Mission Statement
Harlem Children Society (HCS) a Not-for-profit {501(c)(3)} organization founded on June 5, 2000, by Dr. Sat Bhattacharya, selects the most diligent and promising students from communities ridden by abject poverty and adverse situations to participate in its innovative programs. Students engage in one-on-one mentoring and hands-on research in STEM and allied sciences.
While all students selected to participate in HCS programs share a common interest in scientific inquiry and academic achievement, their passion must also be accompanied by a commitment to fostering their local communities.
Each student researches topics, which can provide assistance and solutions to local community issues, create a global community of the next generation of local leaders. The HCS Model is a Universal Paradigm.
Having begun as a group of three students mentored by Dr. Sat in his Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Lab in 2001, HCS has emerged as an internationally recognized organization, steadfastly remaining true to its core tenets: promoting STEM & allied science education, and encouraging entrepreneurship to improve socio-economic conditions of its students, their communities, and society at large.
The US HCS Class of 2010 consisted of 400 young scholars from over 200 schools from diverse ethnicities (40% African American, 26% Hispanic, 16% Native American, 14% Asian, and 4% Caucasian). Young women constituted roughly 60% of the total student population.
HCS continues to demonstrate exponential growth both in the US and abroad, empowering hundreds of students to pursue otherwise impossible dreams since its establishment in 2000. Through influencing students from under-served and under-resourced communities to engage in STEM/allied science research, and to evolve as professionals and responsible citizens, HCS is in the global vanguard effecting socio-economic change both nationally and internationally.
HCS MATRIX: SETTING A GLOBAL PARADIGM:
HCS began in 2000 with three gifted students, under the guidance and tutelage one mentor - Dr. Sat Bhattacharya, and the vision of creating a better community through a shared vision of academic inquiry and scholastic achievement despite financial limitation. Now in its TENTH year, the HCS program currently includes over 600 students selected from more than 200 schools and mentored by over 1500 mentors - all leading scientists, engineers, doctors and other professionals from over 250 partner institutions - who share this vision.
HCS’s impressive success is directly attributable to its innovative model. This organizational centerpiece features a unique collaboration between government organizations, industry professionals, university faculty, community leaders and contributing foundations, and is the quintessential formula for encouraging achievement in the most diligent, deserving students from impoverished backgrounds. All HCS students graduating high school, who applied, were admitted to college/university, with 20% attending Ivy League schools. HCS plans to implement its groundbreaking template as part of the organization’s global reach in the coming years.
HCS Global Science Street Fairs & Festivals And the Global Village:
The annual "Harlem Science Parade and Science Street Fairs & Festivals" are the jewels in the crown of the HCS program, culminating in a series of simultaneous worldwide, global webcasted events, which in 2010, comprised of eight concurrent sister fairs organized across five continents, bridging the time and digital divide in a unique celebration of Science and Society. HCS students, joined by their families, university and industry mentors, community and government leaders, local community members and other invited guests, present their hands-on research projects. The event celebrates the unifying impact of academic inquiry and the human spirit across continental and cultural divides.
Description
Harlem Children Society (HCS: www.hcs2k.org) a Not-for-profit HCS is a Non-Profit-organization, which selects the most diligent and promising students from communities ridden by abject poverty and adverse situations to participate in its innovative programs. Students engage in one-on-one mentoring and hands-on research in allied sciences, including Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, and allied sciences.While all students selected to participate in HCS programs share a common interest in scientific inquiry and academic achievement, their passion must also be accompanied by a commitment to fostering their local communities.
It is the building of a world community that HCS celebrates as its central goal: striving through education, carving a dream, and reaching for the stars. HCS is a global humanity endeavoring to foster a better citizenry by helping one another and making the world a better place for all... one village at a time.
