Letters to a Pre-Scientist is on a mission to broaden students' awareness of STEM through snail mail

Fanuel Muindi interviews Lucy Madden, founding CEO of Letters to a Pre-Scientist (LPS), an organization connecting middle school students in low-income schools with STEM professionals through handwritten letters. Madden reflects on the program’s origins, its mission to humanize scientists, and its evolution into a nonprofit reaching 17 states. Key themes include fostering STEM interest among underrepresented students, challenges in scaling, and the reciprocal benefits for scientists. Madden shares, “The humanizing piece is special; kids are surprised to learn their STEM professional has a dog or plays video games.” She also discusses lessons from participating in the inaugural Science Sandbox Fellowship, and emphasizes LPS’s unique role in driving resources into science classrooms.

Learn more: https://prescientist.org/

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YouTube Chapters

0:00 CivicSciTV Intro
0:16 QOTD Intro
0:36 Previously on QOTD
1:02 Program Overview
2:18 LPS Beginnings
4:15 LPS Evolution
6:01 Letter Exchange Process
7:30 Recruiting Scientists
10:21 Capacity Challenges
12:11 Evaluating Impact
15:18 Student Outcomes
19:36 Data Challenges
21:27 Humanizing STEM
25:20 Scientist Training
29:56 Broader Impacts
32:09 Volunteer Retention
34:06 Science Sandbox Fellowship
38:51 Advice for Founders

Additional links:

Meet the First Class of Sandbox Fellows: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024...

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