Lang Science Program

Are you curious about science and the natural world? Do you always watch the latest rocket launch, follow #nature on Instagram, or like learning about different cultures around the world? You can learn about all of that and more as a student in the American Museum of Natural History’s Lang Science Scholars Program! 

Lang Science Scholars is an intensive, six-year science program spanning middle and high school for students in New York City. Lang is a program for students who are curious about the world and eager to expand their knowledge. We work with our students to nurture this curiosity and joy, and to guide them to become responsible contributors to and consumers of science. In Lang, the Museum will be your classroom for six years—you’ll learn in the exhibits, visit our collections and labs, and take classes with students who share your passion for science. You’ll also conduct your own research, visit nearby forests, zoos, research centers, and other museums! 

AMNH Youth Community

We are committed to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community to provide young people with one-of-a-kind STEM experiences, within a museum context, that support their academic and social development and build foundational STEM and career skills. We invite students from across our five boroughs to explore human cultures, the natural world and our universe in a way that is creative, social, relevant, and welcoming. 

What do you do in this program?

In middle school, students take courses in the major sciences that are exhibited and studied at AMNH, such as Anthropology, Geology, Astrophysics, Genetics, and other Life Sciences. Classes build on each other, creating a comprehensive experience.In high school, students choose courses and research topics, allowing them to concentrate on particular fields if they so choose, or continue taking a wide selection of different sciences. We offer courses in preparing for and applying to our high schoolers, as well as workshops for building career skills.

If six years isn’t for you, we encourage you to take a look at the Science Alliance Program, which offers weekday science programs for middle schoolers.

When does the Lang program meet?

We meet for 3 weeks each summer and 15-18 Saturdays each school year. In the summer of 2023, we will meet from July 10 – July 28. During the summer, our schedule is Monday-Friday, from 10am to 3pm with an hour lunch break. During the school year we typically meet on scheduled Saturdays, also from 10am to 3pm. Times may change due to trips and other special events. In high school, students may have the option to meet during after-school hours instead of Saturdays. 

What does the program cost?

For the incoming class of 7th grade students, tuition is scaled to family size and income.Tuition rate is determined according to New York City affordable housing eligibility. 

• Free Tuition: low income families (second column from left in the chart below)
• Reduced Tuition ($2,000/year): moderate or middle income families (third column from left in the chart below)
• Full Tuition ($4,000/year): families with higher than middle income (far right column in the chart below)

Please see the income eligibility chart below to see if you qualify for free or reduced tuition. Household size should indicate the total number of individuals in the home, which includes the primary caregiver(s) and all dependents.

Questions? Reach out to [email protected]. Please sign up on this mailing list if you would like to be updated about any of our Middle School Programs. 

Press

• In 2018, a major study was published on Lang alumni, pointing to four reasons why students in the program tend to stick with STEM topics through college and into their careers.
• In 2015-16, students in the Lang program collaborated with Museum Curator Susan Perkins to produce two games based on her exhibit, The Secret World Inside You. Download the card game, Gutsy. Or try the Minecraft Map that explores the human microbiome.
• A 2014 study found that the Lang model enhances STEM interest, motivation, and persistence in girls who have participated. In 2014, to promote the Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs exhibit, Lang students made a video in which they attempted to pronounce Pterosaur names.
• EdLab at Columbia University's Teachers College visited Lang in the summer of 2013 and made this video. Lang students participated in NASA's MoonKAM project. 
• Read about Henry Lim, who was a winner in the 2011 Young Naturalist Awards. Read the New York Times article on Henry's work.
• Download the article published in the Museum Members magazine, Rotunda, from March/April 2010.