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How does one unexpected opportunity shape a career? Laura Velazquez, STEM Engagement Coordinator for Science Career Ladder, shares how a chance experience changed her path—and how she’s now creating free, transformative STEM opportunities that help NYC youth discover what’s possible for their own futures.

Artist and educator Michael D. Peterson is bringing participatory art to NYSCI as part of an ambitious citywide project: five collaborative quilts, each inspired by one of New York City’s boroughs. At NYSCI, visitors will design quilt sections of their own, helping create a shared artistic portrait of Queens rooted in storytelling, belonging, and collective creativity.

Looking for an exciting way to explore your future, make new connections, and experience STEM in action? NYSCI’s annual STEM Career Expo returns this May, bringing together youth and young adults from across New York City for an evening of career exploration, hands-on learning, and community.

Practical, compassionate advice for the STEM curious, the STEM intimidated, and even those not quite sure yet! Read on for practical tips for any stage of your career, whether you're a student or seasoned pro. 

From marine science to museum education, NYSCI’s Director of Youth Programs & Pathways is helping students see themselves in STEM—on their own terms.

Delia Meza’s decades-long journey at NYSCI reflects what’s possible when access, mentorship, and community investment come together. 

You might catch her leading a Pre-K class through a hands-on demo, orchestrating experiments on the stage, or sparking curiosity with a quick tinkering challenge. By night, she’s a musician and rocker—but by day, she’s shaping the next generation of STEM learners and coaching educators to bring science alive in classrooms across the city.

At NYSCI, we believe that people learn science best when they are given opportunities to explore ideas in ways that feel connected to their own interests and experiences. Emerging technologies—from AI to quantum systems—are becoming more influential every year, yet they can feel distant if they’re only discussed in technical settings.

NYSCI's Your Light and Air program is a five-year project designed to support civic science education in classrooms. The goal is simple but powerful: to demonstrate to students that science isn’t just a subject in school, it's a way to make sense of the world and a tool for making change in their own communities.

With support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Congressionally Funded Community Projects program, we launched an ambitious effort to make space science not only accessible but joyful and meaningful for our youngest learners.