Learning in a rapidly-changing STEM landscape
Elevating diverse perspectives
The New York Hall of Science
2023 Annual Report
OPENING LETTER
Creating a Laboratory for STEM Learning
The New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) is New York City’s interactive science center–a place where everyone can experiment, explore, and expand their curiosity; where teachers can find inspiration and new perspectives on STEM learning; and where students can explore STEM careers they might never have imagined for themselves.
This year, NYSCI received the National Science Board’s 2023 Science & Society Award, recognizing our role as a laboratory for learning and a pioneering research institution developing equitable, creative approaches to STEM learning. This recognition was built in large part on work begun fifteen years ago, when Dr. Margaret Honey began her tenure as President and CEO of NYSCI, and asked: How can a science center be a platform for innovation in the field of STEM learning?
Dr. Honey focused NYSCI’s mission on an evidence-based approach to STEM learning and discovery, which we call Design Make Play. This approach empowers every visitor to engage with scientific concepts through playful exploration of familiar phenomena, to design creative solutions to problems, and to encounter the awe-inspiring complexity underlying everyday experiences. Through our research findings, award-winning exhibitions, digital resources, innovative programming and field-leading youth development programs, NYSCI has infused Design Make Play into everything we do. Looking ahead, NYSCI is now poised to support our audiences as they explore new discoveries and career pathways in emerging STEM topics.
As Dr. Honey steps down as NYSCI’s President and CEO, we are deeply grateful for her vision, her legacy and her impact on STEM learning nationwide. She leaves the institution stronger and more creative than ever, and we look forward to an exciting future at the New York Hall of Science.
Best,
Minerva Tantoco
Interim President and CEO
Designto discover
Maketo create
Playto engage
NYSCI’s exhibitions and programs are created to support all learners in using the tools of science and engineering in creative, joyful, and inventive ways… enabling everyone to become a confident and empowered STEM learner.
Highlights
Supporting all learners to tackle complex topics as creators and leaders
Inquiry and Investigation
Engaging youth with explorations of public health and medicine
NYSCI turns science into an irresistible enterprise by helping learners connect their interests and enthusiasms with tools and opportunities for experimentation. Citizen DNA is a collaboration with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to put a powerful technology—DNA Barcoding—in the hands of museum visitors. With support from the National Institute of Health, we also work with youth across New York City to create opportunities to explore public health careers. As we co-design programs and activities with young people, we are emphasizing the role that public health can play in addressing chronic inequities in long-term health outcomes driven by inequitable social determinants. This approach connects learners’ commitments to their own neighborhoods and families to career pathways that might not otherwise have known about or explored.
tackling complexity
Computational thinking and research on emerging topics in STEM
NYSCI is working with university and industry partners to imagine new strategies for engaging public audiences with the most cutting-edge topics in STEM today. NYSCI held a groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary conference focused on the concept of human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence (AI). Our approach prioritizes the needs of communities that have been historically excluded from STEM careers, and emphasizes human responsibility in AI development. As a partner in the National Science Foundation AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence (ARNI), we are bringing this approach to life through experiential learning activities. And in partnership with SUNY Stony Brook, we are creating opportunities for New York City teachers and students to explore quantum computing with scientists who are defining this nascent field. All of this work builds on NYSCI’s research exploring computational thinking, and our expertise in making complex, abstract scientific topics engaging for all learners.
Digital Impact
Exploring the city with a machine learning lens
NYSCI teamed up with Verizon and Snap to launch Science City Explorers, a citywide augmented reality experience that allows people to learn the science in common public objects across New York City, turning the Big Apple into an interactive learning lab. More than 1.7 million people participated in the launch of this first-of-its-kind experience, which used machine learning to reveal the hidden objects and mechanisms that power New York City’s infrastructure.
Inspiration from Space
Space science for our littlest learners
NYSCI is committed to inspiring our littlest learners and their grown-ups, by building their understanding of space science through play, early design engineering experiences, and family engagement programs. This work is supported through a Congressional Funded Community Project to engage young learners with space science by creating experiences that invite wonder and imagination, encourage collaboration and shared problem solving, and support key practices of scientific investigation and engineering. This year NYSCI also became part of NASA’s national network of Community Anchor institutions who engage the public with major NASA missions and outer space phenomena. We are engaging learners from all over Queens to learn about and celebrate the 2024 solar eclipse.