The HCS Model is a Universal Paradigm. Each student researches topics, which can provide assistance and solutions to local community issues, creating a global community of the next generation of local leaders. HCS’s impressive success is directly attributable to its innovative model. This organizational centerpiece features a unique collaboration between government organizations, industry professionals, university faculty, community leaders and contributing foundations, and is the quintessential formula for encouraging achievement in the most diligent, deserving students from impoverished backgrounds. Dr. Sat Bhattacharya founded HCS on June 5, 2000. In a journey, what began with one mentor - Dr. Bhattacharya in his laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with three gifted students, and the dream of creating a better community through a shared vision of academic inquiry and scholastic achievement despite financial limitation - now has blossomed in its ELEVENTH year, in New York alone, including over 400 students selected from more than 200 schools mentored by over 1500 leading scientists, engineers, doctors and other professionals from over 200 partner institutions, who share this vision. Operating in 14 US locations and 12 countries across five continents, HCS serves a student population that is growing exponentially. In 2010, HCS reached yet another milestone in its growth as a global organization, serving over 700 deserving students across the globe. Nationwide, HCS has students from, Detroit, MI; Washington, DC; Camden, NJ; to New Orleans, LA. Native Americans have become a vibrant segment of the HCS US program. In 2004, the Hopi and Navajo were the first tribes/nations to participate in the HCS program. As of 2010, nine tribes/nations were represented, and HCS anticipates it will bring the Lakota and the Sioux, among other tribes/nations, into the fold in 2010. As of 2010, without exception, all HCS students graduating high school, who applied, were admitted to college/university. HCS plans to implement its groundbreaking template as part of the organization’s global reach in the coming years.
Urban Programs
HCS urban program students are selected at an early grade level to conduct hands-on research and gain experience in professional settings in preparation for university and beyond.
Students are provided with:
• Placement in a laboratory, medical, or investigative internship to conduct research and prepare presentations
• One-on-one training, guidance and assistance from HCS mentors throughout student research internship
• Performance-based scholarship to cover expenses in order to facilitate full focus on conducting research
• Seminars spanning a variety of disciplines to expand HCS students’ understanding of various sciences
Rural Programs
HCS rural students are selected at a young age based on merit, interest in academic achievement and a commitment to improving their local communities.
Students are provided with:
• Guided research aimed at addressing prevailing issues reflecting local socio-economic, environmental and health conditions
• Developing research methodologies and all necessary materials to conduct their studies
• One-on-one mentoring by local community leaders in science and medicine
• Performance-based scholarship to cover expenses and facilitate full focus on project goals and studies
• Raised awareness of deficient local infrastructure and means to create tested solutions
HCS Glocal Village
The Harlem Children Society (HCS) may have begun in New York City, but its roots extend to every hemisphere of the world. From Cambodia to Croatia... Egypt to Ecuador... Peru to the Philippines, HCS students and their families have come to the United States to participate in the grand experiment known as the American Dream. HCS is a virtual United Nations.
HCS Harlem Science Parade and Glocal Science Street Fairs & Festivals
The annual "Harlem Science Parade and Global Science Street Fairs & Festivals" are the jewels in the crown of the HCS program. Students in established HCS programs unite to share their research and culture in a series of simultaneous events connected via webcast. In 2010 eight concurrent sister fairs were organized across five continents, bridging the time and digital divide in a unique celebration of Science and Society. 2010 marked the inaugural staging of the " SECOND Harlem Science Parade" a student procession through the New York City streets leading to the site of the "SEVENTH Annual HCS Global Science Street Fairs & Festivals" in the heart of Harlem.
Each year, the Harlem Children Society’s global programs culminate in a series of simultaneous worldwide events linked via global webcast. HCS students, joined by their families, university and industry mentors, community and government leaders, local community members and other invited guests, present their hands-on research projects. The event celebrates the unifying impact of academic inquiry and the human spirit across continental and cultural divides. HCS Street Fairs & Festivals are a family and community affair offering everyone the opportunity to engage in science & cultural exchange.
