NYSCF and MHSHS Kick Off STEM Partnership

This Spring, NYSCF embarked on an exciting new chapter in our high school science education work by establishing a “sister-school” partnership with our West Side neighbor, Manhattan Hunter Science High School.  MHSHS is the science-focused college-preparatory high school that President Raab helped found in 2003 during her Presidency at Hunter College. 

The partnership will provide programming for all four grades, with a sequential curriculum that allows students to build upon their skills. Students will apply classroom knowledge to the lab, and take their lab experience to the classroom, contextualizing their education and gaining real-world experience.

Thanks to vital seed funding from The Gray Foundation, NYSCF launched the partnership this May with two days of field trips for more than 100 9th and 10th grade students from MHSHS, whose campus is located just ten blocks from our research institute. Joined by Gray Foundation President Charissa Fernandez, Gray Foundation Scientific Program Manager Dr. Alexa Strauss, and MHSHS Principal Dr. Kevin Froner, President Raab welcomed the students by sharing her vision for the four-year pilot program.

To kick off the day, NYSCF’s Dr. Valentina Fossati inspired the students with her Stem Cells 101 lecture on how NYSCF is harnessing the power and advancing the potential of stem cell research. The students then toured the NYSCF Research Institute, experiencing firsthand our state-of-the-art laboratory while engaging with scientists and engineers working on the platform. Concluding their day with a Career Panel of scientists, engineers, and program leaders who shared their diverse experiences, the students enjoyed an eye-opening discussion about the wide variety of career opportunities in this fast-paced, fast-growing field.

With our longstanding commitment to strengthening the STEM pipeline, NYSCF is honored to have this opportunity to work with the outstanding students at MHSHS in building their pathways to STEM careers.