Message from our Executive Director - Summer is a great season for learning!
With kids out of school and families spending extra time together, summer offers the perfect time for leaning into informal learning experiences at science centers, museums, parks, zoos, beaches, and even in our own backyards. There is more light, time, and opportunity for making learning a fun and meaningful experience for the whole family to enjoy together.
And then there are special moments where the world loves science altogether - this summer that moment is witnessing the amazing marvels of our universe through the lens of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We are honored to be among the science centers partnering with NASA to share the exciting images from the JWST. The science center is making the most of this summer!
Nene Spivy
Fall Internship Application Now Open!
The application for our Fall STEM Youth Development Internship was released a few weeks ago. Please share this information with high school students whom you think would be interested!
STEM Youth Development Internship
Fall 2022
The STEM Youth Development Internship is available to high school students ages 16+ who have a passion for STEM learning. They will be able to develop and practice professional skills at the Children's Science Center Lab while engaging in various hands-on activities. Candidates must be underrepresented in STEM (see application for more details). Applications are due by 5:00 pm on August 5, 2022.
Questions? Contact internships@childsci.org.
Team Member Wins Community Service Award!
Congratulations to Sue Fajer
The Arc of Loudon recently presented its Community Service Awards. The honorees included the Program Manager of the Youth Development Initiative, Sue Fajer, who received the Rick Berry Professional of the Year Award. Sue has been instrumental in elevating the experience and advancement of young professionals pursuing STEM fields both at the Arc and the Science Center. Well done, Sue! Read the full article here!
Pictured L to R: Sonny Swann, Curt Carlson, Lisa Kimball, Sue Fajer, and John Tett
Volunteer Orientation Update
We have begun to hold monthly Lab Volunteer orientations again! Thank you to Evan, Sandie, Forrest, Nicole, Ella, and Karl for attending our test orientation in May and providing valuable feedback to improve the process for future new volunteers.
As a reminder, this orientation is specific to Lab Volunteers - those volunteers who want to volunteer at the Lab during timed-entry sessions or field trips and want to work directly with children and their families, creating great experiences for them. If this describes you, there are a few requirements you must meet:
- You must be at least 16 years old.
- If you are over 18, you will be required to undergo a background check, at our expense.
- You must commit to volunteering with the Children's Science Center for 15 hours in your first year.
If you are not willing or able to meet these requirements, we would still love to have you volunteer in other roles at the Science Center as a Support Volunteer. You can assist in behind-the-scenes preparation and stocking, community events like Family Science Nights, and some special events. If you wish to volunteer in these support roles and not as a Lab Volunteer, you do not need to attend an in-person orientation. Instead, you can sign up immediately for any opportunity on the volunteer portal, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements as listed in the opportunity description.
If you are willing and able to meet the Lab Volunteer requirements and are interested in participating in an orientation, you can sign up on the volunteer portal.
We will be holding orientations monthly, and upcoming orientation dates will be posted on the portal as they are scheduled. If none of the posted orientations work with your schedule please email volunteer@childsci.org, and we will do our best to accommodate you.
You can also email the volunteer team with questions and for more information.
The Children's Science Center Lab is Hiring!
We're looking for part-time STEM educators to help with weekday field-trips and/or weekend timed-entry sessions starting as soon as possible. If you're a parent with children in school during the weekdays and looking for some extra income or a re-entry point to get back in the workforce, the weekday field trip shifts might be a great fit for you! These weekday shifts might also work well for college students with free mornings. Find the posting on our website here: https://www.childsci.org/get-involved/job-openings
Galaxy Digital Tip
Most blogs include short tips on using our volunteer portal, Galaxy Digital. These will usually be inspired by questions we've received from volunteers. Do you have a Galaxy Digital question? Let us know at volunteer@childsci.org.
Pending Qualifications
If you've created an account on Galaxy Digital but you find that you're not able to see any opportunities, you may notice that you have a pending qualification. In most cases, this is because your legal waiver still needs a parent/guardian signature. If you have signed the legal waiver, and you're a minor, your parent/guardian also needs to sign the waiver. Your parent/guardian should have received an email to do so after you signed the waiver yourself. Please have your parent/guardian look for this email and follow the link to sign the waiver. You can also resend the email using the following steps:
- Log in to the volunteer portal.
- Click on your initials or picture in the top-right of the screen to view the drop-down menu.
- Select "Qualifications."
- Scroll down and click the "Resend Email" button.
Once your parent/guardian has signed the legal waiver on your behalf, you should be good to go!