HCS students from around the world joined together via live simultaneous webcast to share their research with multiple communities and celebrate the binding power of scientific inquiry and cultural exchange.
Glocal Street Fairs & Festivals:
New York City, New York; Hopi Nation, Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona; Monterrey, Mexico; Awassa, Ethiopia; Meru, Kenya; Chisinau, Moldova; Kolkata, India; Christchurch, New Zealand
"HCS programs bring sciences directly to the urban streets and far flung villages worldwide, and build awareness about the importance of investing in these students today to nurture tomorrow’s leaders in science and our communities - becoming true Glocal citizens"
Dr. Sat Bhattacharya, HCS Founder, President & CEO
"In the twenty five years that I have spent as a physician and the three years that I have been a Science Educator, I have rarely if ever been acquainted with a place that is as vital as what you have created at The Harlem Children Society. Engaging curious students in important work is merely the beginning of what you have accomplished.
Your personal attention to their educational needs coupled with your support and enthusiasm for them will always be deeply appreciated and remains unmatched by any other entity that I am aware of.
Your program accomplished this task by integrating the acquisition of knowledge through lectures series and hands-on research culminating in individual projects and presentations that each student could bring to the community. The program empowered the students and allowed each to realize that they could make a difference in the world if they continued to participate as active scientists.
. . . . It is an experience that will be memorable one throughout their lives."
Dr. Barbara Zarou, MD, Science Coordinator, Bronx Health Sciences High School
BIRD’S EYE VIEW
2010-11 Organizational & Program Highlights
Program Description & Benefits
The intensive summer and year-round after-school hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and allied science research internship program serves under-resourced and under-served high school and undergraduate students, who work with mentors from leading educational and research institutions across the New York tri-state area, the US, and globally as part of a burgeoning international program.
- Since its inception in 2000, Harlem Children Society (HCS) has grown exponentially and received overwhelmingly positive community response.
- All student interns are from under-resourced and under-served backgrounds, neighborhoods and school districts.
- The eight-week intensive summer internship for new students extends throughout the year in an after-school program providing them an opportunity to begin and continue practical hands-on research.
- HCS awards students a substantial performance-based scholarship for their internship work.
- Student interns engage in hands-on research at prestigious universities and institutions including: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Columbia University, Hunter College, Kennedy Space Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NASA, New York University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and others.
- Student interns engage in hands-on research in a broad spectrum of cutting-edge topics including: aerospace engineering, bio-diversity, bio/medicine and bioinformatics, computer modeling, cybernetics, forensics, genetic engineering, green architecture, HIV/ AIDS research, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical research/development, protein modeling, renewable energy studies, robotics, and sustainable agriculture and development.
- Student interns receive invaluable mentor instruction and guidance, a thorough background in their individual research projects, and undergo rigorous training in lab techniques and the safe and proper handling of devices, instruments, chemicals and biological substances.
- Student interns build self-confidence and presentation skills, develop social and professional skills, and gain a sense of direction to better make decisions about future pursuits and to set personal goals.
- Student interns are prepared academically for college/university by submitting required detailed descriptions of their research and results in PowerPoint presentations, research papers and posters, which they present in the context of the organization’s summer weekly lecture series, the "Global Harlem Science Street Fairs & Festivals," and various other academic forums and conferences.
- The organization fosters participation and sponsors students in leading regional and national science conferences, competitions, and academic forums, including the prestigious Annual Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Conference.
- Student interns present their research to their communities and society at large at the annual "Harlem Science Parade and Global Science Street Fairs & Festivals." Staged in New York City and other national and global sister sites, the simultaneous fairs are connected via live webcast, bridging the time and digital divide. 2009 marked the inaugural staging of the "Harlem Science Parade," a student procession through the New York City streets leading to the site of the "Sixth Annual Harlem Global Science Street Fairs & Festivals" in the heart of Harlem.
