background. Last week, President Obama announced the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a coalition of government, universities, and private enterprise to invest in and support manufacturing in the United States. According to Science Insider, such a partnership was a recommendation of a recent PCAST (Presidents' Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) report. A key component of the report included a National Science Foundation solicitation for a National Robotics Initiative to "accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people."

Manufacturing brings to mind dim factories, assembly lines, and cookie-cutter products. But modern manufacturing can have quite a different definition. Sophisticated technological components have to be designed and assembled with great skill and precision. Creating new materials that make products more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly can involve developing new manufacturing processes. And the development of robotic technology is being increasingly applied to improving the lives of people around the world, from individuals with disabilities to possibly improving agricultural sustainability.

Project-based STEM learning--a strength of afterschool programs--can lead to a promising career in manufacturing, giving students a potential edge in the global economy and the opportunity to be a driving force in the development of new technologies. Robotics programs in particular offer students the opportunity to develop technological as well as creative skills, and there are many opportunities for doing robotics in afterschool--a recent search in the National After School Science Directory found over 200 robotics teams and robotics-related summer camps across the country. 

Do you have an opportunity for K-12 or college students to develop their STEM skills in out-of-school time? Share it in the Directory! You can also find opportunities in your area in the the Connectory.

Directory Update 2011

In 2009, the Coalition for Science After School partnered with Time Warner Cable's philanthropic initiative Connect a Million Minds to create the National After School Science Directory. The Directory is a fast, free way for organizations across the country to promote their opportunities for doing science, technology, engineering, and math in out-of-school time. Tens of thousands of students, parents, educators, advocates, and other stakeholders have used the Connectory to find STEM programs & events in their communities.

This month, we are working to include the many STEM opportunities that have been initiated since 2009 into the Directory, as well as updating past opportunities that have new dates. If your organization has not yet shared their opportunities in the Directory, we invite you to take advantage of this resource and share your activities on a national scale. If you have opportunities that have expired, please take a moment to log in and update those dates so that users can continue to have access to your great work. Remember, only active opportunities with current dates show up in public searches!

If you need assistance updating your entries, or have questions about the Directory, feel free to contact us at directory {at} afterschoolscience {dot} org.

Thank you for your continuing support of afterschool science. We look forward to reading more about your great work in the Directory!

Share your STEM opportunities in the National After School Science Directory!

The Coalition's Directory and Time Warner Cable's Connectory are a free, easy-to-use tool to share your opportunities for doing STEM in out-of-school time on a national scale. List your programs and events in the Directory to share them with parents, students, educators, policy-makers, and advocates in your community and beyond.

If you are already a part of the Directory, now is a great time to update your opportunities. Simply log in, click on "programs & events," and update your entries. Create new opportunities by clicking on the "create program or event" button. Remember, only active opportunities--those with dates that have not passed--show up in public searches, so keep your programs and events current!

If you're new, signing up only creates a couple of minutes at www.afterschoolscience.org/directory. For assistance or questions, feel free to email us directly at directory (at) afterschoolscience.org.

Thank you for supporting science in out-of-school time!

Summertime Directory Updates

The weather is warming up, which means that now is a great time to enter your summer programs into the Directory! It's free and takes just a few minutes. Go to www.afterschoolscience.org/directory, log in, and enter or update your programs!

 

Out-of-School In the Outdoors

After a wet and snowy winter, the world is beginning to bloom again (at least in some parts of the country). All of the sprouting trees and flowers inspired me to look in the Directory to see what kinds of opportunities for afterschool science there are in botanical gardens and outdoor schools. 


At the Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, high schoolers have the opportunity to learn about different aspects of horticulture and then participate in an urban agriculture project with their peers. The program is structured so that outstanding participants have the potential to work their way up and eventually become paid Senior Apprentices. This innovative program has been around since 2004 and requires a ten-month commitment with extensive training. See the GAP website for more details as well as some great pictures!


In Mississippi, the Plymouth Bluff Center offers environmental programs in an unaltered outdoor setting that includes a  river, a pond, woodlands, a cypress slough, nature trails, an outdoor teaching facility, and outdoor laboratories. The Bluff is the site of an ancient Cretaceous sea and contains fossil sites used for paleontology and geology labs. Nature trails and abundant wildlife present opportunities for unstructured learning time. There is also an outdoor Math Lab and Environmental Discovery Lab perfect for field trip visits from afterschool programs as well as classrooms! 


And on the west coast, 5th grade students in rural Lassen County in northern California can explore their surrounding environment at 5th Grade Day in the Forest. Hosted by the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC), the event encourages participants to explore a variety of science concepts that correlate to California's science standards. 


Let us know in the comments what you're doing to celebrate science in the outdoors! 

P.S. Read about member activities, upcoming conferences, the Afterschool for All Challenge, and more in the Coalition's March newsletter!

Summer Learning Opportunities

Organizations from across the country are beginning to plan their summer programs, and youth participants are already starting to sign up! Summer learning is an important component of OST learning time, and the warm weather and freedom to roam outdoors means that it's a great time to do science. 

Below are some summer learning opportunities that have already been entered into the Directory. Get your opportunities in soon for a free way to let your community know about your program!

• COSMOS (The California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science) at the University of California, San Diego 
• Talented and motivated high school students are invited to work side-by-side with university faculty and researchers. In addition to the program at UC San Diego, which offers a focus in technology and engineering, COSMOS is offered at UC Davis, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Cruz.  

•  Summer Camp at the Chicago Academy of Science Notebaert Nature Museum 
• A variety of camps offered all summer long connect children to the wonders of nature through art, music, movement, hands-on science activities, and live animal encounters. Family open house nights each Thursday get parents and siblings involved as well. 

• Mathematics Summer Camp for High School Girls at the University of Nebraska 
• This all-girls, all-math, week-long camp at the University of Nebraska has been offered since 1997. High school aged girls are invited to this stimulating and supportive environment to develop their mathematical ability and interest. 

For more information on why summer learning is essential to every child's education, check out the research and resources at the National Summer Learning Association.

National Engineers Week: February 20th-26th

This week is the 60th annual National Engineers Week, hosted by the National Engineers Week Foundation. Programs across the country will cultivate and celebrate the profession, and inspire students to become future engineers. 

National events include Introduce a Girl to Engineering on February 24th, when business and engineering leaders from across the country will sponsor talks and activities at local schools and programs. In addition, girls are encouraged to explore engineering through the website Engineer Your Life, where they can learn about how to become an engineer and hear from inspiring women who have already done it! The Foundation also hosted the Future City competition; winners were invited on Feb. 17th to join President Obama and Congressional leaders on their video call to astronauts currently working on the space shuttle Endeavour. 

Coalition members are highly involved in engineering as well:

• Exploring Engineering with the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland 
• Exploring Engineering at the University of Maryland (E2@UMD) is a one-week summer program for high school women (rising juniors and seniors) who are considering engineering as a possible major and career. Students live on campus for one week and explore the world of engineering through fun, hands-on activities, laboratory experiments, informative workshops, team challenges and seminars with professional engineers.

• Engineering Projects at the University of Utah
• Engineering students bring demos, hands-on projects, and engineering fairs to local schools and community centers. 

• Creating GLEE (Girls Learning Electrical Engineering) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• A week-long camp that introduces girls to engineering concepts. 

What did you do for National Engineers Week? Let us know at info (at) afterschoolscience (dot) org.