Contemporary Science Center

The Contemporary Science Center is a catalyst for transforming science education in North Carolina, using innovative models of teaching and learning to inspire teachers and students statewide to embrace science, technology and math.

The Contemporary Science Center bridges the gap between traditional education and contemporary application by leveraging the expertise of the Research Triangle community in order to bring authentic science to the classroom.

The CSC offers Field Studies, developed in partnership with Triangle companies, as hands-on immersive all-day field trips for teenagers statewide to come to the Triangle and experience authentic science work firsthand.

The Contemporary Science Center transforms the experience of science for a broad spectrum of students by:

• translating the complex to the clear
• fostering group skills, and
• building abilities to present and argue from evidence

All Field Studies treat complex content in this way, using contemporary science, math & technology to change how teenagers feel about these fields.

Students & Teachers = Change

The Contemporary Science Center believes that students and teachers are the fundamental locus of educational change.

The Contemporary Science Center strives to spark the adoption of its unique learning and teaching models by teachers in their classrooms.

The Contemporary Science Center will continually improve its effectiveness by monitoring the impact of its programs on teachers and students.

The CSC strives to change students' affective side, i.e. how they feel about science work, so that they choose more courses, more careers and greater scientific literacy in their lives. Assessment data shows that over 50% of CSC-visiting students do indeed have these affective shifts by the end of the day.

Partnerships

CSC will continue to increase the number of students and expand the spectrum of students it can serve by developing strategic partnerships and growing its organizational capacity.

The CSC has partnered with the Museum of Life + Science in Durham to open a permanent home for its programs, the CSC@MLS Immersion Lab. The partnership with the Museum is the beginning of many new opportunities to expand impact on students and teachers statewide.