Spring Programs Wrap-Up at Project Exploration
Project Exploration hosted its 20th annual Reflection of Knowledge at Cisco Meraki on Thursday, May 16, 2019. This year, the Reflection of Knowledge brought together nearly 50 youth from Sisters4Science, Brothers4Science, and the West Side STEM Learning Center. Each program shared their favorite project from the year, presenting their findings and highlighting the challenges and how they worked through them.
Cisco Meraki Helping to Build a Future of STEM Leaders
Project Exploration values the connection students make to real STEM experiences. Creating opportunities to expose students to STEM mentors and STEM-related environments has been a hallmark of Project Exploration programs. We always seek opportunities where our students can meet STEM professionals and can take trips to labs, nature centers, and corporations. These experiences build our students ability to see the options available to them if they are interested in STEM fields.
STEM Learning During School Breaks
There are also potential dips in academic achievement during extended times away from the classroom over the winter season. “Similar to summer learning loss, winter learning loss tends to have a greater impact on students who might have less access to scholastic resources at home (Education Post).” At the West Side STEM Learning Center (SLC), Project Exploration successfully hosted its first Winter Break Program on January 2-4 in an effort to keep students engaged during the out-of-school time.
Engaging Families at the West Side STEM Learning Center
Project Exploration has cultivated deep relationships with key stakeholders in the Austin neighborhood in the effort to identify and close opportunity gaps in the STEM learning ecosystem for the community’s youth.
