Outside of the many great STEM departments in our Atlanta educational systems, there are plenty of organizations promoting STEM education and involvement. Here, we would like to publicize these organizations and the opportunities they have to offer. We highly encourage you to become involved in these organizations in anyway possible, whether through attending the events, volunteering, donating, and so on! Please reach out to jlkrasn@emory.edu if you would like your organization to be advertised. Note that the name of each organization links to their website for more information.
KidsOutAndAbout
KidsOurAndAbout provides tons of information from local events in Atlanta to online teaching resources, virtual experiences, online classes, and more. The organization has information for preschool through teenage ages, and provides many free options for all ages!
Atlanta CARES
Atlanta CARES is a 501c3 organization that is focused on supporting children from underrepresented and low-economic families by providing free events and mentorships to help them succeed academically, socially, and financially. With underrepresented students making up below 10% of the current college graduates working in science and engineering jobs, and with the growing job openings in STEM fields, STEMfest is an event hosted by Atlanta CARES focused on exciting Atlanta youth and parents about STEM careers. The organization also hosts STEM EnRICH Summer Academy that provides youth with classes and field trips to learn about STEM topics and careers. Learn and see more about these opportunities:
STEM/ STEAM Georgia
Georgia Department of Education focuses on promoting the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The organization also emphasizes critical thinking skills and solving real-world problems in order to prepare students to be competitive in the job market after graduation.
iSTEM Scholars
iSTEM Scholars is a year-long research program that connects underprivileged high school students with local professors to perform high-quality, pre-collegiate research. For the 2020-2021 school year, this program will be based in Atlanta, GA, and more specifically at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. Selected high school students will be provided with additional mentorship and funding through STEMchats. This program will target these communities and expose students from underrepresented backgrounds to what the STEM field offers. The program hopes to directly impact students by not only offering lab positions but also the ability for them to prepare for college and beyond by having mentors to offer advice that will prepare them for higher education as well as their careers.
Young Physicians Initiative (YPI)
YPI acts as a bridge between medical students and high school students, providing a mentorship and networking opportunity to prepare the high school students in becoming future doctors. Through 6 sessions in the fall and spring, YPI aims to develop a plan and direction for aspiring doctors. Some of the sessions include learning about the life of a doctor, exposing students to various medical careers, and preparing college personal statements. Additionally, YPI hosts a Doctor for a Day Conference and Summit that involves meeting medical school administrations directors, doctors, and medical students from around Georgia.
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience partners with many colleges and community organizations around the area to create a world-recognized research group. Along with cutting-edge research, the Center provides many educational opportunities. For high school students, The Neuroscience School involves 4 weeks during the summer of all-day courses to learn about various neuroscience topics and research techniques. For middle and high-school students, the Center co-sponsors the Atlanta Regional Brain Bee that is an elimination-style competition about functions of the brain and nervous system (winners receive money and advance to the national competition!). For teachers, the Center has developed resources and activities for teaching neuroscience.
Black Women in STEAM (BWISTEAM)
BWISTEAM aims to close the STEAM diversity gap in Atlanta by providing apprenticeship programs to train and educate black women with STEAM skills. Their main apprenticeship programs is named STEAM Training & Elevated Learning Apprenticeship (STELLA) that partners with local STEAM organizations to develop skills and networks throughout Atlanta.
High School & Young Adult Community Health Worker Training Program
HSYACHW is hosted by the Morehouse School of Medicine, focusing on producing student community health workers that help with health education programs in underserved communities and schools. The program is for rising 10th-12th grade students and recent graduates of all Metro-Atlanta high schools. HSYACHW involves a total of 161 hours including classroom instruction, field instruction, and additional hours to continue education. The hours span the summer (July-August; weekdays) and the school year (August-May; monthly). Check out their great promotional video!
Emory Pipeline Collaborative (EPiC)
EPiC is a 3-year (grades 10-12), government-funded program that prepares high school students for college through promoting academic achievement, college readiness, mentorship, and health career awareness. For grades 10-12, the EPiC Scholar students will complete a 12-session after-school program for mentoring and health science education; these sessions will be throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. Along with the 12 sessions, 11th and 12th grade Scholars will receive a stipend (each year) to live on the Emory campus while completing a 6-week summer program. The overall goal of EPiC is to prepare high schoolers to become doctors. Watch this great promotional video to see where the EPiC Scholars and their undergraduate mentors have ended up. See more info here; and learn how to apply here. Note that this opportunity is only for students at Carver, Douglass, Jackson, South Atlanta, and Washington high schools.
Engineering for Kids of Metro Atlanta
This organization provides over 10 types of engineering programs for students in grades K-8. Classes are offered either at local schools or in local locations for the public. Engineering for Kids also has opportunities for field trips, parties and camps!
YWCA
YWCA is a local Atlanta organization driven to eliminate racism and empower women. Through advocacy, education, and health care assistance, YWCA makes an immense impact on local women. One of the main educational programs is Teen Girls in Technology (TGI Tech) that gets local girls excited about STEAM topics through their after-school classes, college prep workshops, and field trips. This program is for girls ages 12-18 that attend 13 Title I public schools in Fulton, Dekalb and Cobb counties. The program will involve weekly after-school sessions, monthly college prep workshops, and field trips. Be sure to also check out their other great advocacy and health care initiatives!
Georgia Bio’s Georgia BioEd
This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funds teacher development in biotechnology, an equipment depot, visits to classrooms from local scientists, and the BioGENius award. All of these efforts along with the Emerging Leaders Network aim to strengthen Georgia’s life sciences workforce by providing skills and networking to incoming and early young professionals. Learn more on the website and this great promotional video!
ATL STEM Initiative 