University City Science Center
Source: University City Science Center
Description: FirstHand is an educational initiative at the University City Science Center, where classroom lessons are brought to life through engaging projects and real-life lab environments. There’s nothing more impactful for a student than hands-on experience. Through interactive programming, students design experiments, test hypotheses and work toward final projects to share with the community. Programs are supplemented with mentorships from the Science Center’s resident companies, where students learn about and experience real-life STEM entrepreneurship in real-world applications. For educators who are interested in bringing this inquiry-based learning into their classroom, we also provide the opportunity to join workshops and pieces of training on integrating STEAM practices into everyday education. Most of the student and school programs are free, and there are opportunities for teacher professional development.