Our Purpose
The STEMCyclists Program is a transformative, research- and evidence-based informal STEM learning experience for youth centered on the medium of the bike and biking. The premise of the STEMCyclists program is through the informal experiences of working with the bike and biking, we can co-create learning experiences for youth to engage in STEM and disrupt normative and marginalizing STEM experiences, which can transform their STEM identities. We are grateful for funding for this program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and The Spencer Foundation.
Who We Are
Through partnership between researchers at the University at Buffalo, Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP), and the community organizations GObike Buffalo, Slow Roll Buffalo, and the East Side Bike Club, STEMCyclists works with youth in Buffalo, NY to provide culturally sustaining, place-based opportunities to explore STEM through bike (re)build workshops and community bike rides.
Our Impact
Total
Camp
Participants
Returning
Peer
Mentors
Participating
Community
Organizations
Total
Bikes
Distributed
Hours of
STEM
Instruction
STEM Concepts Shared
with Youth
Our Work
Our work examines how bike-centered learning opportunities can transform and inform STEM knowledge and advance human-centered engineering and science frameworks that reflect the assets of urban, community-based, youth-informed STEM contexts.
The first STEMCyclists camp was enacted in the Summer of 2022. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the 2024 STEMCyclists Summer Camp was scaled to a 2-week camp serving 27 youth. Follow up Fall and Spring Saturday enrichment sessions reinforced the summer learning sessions. Throughout these learning experiences, youth participated in activities which led them to (a) apply the STEM process (engineering design principles and science) of (re)building bikes; (b) understand the biomechanics of bikes and biking; and (c) use the bike as a medium to experience and uncover STEM phenomena in the community.
Our Partners
