PITTSBURGH — The Citizen Science Lab cut the ribbon on its new innovation center in the heart of the Hill District on Friday.
Local leaders, including Congresswoman Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorata, were on hand.
It brings new life to the old MLK Reading and Cultural Center.
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Under picture-perfect conditions, the Citizen Science Lab opened its doors on Herron Avenue in the Hill District.
It is a place where young people can learn laboratory science, robotics and more.
“This means hope for the city, for the neighborhood and for us. It’s a new pathway forward for us to create new pathways for young scientists, future engineers, innovators and so on, so having a permanent home right here in the Hill District allows us to serve them permanently,” The Citizen Science Lab Founder and CEO Andre Samuel said.
Groundbreaking began more than a year ago to renovate the old MLK Reading and Cultural Center, which sat abandoned, into the new Citizen Science Lab.
Channel 11 walked through the center as it was still under construction last fall.
“We are so happy they were able to reuse the old MLK Reading Center. So many people locally put time and energy into this,” President and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corp. Marimba Milliones said. “It’s an investment [into] the children here; the amenities, the access, the exposure they will gain is phenomenal. I’m so very excited.”
The Center provides youth with exposure to science and engineering at a time when city leaders are trying to get kids off the streets and reduce teen takeovers.
“We need to make the greatest investments we can in young people and spaces for young people that also meets their interests and is accessbile. The CSL is an opportunity to do that,” State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes said.
Friday’s event was more than just a ribbon cutting. It was also a door opening for kids to see themselves as scientists and more.
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