Schenectady, NY – Clarkson University and miSci, the Museum of Innovation and Science, have announced that they are exploring a lasting partnership to promote the missions of both institutions. miSci and Clarkson’s Department of Education, which resides at their Capital Region Campus in Schenectady, NY, just across the street from the Museum, are collaborating to create summer programming to promote cutting-edge STEM education and enhance outreach.
miSci and Clarkson will co-facilitate classes during the first two weeks of the Museum’s eight-week summer programming, which will occur from June 29 – August 21, 2020. Students from Clarkson’s Master of Arts in Teaching programs will take part in the engineering and computer science programs and assist miSci science communicators with the presentation of these new classes for our community.
This partnership creates a unique opportunity for Clarkson, miSci and area school districts by offering new educators hands-on experiential teaching and learning experiences. Designed to encourage cross-disciplinary systemic thinking, these programs promote a deeper understanding of the process of science and its place in the real world.
Class offerings for engineering include:
Rosie Revere the Engineer: Encourages the development of in-depth dialogue about the principles of engineering, and the effort required to become a successful inventor.
Invention and Innovation: Students learn how to apply their creative nature to real-world problems by using the processes and procedures associated with design thinking.
Build It: Students are challenged to design and build a specific invention to withstand a seemingly terminal force.
Class offerings for computer science include:
Coding Everyday Actions: An exploration of computer programming, this class expands students’ awareness of the steps taken to create action by situating them in a position where they must replicate everyday actions within a computer algorithm.
OZO Bot Programming: Collaborative exercises in coding that guide small robots through obstacle courses.
“miSci is an immersive, hands-on learning center dedicated to the promotion of cross-disciplinary exploration and the conservation of our world’s history of innovation,” said Dr. Gina C. Gould, President of miSci. “A renowned institution dedicated to STEM education, Clarkson University is the ideal partner to further miSci’s mission to inspire innovation”
It is their mutual hope that collaborative efforts will expand beyond Clarkson’s graduate education programs and provide more engineering and design students the opportunity to participate in the development of interactive museum displays and cutting-edge digital exhibitions and business students the chance to use miSci as a laboratory to study and examine the business of museums.
“At Clarkson, we share the same call to action as miSci to ignite a transformative learning ethos that stretches the boundaries of business, engineering, science and technology in order to prepare every student to develop creative solutions to the most vexing challenges of our times,” said Tony Collins, President of Clarkson University. “This partnership is a catalyst for exploring, creating and achieving what’s next across the spectrum of STEM education.”
ABOUT Clarkson University
As a private, national research university, Clarkson is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, scholarship, research and innovation. We ignite personal connections across academic fields and industries to create the entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and intellectual curiosity needed to innovate world-relevant solutions and cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson educates 4,300 students across 95 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, the arts, education, sciences and health professions. Our alumni earn salaries that are among the top 2.5% in the nation and realize accelerated career growth. One in five already leads as a CEO, senior executive or owner of a company. For more information visit www.clarkson.edu.
ABOUT miSci (Museum of Innovation and Science)
At miSci, all exhibitions, programs and events are designed with its mission in mind: to inspire people to celebrate and explore science and technology – past, present, and future. miSci is home to an extensive archive and collection, a Challenger Learning Center, the Suits-Bueche Planetarium and various special exhibitions and programs each year. miSci’s vast archives house more than 1.6 million prints and negatives from the General Electric Photographic Collection; an archival collection with more than 3,500 cubic feet of historic materials; and more than 15,000 objects relating to the history of science and technology. Featuring dynamic exhibitions, state-of-the-art space learning centers, standards-based education for K-12 classes and special programming for seniors, miSci offers patrons hands-on exploration while fostering an understanding and appreciation of STEAM subjects and careers.
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