- HCS grooms students for higher education, including offering application assistance. Students have been accepted at a number of prestigious colleges and universities, including: Babson College, Bard College, Binghamton College, Buffalo State, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Drexel University, Florida State University, Ithaca College, New York University, Penn State University, Norfolk State University, Rutgers University, St. John's University, Steven's Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, UNJMD, Xavier University and others.
- Student interns have competed for and been awarded prestigious awards and accolades, including: the Gates Millennium Scholarship, New York Times Scholarship, and the Posse Scholarship.
Growth & Development in the United States & Abroad
- The initial 2001 program began with three high school students, and grew to over 400 students in the 2010 US program alone. HCS projects the US program will grow to over 1000 students in 2012.
- In the 2010 US program, over 1,500 mentors representing more than 200 educational/research institutions participated along with some 400 students from over 200 schools. The chart below is a snapshot of the US program’s growth over its history.
- Approximately 96% of the 2010 program’s US students were from minority backgrounds, as represented in the following demographic distribution: ~ African American (40%); ~ Hispanic (26%); ~ Native American (16%); ~ Asian (14%); ~ Caucasian (4%)
- In a consistent trend since the establishment of the organization, approximately 58% of the 2010 US program’s students were young women.
- Of the 2010 US program’s Native American student population, the following nations and/or tribes were represented: Cherokee, Oklahoma; Choctaw, Oklahoma; Hopi, Arizona; Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico; Lumbee, North Carolina; Ojibwa, Minnesota; St. Regis Mohawks, New York
- In addition to the US student population, HCS has been increasing its international presence. HCS projects its 2011 program abroad will involve up to 1500 students. Its 2010 global program numbered more than 350 students in Central and Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, as represented in the following geographic distributions and number of students per country: * Mexico (12); * Honduras (6); * Algeria (3); * Ethiopia (100); * Ghana (30); * Kenya (50); * Tanzania (30); * India (60); * New Zealand (1); * Malaysia (6); * Moldova (1)
What our Students say. . .
It was during high school that I was first introduced to the career within science, which I was determined to pursue. As a rising junior, my participation in the Harlem Children Society research program, gave me the opportunity to gain a hands-on laboratory experience. I worked with Dr. Bhattacharya. This experience helped me determine where my future goals were headed after graduating from college.
Paolo Lizano, MD/PhD Student, HCS Class of 2001
"I am now glad and proud to say that I was part of the Harlem Children Society research family, because now I see that once you leave this program you will enter the world of science well educated and well prepared.... I could not have asked for a better opportunity. Now I will stand out to the colleges of my dreams. And for that I am grateful."
Alexandra Gonzales, HCS Class of 2008
"The Harlem Children Society Science, Medicine, Math and Engineering program was an awakening. I’ve always been interested in science ever since I was a child and HCS has furthered this interest even more. This program helped me see that there are various branches of science."
Anisha Gill, HCS Class of 2008
What Parents of our Students say . . .
"It is a very special program because it is one of the rare ones that connects interested students to the real world of science research. With such an early training, it will be much easier for them to contribute in scientific advancements in the future. I think the Harlem Children Society is a very good opportunity for teenagers and I know that the internship will be a worthwhile experience."
Parent of HCS students Mojolaoluwa and Oluwanifemi Mabayoje both HCS Class of 2008
"The HCS Program seems challenging and hardworking. My child, Minerve, needs to buckle her seat belt and get ready for the ride! The HCS Program seems as though it will help our children get focused in science and help them shape themselves in the field they are interested in."
Parent of HCS student Minerve Delille, HCS Class of 2008
"I think it’s a great program that helps children from around the world learn a lot from doing research with educated professors. It gets them ready for college and it helps them get into one of the most prestigious colleges... This experience will change my daughter’s life. In a way it will also change mine. Thanks to all!"
Parent of HCS student Neslihan Kalayci, HCS Class of 2008
What Mentors, Teachers, Principals & Educators of our Students say . . .
