The program offers a multi-year, sustained engagement with university research and scientists, leading to significantly higher rates of college matriculation in STEM fields for its graduates.
The Space Explorers Program is a multi-year science enrichment opportunity for Chicago Public high school students, offered by the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP) in partnership with the University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement. The program provides over one hundred contact hours each year, including weekly on-campus laboratories and extended thematic science institutes in the winter and summer. Students engage with college-level math, science, and computer science coursework through hands-on experimentation, designing prototypes, and conducting experiments with no single correct solution. Activities include building model rockets and boats, and working with mousetrap cars and egg drops. In the coming year, the program will also offer engagement with circuitry, electrical work, and Arduino programming. Participants meet and work with astronomers and physicists, interact with University faculty, staff, and students, and take part in field trips and lab tours. The program aims to familiarize students with the university research community and the culture of science, cultivating future scholars and developing skills for high school, college, and beyond. The Office of Civic Engagement also provides free college and career readiness support, including tutoring, college application advising, and college and career exploration workshops. Graduates of the program show significantly higher rates of matriculation into college science majors.
A typical day involves short lectures to establish scientific fundamentals, followed by extensive hands-on work in labs, designing prototypes, or conducting open-ended experiments.
This program is best for Chicago Public high school students who are underrepresented in STEM, particularly those who will be first-generation college students and/or come from low-income households, and are interested in a multi-year, immersive science enrichment experience.
University of Chicago, 5640 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
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