March 2023

Inspired by Youth All of our volunteers are amazing, yet our youth volunteers hold a special place in our hearts.  Many years ago we had a dream for children to grow up with a science center in their community. We wanted to inspire their love of learning, prepare them for success, and encourage them to pursue studies and careers that meet critical needs for our community, nation, and planet.  We are seeing the dream come to fruition with over a decade of delivering the mission to the community. We now have high school students volunteering at the Lab, in camps, and on our Youth Advisory Board, who first experienced the science center when we opened the Lab in 2015 or when we brought a Family Science Night to their elementary school. Some of our earliest youth volunteers are now in the workforce and on exciting trajectories as rising leaders in data science, engineering, and medicine. This newsletter highlights the dedicated and inspiring service of our youth, from the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards they have earned to the programs they are working on to share with younger peers at the Lab and beyond.  We set out to inspire you, and you have inspired us!

Sincerely, Nene Spivy Executive Director

Monthly Mission Moments

Amazing Anatomy with the Youth Advisory Board! February 19  The Youth Advisory Board organized a special program at the Lab allowing guests to learn about the human anatomy. Guests had the chance to create their own skeletal hand model, play brain games, and learn about their heart rate.

National Engineers Week Celebration with Microsoft! February 25 Guests had the chance to try hands-on engineering activities to learn more about electricity, coding, and programming. Activities included ozobots and circuits— all guided by engineers from Microsoft!

National Cherry Blossom Festival Celebration at the Lab! March 25 - April 16 Weekend Timed Entry Sessions Did you know the original Cherry Blossom Trees were a gift from Japan? Learn more about the science and history of cherry blossoms at the Lab! Observe capillaries in action at the Experiment Bar, fold paper into petals and test how well they flutter in the wind tunnel in the Tinker Shop, and embark on a special scavenger hunt throughout the entire Lab! Purchase Tickets!

Are you ready for Spring Break? Spots are filling up fast!  Purchase a single-day camp now to join the spring STEM fun! The Lab's Camps offer kids an opportunity to explore STEM concepts in an interactive way. Our experienced team of STEM educators collaborate with small groups of campers to create, design, tinker, and have fun. Camp themes include slime, space, earth sciences, coding and art! Sign into the website as a member and enjoy a 10% discount! Purchase Camps!

Ignite Partnership Fairfax County Public Schools

We are a proud Fairfax County Public Schools Ignite Partner for 5 years now bringing the Family Science Night program to so many FCPS elementary schools. Before this summer, we will have traveled to 18 schools across Fairfax County and we recently had the opportunity to be filmed at Weyanoke Elementary School in Alexandria. Watch for yourself and see the reason why these partnerships are so important and how honored we are to be a part of something so special between the children and their science classrooms.

The Children’s Science Center Lab's Family Science Night Program offers interactive and engaging activities designed to excite students and their families about STEM throughout Northern Virginia. Family Science Night combines science learning and family experiences within the school community. Applications for a Family Science Night program for the 2023-24 school year are now open through Friday, April 14. Learn more and Apply!

Volunteer Spotlight President Volunteer Service Awards

Eleven of our young adult volunteers were awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award this past Saturday. From June 2021 through May 2022 each of these volunteers provided over 100 hours of service hours to the science center while inspiring the love of STEM in Northern Virginia children and families. Ten of these volunteers received the bronze award and one volunteer received the silver award, for providing over 175 service hours last year. Below is the list of award recipients and the programs with which they volunteer: Silver Award Ananya Malipeddi – Camp Intern, Youth Advisory Board Bronze Award Tanuj Bhat -- Virtual Camp Intern, Youth Advisory Board Justine Chu – Camp Intern Maribelle Chu – Youth Advisory Board, Lab Volunteer Carolin Kiewel – Youth Advisory Board, Lab Volunteer Dan Nguyen – Camp Intern Andres Sanchez – Camp Intern Cameron Spivy – Camp Intern Sohal Sudheer – Camp Intern Hana Wang – Camp Intern Hannah Wood – Animal Husbandry Intern/Volunteer Volunteering over 100 hours in one year with the Science Center is incredible with all of the other activities and responsibilities students have in a year. We are grateful that these outstanding young people chose the Science Center to dedicate their time and support. Congratulations!

Try It At Home! Da Vinci Bridge Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a scientist, artist, mathematician, engineer, theorist, and architect of the Renaissance. He has created some of the most famous works of art but also contributed enormously to the world of STEM. Check out one of his structural designs in this activity! Try It at Home!

The Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates the Children's Science Center Lab at Fair Oaks Mall and STEM programs traveling to schools and other community venues across the region.

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