PITTSBURGH — Several cutting-edge labs for hands-on STEM education programs are coming soon to the city’s Hill District as part of a multi-million-dollar project.
The Citizen Science Lab is a local non-profit. It offers science-based enrichment programs for kids and adults.
The MLK Library on Herron Avenue sat vacant in the heart of the Hill District, but it is undergoing a total transformation in the $5.4 million project.
“We focus on making sure that youth K-12 and adults can come into the lab and experience firsthand what it’s like to be a genetic engineer or marine biologist or biologist,” said Dr. Andre Samuel with the Citizen Science Lab.
The Citizen Science Lab nonprofit began in the Hill District ten years ago.
With the development around the PPG Arena, they moved to the South Hills, providing students with hands-on opportunities, lessons about robotics, building microbial fuel cells and developing schematics for 3-D printing of organs.
“This is the component of science education that is missing everywhere you look, whether you’re in a top public school or the lower-performing public schools. It’s the hands-on portion that is bridging the gap between the interest and the lack of interest in science,” said Samuel.
Their plan was always to return to the Hill District and to be in the heart of the neighborhood.
“I think it’s important for us to be part of the revitalization in the Hill District, making sure that this is for the Hill District, making sure that we are a part of it, and that it’s inclusive. We are here for the youth and the community,” said Samuel.
The space was acquired with the help of the Urban Development Authority
There will be a free block party for the community in front of the building on Saturday.
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