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STEM Saturdays Program

Applications for STEM Saturdays are closed. 

In each class, students learn design thinking and skills needed to complete projects.  

STEAM SYNERGY: KINETICS, MOTION & POWER! (16 WEEKS) 
October 12, 2024 - March 29, 2025 (excluding the following Saturdays: 11/30/24, 12/07/24, 02/15/25, 02/22/25). 
In this longer session, you will dive into the world of mechanics and electronics by creating interactive prototypes. From learning the basics of Arduino to constructing simple machines using tools in Cooper Union’s Makerspace, you will master the basics of engineering and design. The course will culminate in a final project in which you will apply these skills to address a real-world problem of your choosing.  
Applications are closed.   

Students also have the opportunity to apply to a 4-week intensive lab that is centered around the engineering design process, coding, makerspace and creative technologies, and data visualization/AI. The following 4-week intensives are an opportunity for you to focus on a single skill to add to your STEM toolkit.  

INVENTOR’S LAB: AI & MACHINE LEARNING (4 WEEKS) 
October 12, 2024 - November 2, 2024. 
If you are curious about cutting-edge technologies, this workshop is for you! You will be introduced to the basics of machine learning (otherwise known as Artificial Intelligence) and question how it really works by building real-world apps. 
Applications are closed. 

INVENTOR’S LAB: DATA VISUALIZATION (4 WEEKS) 
November 9, 2024 - December 14, 2024 (excluding the following Saturdays: 11/30/24, 12/07/24). 
Storytelling meets engineering in this data visualization workshop. You will learn how to read, clean, and use data sets to design engaging visuals.  
Applications are closed.

INVENTOR’S LAB:  MECHANICS & ELECTRONICS UNLEASHED (4 WEEKS) 
January 18, 2025 - February 8, 2025. 
If you are eager to build and tinker, this workshop will help you bring your ideas to life. From modeling prototypes with 3D printers to designing circuits to making your creations move, your inner creator will have the opportunity to build a solid inventor’s toolkit. 
Applications are closed.

Classes meet in person on Saturdays, 10:00 am-4:00 pm. 

Admissions

Students can apply if they: 

  • Live in New York City
  • Are currently in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
  • Are low or moderate income (See 2023 NYC Area Median Income). Students from households above the NYC Median income will also be considered.

Priority given to students with no prior experience in engineering and no access to engineering at their school.

Cost of program:

  • STEAM Synergy: Kinetics, Motion & Power! $2,880
  • Inventor's Lab: AI & Machine Learning $720
  • Inventor's Lab: Data Visualization $720
  • Inventor's Lab: Mechanics & Electronics Unleashed $720

Based on the 2023 New York Area Median Income, families earning less than $112,961 will receive a full fee waiver including materials and a MetroCard/OMNYcard. All students will receive lunch and snacks.

We offer rolling admissions, with the first set of applications due in the Fall. 

Program Information

Students are required to attend all class meetings.  Students who miss more than one class for any reason, including illness, will be moved to the spring or summer program.

The Cooper Union STEM Outreach program is supported through generous donations from The Pinkerton Foundation, John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, Thornton Tomasetti, The Henry Sterne Trust, and The Cooper Union President's Grant.  

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.