Harlem Children Society
Encyclopedia
Harlem Children Society (HCS
) is a Non-profit organization
{501(3)} dedicated to "promoting an innovative science education program for children and youth living in under-resourced and under-served communities". Dr. Sat Bhattacharya founded HCS on June 5, 2000, with the aim to increase awareness in the sciences, medicine, engineering and mathematics and provide an opportunity for under-privileged high school students to succeed academically as well as in all other aspects of their lives.
To accomplish these goals, HCS's students are inducted as interns at prestigious institutions including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York University
, and Columbia University
. In addition the students attend weekly lectures on a variety of topics ranging from incorporating science into communities to financing a college education.
In its first year, HCS
had an enrollment of 3 students from 2 high schools guided by a single mentor (Dr. Bhattacharya) as interns at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
where Dr. Bhattacharya is a senior researcher.
The Program has three components: Students and research projects; seminars and training; and local, regional and national professional conferences and community science street fairs. Family involvement and post-program follow-up provide students with support to plan their futures and mediate the transitions----academic, emotional, and social----to college and post-academic pursuits.
Based on their interests, selected students are matched with a mentor. They enter the program at the beginning of the summer with an orientation, and spend eight forty-hour weeks starting their research and receiving training in lab techniques and safety. During the academic year, students put in 12–24 hours each month at their internship sites and attend weekly seminars.
Students and supporters participate put on an annual science fair on the streets of Harlem, complete with high tech projectors and a sound stage; and at the Hopi Satellite HCS Health Fair.
Students spend a minimum of 450 hours per year for at least two years involved with HCS. They receive a substantial stipend for their participation and contribution.
HCS
- Abbreviations :HCS may mean:* Hoboken Charter School* Hallett Cove School in Adelaide, South Australia.* Halifax Consciousness Scanner* Hampton Christian Schools* Holland Christian Schools* Harlem Children Society...
) is a Non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
{501(3)} dedicated to "promoting an innovative science education program for children and youth living in under-resourced and under-served communities". Dr. Sat Bhattacharya founded HCS on June 5, 2000, with the aim to increase awareness in the sciences, medicine, engineering and mathematics and provide an opportunity for under-privileged high school students to succeed academically as well as in all other aspects of their lives.
To accomplish these goals, HCS's students are inducted as interns at prestigious institutions including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In addition the students attend weekly lectures on a variety of topics ranging from incorporating science into communities to financing a college education.
History and Origins
As a concerned citizen, Dr. Bhattacharya wanted to extend his services to sections of the society that are not as privileged, and expand the horizons of education and awareness. Since he lives in New York City, he decided to focus on the public schools in Harlem and other such neighborhoods. Dr. Bhattacharya, who currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer, founded the Harlem Children Society on June 5, 2000.In its first year, HCS
HCS
- Abbreviations :HCS may mean:* Hoboken Charter School* Hallett Cove School in Adelaide, South Australia.* Halifax Consciousness Scanner* Hampton Christian Schools* Holland Christian Schools* Harlem Children Society...
had an enrollment of 3 students from 2 high schools guided by a single mentor (Dr. Bhattacharya) as interns at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
where Dr. Bhattacharya is a senior researcher.
Today
Today HCS serves 183 students from over 50 schools doing hands-on advanced science research with over 250 mentors in more than 50 reputed institutions.The Program has three components: Students and research projects; seminars and training; and local, regional and national professional conferences and community science street fairs. Family involvement and post-program follow-up provide students with support to plan their futures and mediate the transitions----academic, emotional, and social----to college and post-academic pursuits.
Based on their interests, selected students are matched with a mentor. They enter the program at the beginning of the summer with an orientation, and spend eight forty-hour weeks starting their research and receiving training in lab techniques and safety. During the academic year, students put in 12–24 hours each month at their internship sites and attend weekly seminars.
Students and supporters participate put on an annual science fair on the streets of Harlem, complete with high tech projectors and a sound stage; and at the Hopi Satellite HCS Health Fair.
Students spend a minimum of 450 hours per year for at least two years involved with HCS. They receive a substantial stipend for their participation and contribution.
Highlights
Heralded as one of the top internship programs of its kind, the Harlem Children Society has had a number of accomplishments:- To date, all graduates of the HCS have continued on to college
- Over 20% of HCS graduates have gone into Ivy League Universities
- HCS students have won a number of prestigious scholarships including the Posse Scholarship ($150,000), Gates Millennium Scholarship, and The New York Times Scholarship ($30,000)
- Almost 80% of the program's participants in 2006 are first or second generation immigrants to the United States
Future Goals
- In 2007, HCS intends to expand the program nationally to additional US states and internationally to other countries including: TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
,and NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
- Increase the number of students in the program from 183 (2006) to 300 in 2007
- Have Simultaneous 'Harlem Science Street Festivals' at 12 separate locations in different states and countries across the world, and have them all webcast in real time.