Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott of the New York City Department of Education joined Museum President Ellen V. Futter, families, teachers, and New York City Council Member Gale Brewer in the Museum’s Milstein Hall of Ocean Life on June 12 as more than 800 middle school students presented research projects in a citywide science expo to mark the end of a successful seventh year for the Urban Advantage Middle School Initiative.
Urban Advantage—a public-private partnership between the Department of Education and a Museum-led consortium of eight institutions that also include the New York Hall of Science, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, the New York Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Queens Botanical Garden, and the Staten Island Zoo—emphasizes evidence-based inquiry in science teaching and learning. More than 300 science exit projects were on display in the 2011 expo, reflecting a wide range of topics investigated by students during visits to Urban Advantage institutions.