Science Puerto Rico (CienciaPR) announced this Tuesday the results of its program Scientists at Service (CAS) for the 2025-2026 cycle, in which he directly impacted hundreds of students and reached tens of thousands of participants through his online talks, as part of his efforts to strengthen access to experiences STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) of quality.
CAS is an educational initiative that connects students and teachers with STEM experts, through school visits and virtual talks.
The school visit component recruited and trained 30 STEM experts – 10 for the elementary level and 20 for the intermediate level – with an interest in impacting school science education. Volunteers received virtual workshops offered by nonprofit organizations Young Scientists for Puerto Rico and Science in your hands to strengthen their mentoring and scientific dissemination skills.
Through this face-to-face componentCAS impacted 535 students. Of these, 185 belonged to the elementary level and 350 to the intermediate level, giving way to the establishment of a continuous trajectory of scientific exposure and mentoring for K-12 students. The participating schools were located in San Juan, Guaynabo, Carolina, Ponce, Villalba, Guánica, Peñuelas, Guayanilla, Adjuntas, Yauco, Naranjito and Salinas.
As part of the experience, elementary students conducted an experiment to practice the scientific method and received a notebook with related activities, educational games, and coloring illustrations from visiting experts, fostering a direct and meaningful connection with their STEM mentors. Meanwhile, intermediate students received two visits in which they heard about STEM career paths, conducted experiments, and received mentoring using a Science Fair Project and Research Guide.
“Scientists at Service school visits transform the classroom into a space of discovery, where students can interact directly with STEM professionals who show them that science is also done from Puerto Rico and for their communities.”. These experiences sow curiosity, confidence and new academic and professional aspirations in our youth,” commented the doctor. Abniel Machín de Jesúsdirector of the Science Education Unit of CienciaPR.
This component was possible, in part, thanks to legislative funds and the contribution of the Assur, Angel Ramos, Liberty and EcoEléctrica foundations.
In addition to in-person visits, the virtual chat component continued to expand access to STEM professions, by offering 32 online talks, with almost 39,000 total views on its YouTube channel and which also included the participation of people from other countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
“Scientists in Service talks continue to connect students with STEM professionals who serve as accessible and culturally relevant role models. These experiences help spark scientific curiosity, explore vocations, and broaden your vision of the opportunities available in STEM.”expressed, for his part, Greetchen Diazexecutive director of CienciaPR.
CAS Online featured a variety of topics in environmental sciences, health, chemistry, technology, paleontology, among many others, and surpassed its previous numbers for digital certificates redeemed, achieving a total of 26,610. This series was possible thanks to the support of Fundación Banco Popular and Evertec.
More accessible and inclusive program
On the other hand, CienciaPR and CAS were chosen to participate in the “2026 Zero Barriers in STEM Education Summit”to be held in Washington, DC, in July.
The team will be represented by members of the Science Education Unit, which includes Machín de Jesús; the CAS coordinator, Elvin Estrada García; and the education specialist Nelcie Colon Rest. The Special Education Teacher Bryan Rivera Medina will also be part of the team, which will seek to design an action plan to improve the educational experience of neurodivergent students who will participate in CAS.
Additionally, Colón Resto and Rivera Medina were selected to participate in the “Smithsonian Science Education Academy for Teachers”which will provide them with a behind-the-scenes and professional development experience at Smithsonian museums and research facilities.
Both events are offered by the Smithsonian Science Education Center.