Since the 2021 founding of Barnard’s STEAM in the City (SITC), the program has placed great value on including teachers and students of local K-8 grade schools in Barnard's tradition of scholarship and innovation.
This summer, on campus, the young scholars presented the culmination of their work with SITC teacher fellows and Barnard’s student educational experience designers (SEEDs) on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) projects at a community science fair. The event included a dance performance from STEM from Dance — SITC’s community partner — which is also in residence at the College for July with its summer intensive program, Girls Rise Up.
“Many elementary and middle school students who come to Barnard for STEAM program events, like the community science fair, have never stepped foot on a college campus before and it is paramount to us to support learning initiatives that offer positive exposure to higher education environments,” said Yuval Dinoor, Barnard’s SITC’s program coordinator.
Hosting the event afforded the College a unique opportunity to share its resources and knowledge, while also uplifting the academic excellence that K-8 grade educators and students are bringing to their own schools. The summer programming, which was co-sponsored by the Summer Research Institute (SRI), also included tours of the Movement Lab, the Accessible and Accelerated Robotics (A²R) Lab, the Vision Lab, chemistry and biology labs — as well as the Arthur Ross Greenhouse.
“Research tells us that young people decide [as early as the] fourth or fifth grade whether they are math or science proficient — or plan to go to college,” said Mary Rocco, the Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion’s director of engaged scholarship and community engagement. “With SITC and its affiliated programming, Barnard has a unique opportunity to expose younger learners to [a] college environment.”
See below for more from the event:
Community Science Fair
