Five cutting-edge labs for hands-on STEM education programs are coming soon to the Hill District. On Thursday, the Urban Redevelopment Authority transferred ownership of parcels of land along Herron Avenue in the Upper Hill to the Citizen Science Lab to use as their permanent headquarters.
“This is a homecoming for us,” said Andre Samuel, founder and CEO of the Citizen Science Lab. “We've always wanted to ensure that this resource was directly in the neighborhoods that we wanted to serve.”
The Citizen Science Lab is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that offers science-based enrichment programs in and out of the classroom, as well as summer camps and classes for adults. The Lab operates primarily in underserved communities. Their programs span scientific disciplines; previous programs have included a genetics program where students extracted and analyzed their own DNA and SeaPerch, an aquatic robotics curriculum centered around building and deploying underwater robots.
Having a space of their own will allow them to do more of those kinds of programs, Samuel said. “Our large teaching lab will allow students in the Hill District to come directly to our lab and learn how to do things like DNA transformations, microbial work, microscopy work, and learning about anatomy through actual dissections.”
The new headquarters would allow the organization to grow in the community where they’ve worked since 2015. In the past, they worked out of the Energy Innovation Center in the neighborhood. They also have a location in Bethel Park, and, according to Samuel, they plan to expand elsewhere in the U.S., with the Hill District location serving as a primary hub. The whole project is expected to cost around $5 million, according to the URA.
The Citizen Science Lab will break ground on the site on Sept. 13; they expect to finish construction by next summer.
