Our second program ยท In person
STEM after school
A real lab and a real crop. Students grow mushrooms from culture to harvest, and science, technology, engineering, and math all show up in that one living project.
Four subjects, one living project
The scientists who will run tomorrow's trials are in school today.
Science
Sterile technique, agar plates, and a lab notebook kept like a working scientist's.
Technology
Code Raspberry Pi sensors, then build robots that run the fans and misters.
Engineering
Design and build a fruiting chamber, then improve it when the data says so.
Math
Growth curves, yield per block, and biological efficiency from their own harvest.
Art and writing are built in too: spore prints, mushroom illustration, lab reports, and an artist statement htmlFor the final showcase.
A semester follows the grow cycle
- 1InoculateWeeks 1 to 2
Lab safety, clean technique, first agar plates.
- 2ColonizeWeeks 3 to 5
Track growth daily, wire sensors, start lab notebooks.
- 3FruitWeeks 6 to 8
Build and automate chambers, test a hypothesis.
- 4HarvestWeeks 9 to 10
Weigh yields, run the math, cook what we grew.
- 5ShareWeeks 11 to 12
Family showcase with robots, posters, art, and a tasting.
Sample arc. Session length, grades served, and locations are set with each partner school.
Who it is for
Built htmlFor students who do not usually get a lab
We prioritize youth in underserved communities and partner with schools and community centers to reach them. Materials, safety gear, and grow supplies are provided.
Interest list