"I was so very happy when one of our most motivated and ambitious students returned after the summer exclaiming that she had the most wonderful experience at The Harlem Children’s Society Research Program and that it was a life-changing. She claimed that it opened her eyes to so many possibilities and future prospects that she had never thought of prior. She was one of six students from our school who were privileged to participate in the program since June 2008 and all of them related similar positive experiences . . . .Our students entered the program with an intense interest in the sciences and left with the hope and confidence needed to become active citizens in the world of scientific research"
Dr. Barbara Zarou, MD, Science Teacher, Bronx Health Sciences High School
"HCS has supported our students for the last five years . . . this has contributed to motivate talented young people to choose research as a way to contribute to the development of our nation"
Mr. William Quintana, Principal, High School for Medical
"Thank you for supporting Hopi and Navajo students in the HCS program. As a physician at the Hopi Health Care Center and Director of the Health Promotions Disease Prevention Department, I have had the opportunity to work closely with students who have benefitted from Harlem Children Society and I hope to see HCS expand and grow to provide more opportunities to low-income and under-represented students"
Dr. Anna Lewis, MD, Physician, Hopi Medical Center, Hopi Reservation, Arizona
"I fully applaud and offer my enthusiastic support of the after school and summer programs sponsored by the Harlem Children Society and your efforts to train and educate the under-resourced and under-served inner city youth, and more importantly to the students of the Detroit Public Schools in Detroit, Michigan"
Ms. Velma Snow, Assistant Principal, Henry Ford High School, Detroit, Michigan
What our Community Leaders say . . .
"I commend your work for the advancement of science especially among young students.... you have my whole hearted support"
Congressman Charles Rangel, U.S. Representative, 15th Congressional District, NY
"...A lot of times we always hear the negative of our students, the downside, and we need to do a better job at showcasing their strengths... We are big believers in you, and we are going to make sure you are the ones we showcase..."
Dennis Walcott, New York City Deputy Mayor for Education & Community Development
"...We’re going to unleash you (the students) to the world, and there’s no limit, no end, to what you can accomplish..."
John Liu, New York City Council Member
What does Press say about HCS . . .
Recent Recognitions of HCS Programs by National and Local Press/Media:
http://www.responsibilityproject.com/reporting/the-science-of-dr-sat#fbid=aJi6kkFbFen
- "Bio-Med Program Helps Mentor Young Minds, New York 1 News, 2010: http://www.ny1.com/content/122345/bio-med-program-helps-mentor-young-minds?ap=1&MP4
- "Worms May Hold Clues to Neurological Disorders", National Science Foundation (NSF) News, 2010: http://www.livescience.com/health/motor-neuron-disease-worms-100910.html
- "Taking Science into the Streets", United Nations (IPS) News, 2010: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52121
- "Harlem Hearts Science", Science Cheerleader, 2010: http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2010/09/harlem-hearts-science/
- "Worms May Hold Clues to Neurological Disorders", Harlem World, 2010:
http://harlemworldblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/worms-may-hold-clues-to-disorders-in-harlem/
- "The Harlem Science Renaissance," Scientific American, 2010:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-harlem-science-renaissance-10-10-15
Harlem Children Society Searches for the Einstein of the Bronx
The New York Sun
From the Streets to the Science Lab...The program has produced Future Scientists
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
Harlem Children Society & Dr. Sat Bhattacharya Score an "A"
Education Update
Students Jump-start Medical Career (with HCS)
NY 1 News
Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society continues to support HCS as it grows and expands globally
American Scientist
Med Student will come back and help her Staten Island Community
SiLive.com
Recent Recognitions of HCS Programs from Government: State/ Congress/ Governor/ City Council Bodies:
- "New York Senate Proclamation honoring HCS Programs and Dr. Sat Bhattacharya" 2010
- "New York City Council Proclamation honoring HCS Programs and Dr. Sat Bhattacharya" 2010
- "New York State Governor Patterson honoring HCS Programs and Dr. Sat Bhattacharya" 2010
