Simulation Academy at Yale: Youth Entering Science (SAY-YES!)

Exposing students to new opportunities, creating a sense of accomplishment, social learning through informal mentorship, and making learning fun have been found as benefits of informal STEM education. The Science & Health Partnership at Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS) leverages advances in simulation training to promote informal STEM learning for local high school students at an academic health center. The proposed work builds on the Simulation Academy at Yale – Youth Entering Science (SAY-YES!) research team's prior innovative work developing an after-school simulation program engaging local public high school students in hands-on experiential learning using multiple technologies including high fidelity manikin simulators and virtual reality platforms to explore anatomy and physiology. During each session, a potential healthcare profession is introduced corresponding to the STEM topic. This five-year SEPA proposal seeks to develop, from the foundations of the existing SAY-YES! program, a multi-level curriculum for STEM learning, leadership, and mentoring.