Students explore robotics and slime at Jersey City 21st Century STEM Afterschool Showcase
On May 10, 2023, Liberty Science Center celebrated the Jersey City 21st Century STEM Afterschool Showcase!
This showcase was the culmination of a five-year partnership between LSC and the Jersey City Public School District, as part of a 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant award by the New Jersey Department of Education.
Through this partnership, LSC implemented a comprehensive after school program delivered during the school year and summer for students in grades 3-8 at Mahatma K. Gandhi School #23 and the President Barack Obama School #34, with a total of 195 students participating.
At the showcase on May 10, students displayed two different themes – “Robotics” and “Mad Scientist” – that they had spent the past year exploring.
Students in the “Mad Scientist” group set up a science fair to showcase experiments on the properties and chemistry of slime. Over In the “Robotics” groups, older students created battle bots and challenged each other by pushing the robot out of a ring, while the younger students created a dance choreography using Sphero robots.
Although the program is coming to an end, the partnership will continue for a bit further into Summer 2023, with a summer camp session available to students from either school. The topic will be “Destination Mars,” where students will be challenged with colonizing a new home for humankind!
