XTech II — The Immersion Into Science Program
June 15 — Mid-August 2009

XTech II, focuses on a dozen kids, now in 9th and 10th grade, who started with the Exploratorium’s XTech program when they were 11 or 12. They have just been selected from among over 30 that have shown the most ongoing commitment and enthusiasm for science and for whom the program made the most tangible difference in their lives.

XTech caters to youth from underserved communities, to keep its middle and high school students on track and thinking about the future. It is particularly designed to help inspire some of these students to become part of the next generation of scientists, engineers, and others who work to shape the world we live in. Many students in the program come from first-generation immigrant families. And unlike most programs, where families are expected to pay tuition for their children to participate, these students are given a small stipend. Now, XTech II will serve middle and beginning-high-school students, with year-round programming.

XTech II represents an even deeper effort to create ongoing connections between these students and science — a small group nurtured by the Exploratorium. Beginning intensively in mid-June, through mid-August, and then continuing through the school year, they will be assuming responsibilities at the Exploratorium to help them stay on track with science and engineering, in the hope they will find their way to STEM jobs (jobs in science, technology, engineering, math). The Exploratorium will offer real world connections through field trips and professional contacts, in addition to the enrichments of XTech II students’ work inside the museum.

Among their leadership roles and projects will be:

– Digital media projects;

– How-to video of make and take activities for others;

– Leading younger students with building science projects;

– Shape family science night, a community-based outreach event sponsored by the Exploratorium;

– Make Physics of Toys events for the public;

– Team with Exploratorium staff for real-world experience, from helping to produce webcasts, to helping build exhibits for the museum floor.

– “Hang with the engineers” – such as the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers — so that for example, in studying physics of water, they might take a field trip to a wastewater treatment facility and meet engineers on the job, as well as with college students in engineering.

XTech, the original program of the Exploratorium’s Educational Outreach department from which the students for XTech II were drawn, exists in collaboration with San Francisco community programs AIM High and First Graduate, is a place where youth in San Francisco and Oakland are given an opportunity to experience the real world of science and technology first-hand.

The program meets in classrooms located at the heart of the Exploratorium’s exhibit space, and draws on the museum’s emphasis on scientific discovery to fuel its curriculum. Students participate in a combination of digital and hands-on activities, including even role-playing e-commerce, or building a table lamp from scratch. XTech gives students all the tools and equipment they need to build their projects, whether it is a laptop or a soldering iron. And the variety of projects presented keeps kids interested and gives them an introduction to the wide range of applications for scientific knowledge.

The goal of the original XTech program is to “help steer the students in the direction of working in the fields of science, technology and engineering, or just graduating college – or just doing something positive with their lives,” says Program Director Vivian Altmann. The program offers summer institutes and also meets during the year when the kids are on school breaks. “The alternative is that they might be at home, or hanging out on the streets,” says Project Manager Pablo de la Cruz, who has worked with the Exploratorium since he began as a young explainer at the Exploratorium; he is passionate about his work with the students.