Project Profile

The Harlem Children Society (HC) was established in 2000 with 3 students from 2 schools by a research scientist at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The project now serves 800 students from over 150 schools with 1500 mentors at 150 institutions. HCS seeks NSF support to focus on the critical IT skills involved in bioinformatics, molecular biology, and protein chemistry, and on the innovative uses of technology for collaboration, communication, and community involvement. The goal is to have the students pursue IT and STEM education through high school and into college, and persist in the science track to careers or other applications using this training. The 3-year ITEST project will engage three cohorts of 50 students each, for a total of 150 students, drawn from New York. The target population is low-income and minority high school students, ages 14-18, in grades 9-12 with demonstrated interest and capacity in science from under resourced inner city and rural communities. All participants are from families with incomes below the US poverty guidelines of $35,000 or less for a family of four.