Teen After-School Programs

Step into the shoes of our researchers in a working lab at AMNH. You will learn what is in the genome, how mutations arise, and how variation in the genome impacts evolution and natural selection. Through a series of projects, we will uncover how Museum scientists use genetic information to study the history of life on earth and the conservation of endangered species. 

Meeting Times: Mondays & Wednesdays, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: January 6, 8, 13, 15, 22, 27, 29, February 3, 5

Cost: Free

Registration Open

The future of Space Exploration may take generations of humans into the farthest reaches of our galaxy, but we are still learning how the conditions of space will affect our DNA. In the special course, offered in partnership with the Genes in Space contest, take off in an exploration of what genes are and how they, and our health, are affected by the specific effects of living thousands of miles above the earth. Learn what PCR experiments can teach us about identifying genes, and design an experiment that could be entered into the Genes in Space Competition. Your project, if accepted, could be conducted by astronauts living on the International Space station!

To learn more about Genes in Space contest visit: https://www.genesinspace.org

Meeting Times: Wednesdays, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 26, March 4, 11, 18, 25 (This is a TWO session course - please note the class dates)

Cost: Free

Registration Open

What makes a star shine? What holds the stars in a galaxy together? What exactly is a black hole? Could spaceships travel faster than the speed of light? This class will introduce and discuss the physical laws and principles that make the Universe what it is, from gravity to electromagnetism to quantum mechanics. We will meet some bizarre and unfamiliar objects along the ride, such as pulsars, cosmic rays, and dark matter.

Meeting Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Meeting Dates: January 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, February 4, 6

Cost: Free

Registration Open

Cosmology is the study of the Universe as a whole – what it is, what's in it, how it came to be, and what the ultimate fate of it is. Today, Cosmologists study things like the Big Bang, Dark Energy, and the shape of the Universe. There are also cosmologies from other cultures and parts of the world, which describe the heavens in relation to their view of the cosmos. In this class, you'll learn about both aspects of cosmology – see how different cultures represent their cosmologies through exhibits from around the Museum, and learn about how scientists study the Universe and what we have learned (and what we don't know!).

Meeting Times: Fridays, 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7

Cost: Free

Registration Open

You may not always be aware of it, but culture is everywhere. Culture is made up of the language you speak, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, your religion, your gender, your ethnicity, your nationality, and even expectations of how you should behave. These dimensions of our lives determine how each of us understands the world around us, how we relate to family, friends, and strangers, and how each of them relates to us. Culture is the lens through which humans see the world and it exists in almost endless diversity throughout the world. In this course, we will explore how anthropologists study cultural differences in health, gender, economics, religion, and communication to better understand humankind.

Meeting Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays | 4:30–6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: 11/12, 11/14, 11/19, 11/21, 11/26, 12/3, 12/5, 12/10, 12/12, 12/17

Cost: Free

Registration Open

In this course, students will learn about marine invertebrates and biodiversity through the field research and scientific expertise of scientists working at the Museum. The course will cover marine ecosystems as well as the major groups of marine life and their evolutionary relationships. Class activities will include dissections, observing marine specimens through microscopy, exploring marine life displays in Museum halls, cladistics and the study of evolution, as well as meeting with scientists. 

Meeting Times: Fridays | 4:30–6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: 11/15, 11/22, 12/06, 12/13, 12/20

Cost: Free

Registration Open

In the fields of Koobi Fora anthropologists are piecing together the history of our species. Join their journey in this new course focusing on exploring how physical anthropologists excavate field sites, examine fossil evidence, and track down traces of early human behavior in the archaeological record.

Meeting Times: Wednesdays | 4:30–6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: 11/15, 11/22, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20

Cost: Free

Registration Open

This class will take you on a grand tour of the solar system, from Mercury and the moons of Saturn to asteroids and comets. How did such a diversity of worlds come to be? Like space detectives, we will follow the clues and try to unravel the secrets of the solar system’s formation and evolution.

Meeting Times: Mondays & Wednesdays | 4:30–6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: 11/13, 11/18, 11/20, 11/25, 12/2, 12/4, 12/9, 12/11, 12/16, 12/18

Cost: Free

Registration Open

This course will explore the diversity of life on earth through the tree of life. Students will learn how scientists use both physical and molecular characteristics of plants and animals to classify and name species, as well as determine how different species are related to one another. Through the study of specimens, students will learn the major characteristics of various species.

Meeting Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays | 4:30–6:30 PM
Meeting Dates: 11/12, 11/14, 11/19, 11/21, 11/26, 12/3, 12/5, 12/10, 12/12, 12/17

Cost: Free

Registration Open