Students from seven public faculties in the Ponce and Southern area accomplished the first TecLab Clubs cycle, a program of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust.(Screen seize of https://prsciencetrust.org/teclab/)
The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust marked the completion of the first cohort of its TecLab Clubs, an academic program that supplied hands-on science and know-how coaching to 103 public faculty college students in the Ponce and Southern instructional area.
TecLab Puerto Rico is a part of the Trust’s STEM Education and Workforce Development Program and is funded by the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce. The first cohort positions the mission as a rising effort to organize college students for science and know-how careers on the island.
The ceremony was held on the Aloft Hotel in Ponce with academics, college students, faculty principals and organizations from the island’s STEM group.
TecLab Clubs function as afterschool studying areas the place highschool college students work with coordinating academics on laboratory actions in fields resembling biotechnology and data know-how.
The program follows a semester design created for TecLab Puerto Rico and gives every faculty with tools, security supplies and classroom furnishings. The mannequin additionally consists of diversifications for college kids in particular education schemes to allow them to participate in laboratory practices.
Eight coordinating academics participated in the first cycle after receiving program coaching. Participating faculties included Ponce High School, Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias and Lila M. Mayoral Wirshing in Ponce; Luis Lloréns Torres in Juana Díaz; Josefa Vélez Bauzá in Peñuelas; Josefina León Zayas in Jayuya; and José Vizcarrondo Añeses in Utuado.
“The impact we witnessed in this first cohort confirms the importance of bringing real scientific experiences into our public schools. Our students not only learned concepts — they practiced procedures that are carried out in laboratories and biopharmaceutical industries,” mentioned Dr. Elsa Trujillo, supervisor of TecLab Puerto Rico.
“TecLab shows that when we properly equip teachers and students and provide them with a safe space to explore, STEM learning is transformed. This experience prepares them for real opportunities in the island’s workforce,” mentioned engineer Luis Nieves, director of the STEM Education and Workforce Development Program.
Lucy Crespo, chief government officer of the Trust, mentioned the hassle represents “a direct investment in Puerto Rico’s future,” noting that greater than 100 college students gained entry to “meaningful, high-quality experiences regardless of their background or school of origin.”
The Trust is a nonprofit that helps analysis, innovation and workforce growth on the island and was designated in 2023 as one in all 31 federal Tech Hubs to guide the PRBio Tech Hub.
Allied teams that joined the closing exercise included Casa Pueblo, CienciaPR and the University of Puerto Rico, Ponce. Representatives reaffirmed help for strengthening STEM training and increasing tutorial pathways for Puerto Rico’s youth.
