The California Academy of Sciences takes groundbreaking afterschool science clubs nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO (September 15, 2015)—As the school year shifts into gear, students at afterschool programs nationwide are enjoying exciting new science-rich content from the California Academy of Sciences. The “Science Action Club” program (SAC) engages middle school youth in authentic, hands-on science through partnerships with local afterschool providers at 100 sites in California and beyond. 75 additional sites from Eureka to San Diego have been activated in California alone, with plans for more in years to come. SAC is a vital part of the Academy’s Global Environmental Literacy Initiative, made possible through a transformative grant from the Pisces Foundation, allowing the institution to accelerate the development and increase global reach of critical ecoliteracy programs.

Middle school students in SAC conduct outdoor nature investigations and participate in authentic citizen science projects like Celebrate Urban Birds, NASA-driven S’COOL, and biodiversity-tracking app iNaturalist. The SAC process—from planning to implementing outdoor action—begins with an Academy team that develops exciting curriculum, bundles materials and custom-configured digital technology (including iPads for San Francisco Bay Area sites), and provides professional training and support to afterschool program providers. From there, middle school students at each school site hit the ground running with all the tools needed to conduct fun and authentic scientific projects and participate in national science research.

“Science Action Club encourages students to connect to the natural world and visualize themselves as scientists through hands-on experience,” says the Academy’s Chief Public Engagement Officer Elizabeth Babcock, PhD. “Middle school is a make-or-break time for creating lifelong interest in science in the lives of young people. Support from the Pisces Foundation extends that valuable experience to countless students in high-need districts at a critical developmental moment.”

The California School-Age Consortium (along with their statewide network of trainers) partnered with the Academy to help scale SAC sites in the San Francisco Bay Area to a much broader group of afterschool providers. CalSAC helped identify communities where high-quality science experiences were likely to have the greatest impact—particularly in school districts with reduced access to science learning and outdoor education.

SAC curriculum encourages youth to dive deeply into topics ranging from ornithology and the tracking of urban birds, to the science behind clouds and the ways in which they impact climate. Armed with notebooks and scientific tools, groups of 10 to 14-year-olds explore their local communities and report useable scientific data to groups like NASA and Cornell University. SAC pairs thrilling outdoor science experiences and real-world interaction with leading scientific institutions to underscore the notion that anyone can be a scientist, and that it can be extremely rewarding.

“We are proud to support one of the world’s leading scientific institutions as they work to increase access to environmental literacy and education—a cause that is at the core of our mission,” says Randi Fisher, Trustee of the Pisces Foundation. With programs focused on environmental education, water, and climate, the Pisces Foundation seeks to foster a world in which people and the environment thrive together.

“Knowledge about the natural world is an essential building block of good citizenship and a sustainable environment,” said Foundation Executive Director, David Beckman. “We are very pleased that the Academy is now able to greatly expand its innovative science programs to reach kids across the country.”

By 2017, SACs will launch in at least ten major cities across the US, adopting the Academy’s model to engage youth with practical, community-based scientific research. The Academy and its partners believe that high quality science education—both informal and formal, with interventions early and often—is key to igniting lifelong curiosity and care for the natural world. The growing SAC network, which currently serves more than 1,500 youth each year, is a positive step towards making engaging science opportunities available for all students, everywhere.