High School Visitation Program in New York City for Materials Science and Engineering Outreach

We report on a school science outreach program that we have carried out since 1999 under the National Science Foundation funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Columbia University. Under this program, we have made 34 visits to twenty New York City public high schools and middle schools and have reached over three thousand students. The demographic of the schools are around 81{\%} historically underrepresented minorities (37{\%} African Americans and 44{\%} Hispanic Americans) and around 55{\%} female. This report shows how a similar program can be set up in an urban area, which can directly address the vital shortage of youths going into science, engineering and mathematics (SEM) careers. Logistics and experiences of running the program are described. Lessons learned and certain important issues of the program are addressed for an easy adaptation in a new city.