ANT 307 Museum Methods

This is the third year the Museum Methods course has participated in the NKU Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project. Each year students in the class research community organizations that promote STEM programs and activities to young people and programs that encourage young women to consider STEM careers. As the class learns more about nonprofits in our region, we narrow our choices.

This year, the class enthusiastically chose the STEM Bicycle Club at the Brighton Center for funding.

The club provides youth with the opportunity to learn about science, technology and mathematics in a fun and engaging way. The club also provides students with knowledge of STEM career paths through conversations with community mentors and coaches who assist with this program.  It has created an opportunity of lasting friendships through this mentorship program.

On behalf of the class, I would like to thank Michelle Bullis of the Brighton Center, who worked with our class on this project, the Straws Foundation, and the NKU Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement – all of whom have embraced the concept of student philanthropy.

A message from the class: Our class chose to award $2,000 to the STEM Bicycle Club at the Brighton Center because this afterschool program offers youth from underserved communities exposure to STEM at a young age, provides a collaborative experience, and is free of cost to participants.

Brighton Center’s investment in the community by way of engagement with the community is impressive! To accomplish for someone with that someone’s participation, is a process in which the recipient gains more than the service provided. 

Brighton’s STEM Youth Bicycle Club is a great example. Adolescents from Dayton and Newport invest the time learning about and building bikes, which they then earn at the end of the program. The Bicycle Club enhances student’s willingness to find new interests, take pride in their work, and to use problem-solving methods to figure out basic systems.

Admission to the club is open to all and costs the student nothing. Brighton energizes the interactive process with other programs within Youth Leadership Development including a 3-D Printing Club and a STEM Gardening Club. That’s the high quality return on investment that deserves the community’s applause and NKU’s Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project participation.  

The $2,000 grant will go toward the costs associated with running and successfully operating the club. The primary cost is for bikes, which cost about $129 each. Other costs include tools, helmets, bike locks and student workbooks.

Michelle Bullis, Brighton Center, Youth Leadership Development Coordinator: The grant provided through the Mayerson Project to the Brighton Center STEM Bicycle Club is an enormous support to the continuation of the program.

The funding ensures that we will be able to offer this exciting program additive to the youth for another year.

The ability to bring such fun and engaging STEM learning to youth is greatly impactful to the students. Through the Bike Club, they not only are engaging in STEM learning, they are also building skills, connections and confidence in themselves. Thank you so much for the support of the club, we are excited to be able to bike again in 2021!