Early Childhood Space Science Advisory Committee
Ellen Baker
M.D., M.P.H., NASA Astronaut, Cancer researcher
NYSCI Trustee
Jeanette Epps
Ph.D., NASA Astronaut, Aerospace engineer
Rita Karl
Managing Senior Director, STEM Media & Education; Executive Producer, SciGirls, Twin Cities Public Television
Barbara Morgan
NASA Astronaut, Teacher
Jacqueline Jones
Ph.D., President and CEO, Foundation for Child Development, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning in the U.S. Department of Education
Partnership Launch
NYSCI Launches Partners in STEM Equity
NYSCI's Corporate Partners
Sneak Peak
Check out what’s coming to NYSCI in 2024
Special Events
Gala
“Science is for everyone because it is part of our every day.”
–Barbara Bouza, President of Walt Disney Imagineering
Our fall 2022 Celebrate Science and Inspiration Gala brought together leaders in STEM to salute a shared commitment to opening up science to everyone. We honored Barbara Bouza, President of Walt Disney Imagineering; Gary Hoberman, Founder and CEO of Unqork; and Kyle Malady, EVP and President of Global Networks and Technology at Verizon. NYSCI’s Seidenberg Family Top of the Ladder Award was awarded to NYSCI Explainer Aaliyah Alcibar. The Gala enables NYSCI to showcase the innovative research, exhibitions, and programs that invite people to build personal meaningful connections to STEM and inspire them to become the next generation of STEM leaders.
President’s Council
NYSCI’s President’s Council is a passionate group of STEM leaders and philanthropists who support NYSCI’s work at the highest level. Through a series of invitation-only events, members connect with scientists and educators from NYSCI and our partner institutions, build relationships with STEM industry leaders, and engage with our programs firsthand.
This year’s events explored how cutting edge STEM topics intersect with our everyday lives, featuring talks with esteemed scientists Harold Varmus and Siddartha Mukherjee, moderated by AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh, and an interactive Women in STEM celebration with Marilu Galvez of WABC-TV.
In Memoriam
Thank you Cecily and Roger
This year we lost two giants of science education and public engagement who helped shape NYSCI as a laboratory for STEM learning.
Cecily Selby
For four decades, Cecily Selby’s leadership, encouragement, and financial support enabled NYSCI to grow and thrive. Her lifelong passion for science—specifically biology, the study of life—and her groundbreaking career, scientific achievements, and dedication to improving science education for everyone, inspires us all.
Roger Herz
Roger Herz was integral to NYSCI's founding. Along with three fellow alumni of the Bronx High School of Science, he advocated for creating a science center in New York City, and brought it to life following the 1964-65 World’s Fair. For more than 50 years, he pushed NYSCI to strive for excellence through its exhibits, programs, and engagement with the public.
Our Partners
NYSCI supporters for Fiscal Year 2023
(July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023)
$1,000,000+
- The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation
- Estate of Roger J. Herz
- The JPB Foundation
- Simons Foundation
$500,000 - 999,999
- BNY Mellon
- The Carson Family Charitable Trust
- The Kupferberg Foundation
- Linda S. Sanford
- Siegel Family Endowment
- National Science Foundation
$100,000 – 499,999
- Amazin' Mets Foundation
- Amazon
- Booth Ferris Foundation
- Carnegie Corporation of New York
- The Countess Moira Charitable Foundation
- Nicholas and Anita Donofrio
- Anna M. Ewing and John Capotosto
- Jesse and Joan Kupferberg Family Foundation
- MetLife Foundation
- New York Community Trust
- PepsiCo
- The Pinkerton Foundation
- Richmond County Savings Foundation
- Robin Hood Foundation
- The Seidenberg Family Foundation, Inc.
- Melissa Vail and Norman Selby
$50,000 – 99,999
- Charina Endowment Fund
- Con Edison
- Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
- The FAR Fund
- Glenn W. Bailey Foundation
- Edward and Deborah Horowitz
- IBM
- The Lubin Family Foundation
- Mary Jane and George McCartney
- NBCUniversal
- New York Mets Owner Steve Cohen
- Siegel Family Endowment
- Lisa M.C. Thomas
- United Airlines
- Verizon Communications
- The Walt Disney Company
- Zimmer Biomet
$20,000 – 49,999
- Accenture
- Amdocs Inc.
