Michigan has the potential to become a world leader in STEM education and careers, due to strong talent, educational institutions and thriving industries, according to a report released by the MiSTEM Advisory Council. With STEM related jobs projected to grow by 13% by 2020, faster than all other occupations over the same time period, demand for STEM educated professionals is growing rapidly. Studies show that youth who have extracurricular STEM experiences before graduating from high school are more likely to explore higher education and career opportunities in STEM. Luckily, Michigan is making great strides in offering access to youth STEM programs. We have rounded up some of our favorite STEM/STEAM resources in the area.
Black Girls Code
Based in Detroit, Black Girls Code’s mission is to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color between 7 and 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology. The organization’s goal is to train 1 million girls by 2040.
Snapology
Snapology of Troy Macomb is getting kids excited about STEM by offering super fun and exciting programs ranging from slime to robotics. Many of their programs use LEGO® bricks to teach engineering and robotics concepts through play with familiar toys. Snapology’s programs also work to fill in the gap on the often overlooked “soft skills by offering programs that are designed to focus on building social skills as well as technical prowess. Snapology partners with local schools to supplement their own in house STEM programs and get students excited about STEM. You can also find Snapology programs offered to the public through partnerships with local organizations and rec centers like Macomb Rec Center, Troy Rec Center, Rochester
Avon Recreation Authority, and New Baltimore rec center. The focus on learning through play is also a very popular birthday party activity!
DAPCEP
DAPCEP connects students in the metropolitan-Detroit area to exciting educational opportunities in STEM. On Saturdays during the fall and spring, and in camp format over the summer, they place kids on university campuses to learn everything from renewable energy engineering to computer programming to the mathematics of music.
Welcoming students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th, this program partners with several colleges and universities including Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Oakland University and many more.
Alumni of this program have gone on to become professional engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, computer scientists, and more.
The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from America’s traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and innovation. Their purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future.
The organization has developed their own framework for education called the Model I.,Based on artifacts and stories in The Henry Ford Archive of American Innovation. Beginning with their worldwide Invention Convention, they are building a network of competitions and events that combine STEM-based curriculum with Invention and Entrepreneurship to create STEMIE activities to enable young people to master lifelong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
University of Michigan Museum of Natural History
Family Reading and Science Program
In this program offered by the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, museum staff visit area libraries with a series of hands-on activities based upon a theme to engage the whole family in science exploration. The three workshops are held monthly.
Take a journey to some of the most extreme places on the planet. Discover what it takes to live in exotic locations and learn how important they are to our global ecology. For Specific information on this program check out Family Reading and Science.
