2007 Campus-Community Partnerships
The California Science Center/UCLA
Community Youth Science Education Initiative
| Awardee: | California Science Center Foundation |
| Partner: | Mark Moldwin UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences |
Abstract:
The initiative enhances the California Science Center’s long-standing Community Youth Programs, which build science literacy and provide the tools necessary to improve overall academic performance and better prepare students to pursue post secondary education and enter the workforce.
The Science Center’s Amgen Center for Science Learning (education department) staff will engage youth from South and Central Los Angeles in a wide array of interactive science learning activites: science demonstrations, group investigations, guided discussions problem solving activities, observation recording, supervised work on science projects of their own choosing and educational field trips. UCLA students will contribute to curriculum development, facilitation and mentorship, assuming increased responsibility for program development and delivery commensurate with the advancement of their expertise.
The goals of this initiative are to:
- Empower underserved youth to utilize scientific inquiry as a universal method of learning across disciplines;
- Provide opportunities for underserved youth to interact with UCLA student role models;
- Enhance the academic learning, knowledge generation and ability to communicate science concepts of UCLA science majors by blending research, teaching and mentorship;
Combine the intellectual assets of UCLA—including faculty expertise and high-quality undergraduate and graduate students—with the Science Center’s expertise in providing informal science education and long-term community involvement with underserved youth, in order to enhance both organizations’ effectiveness and impact on education within the Los Angeles community.
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