The Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center's mission is to engage youth 11-17 years old in science learning through real museum work, thereby empowering them to pursue their potential, experienced in the world of science, committed to serving the community, and grounded in their awareness of young people's ability to impact our institutions and communities.
The center's goal is to increase opportunities for young people with least access to science, technology, engineering and math careers. KAYSC participants reflect over 60% in each demographic: girls, youth of color and youth from low-income backgrounds. This program began in 1991 and has an average of 100 youth participants/year supported by Youth Program Managers, adult volunteers and part time staff.
We are currently recruiting parents for a KAYSC Parent Advisory Board.
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The following list includes past and present programs.
MYBEST
MYBEST (Mentored Youth Building Employable Skills in Technology) use technology in creative ways while working with guest inventors, artists and scientists. Teens explore new ideas in their own hands-on technology projects with the help of adult mentors, make presentations at the Science Museum of Minnesota, go on field trips to local businesses to see technology careers in action and participate in skill-building workshops, while working with a team of peers.
Park Crew
Park Crew teens assist museum visitors with exhibits and lead hands-on activities in the Big Back Yard during the summer. During the school year they visit after-school programs and teach earth science concepts.
Learning Places
The Learning Places Design Team explores how to create environments where younger children can learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Youth work as a team at the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center and in St. Paul housing communities operated by CommonBond Communities.
O.I.A.
The Outreach Infectious Agents Team learns science concepts about health in our communities and how disease can be spread and prevented. The team presents this information through educational games and activities to local community centers and museum visitors.
Sound Crew
Sound Crew members learn science and technology concepts using the sounds around us (the "soundscape"). A team of youth, museum staff and artists create exhibit programs that to tie into the Science Museum of Minnesota's Wild Music exhibit. Teens also assist museum staff in testing ideas to include in the exhibit, and share these ideas with other youth through teaching and outreaches.
Make It
Teens on the Make It team build simple projects with museum visitors, children in the community and other teams in the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center. Make It uses these projects to teach basic science concepts behind news stories and discoveries that are currently making headlines. During the fall of 2006, Make It made over 1,100 projects with Science Museum visitors and students and families at the Museum Magnet School.
Cell Lab
Lab Crew members guide museum visitors through the Cell Lab experiment bench activities in the museum's Human Body Gallery, present science activities to children in community outreach programs, and work side by side with museum staff and volunteers to maintain the Cell Lab. Teens also help create new hands-on activities to present/teach cell biology and microbiology to museum visitors, children, and community partners.
More details are available on the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center website.