- The Barker Welfare Foundation
- BlackRock
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Broadridge
- Albert and Caryn Bunshaft
- Citi
- Corning Optical Communications
- Crown Castle
- Francisco D'Souza and Maria Ines Kavamura
- Rob Davis and Caroline Curry
- Dell Technologies
- Seth H. Dubin and Barbara E. Field
- Ericsson
- F5
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Gary and Alexandra Hoberman and Family
- HydroQuébec
- The Interpublic Group of Companies
- JP Morgan Chase
- Juniper Networks
- Jim and Barb Korein
- Michele J. LeMoal-Gray
- Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc.
- Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc.
- Kelsey and Sudhir Nair
- Nasdaq
- New York State Council on the Arts
- NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
- Pfizer
- Stephen and Maxine Sands
- Sara Lee and Axel Schupf, and Michael and Tracy Freedman
- Cecily Cannan Selby, Ph.D.
- MJS Foundation
- Siris
- Minerva Tantoco, City Strategies
- Steve and Amy Thogmartin
- Tim Tynan
- Unqork
- World Wide Technology
$10,000 – 19,999
- ADP Foundation
- AHEAD
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- APAX Foundation
- Alyson and John Archer
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Boingo Wireless
- The Boston Consulting Group
- The Brink's Company
- Broadway Stages Ltd
- Brookhaven Science Associates
- Casa Systems
- CBRE
- Thomas and Ann Charters
- David A. Christman
- Ciena
- The David Friedman Family Foundation
- James Dimon
- DriveNets
- DTCC
- Barbara Dzubak
- Bridget Engle
- EY
- Joseph R. Ficalora
- James and Ann Firestone
- Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP
- Fujitsu
- HCL
- HPE
- Ittycheria-Thomas Family Fund
- Kyle Malady
- Mary E. Kelly and Anthony Peters
- Morgan Stanley
- Rene Lammers
- The Medici Group
- NetApp
- Nokia
- Oracle
- The Plumbing Foundation
- PwC
- Qualcomm, Inc.
- Sháka A. Rasheed and Lela Weems
- Jon Rubinstein
- S&P Global
- Jane Safer
- Sensata Foundation
- Lisa and Alan Sinsheimer
- Jonathan Spielman
- Spirent Communications
- Tishman Speyer
- The Venetian Group LLC
- Margo and Anthony Viscusi
- VMware
- Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III
- James S. Wiener and Sarah Gleit
- Wolters Kluwer, Legal & Regulatory
- ZT Systems
- Alexandra Zubko
$5,000 – 9,999
- John E. Abele
- New York ACS
- Dr. Gilda Barabino and Joseph Barabino
- Scott and Rosemary Becchi
- The Beekman Family Association
- John Bolger
- David Caluori
- Cathay Bank Foundation
- John Chee
- Charles Craig
- Michael J. Critelli
- Neil de Crescenzo
- Sarah Gosler
- Kathryn W. Guarini, Ph.D.
- Anonymous
- Sandra and Michael Kamen
- Denis L'Huillier
- Linda and Alan Kahn Foundation, Inc.
- Lockton
- May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.
- Richard and Ronay Menschel
- Microsoft
- Amanda and Colin O'Donnell
- Pitney Bowes
- Susan M. Puglia
- RXR
- Samsung Networks
- Anil Shrivastava and Namita Luthra
- Michael Thorne
- Ian Trombley
- Paul Walker
- Catherine Wolfe
$1,000 – 4,999
- Catherine Wolfe
- 7G Capital Management
- Actum
- Lisa Agdern
- The Overbrook Foundation
- Apptio
- Louise Arias
- Michael Avella
- Ellen S. Baker M.D., M.P.H.
- Siddartha Bala
- Sony Ben-Moshe
- Stephen Bernous
- Mark Bezjak
- Ana Bolivar
- Ryan Bond
- Ginelle Brown
- Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Burke
- Stamford Office Furniture
- CBTS
- CCS
- Ed Chuchla
- Cisco
- Benjamin Cohen
- Connectivity Wireless
- Pamela Crawford
- Joe Crescitelli
- Julie Dillman
- Jeremy Dobrick
- Duane Morris LLP
- Thomas Dubin and Pamela Klem
- Mr. Robert J. Easton
- Emery Celli
- Anonymous
- ePlus
- Equinix
- FGS Global
- Stuart Fischer and Jeanette Mall
- Charles Fischer
- Fortinet, Inc.
- Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
- Dr. and Mrs. Paul M. Horn
- Dr. Dan C. Wharton and Ms. Marilyn C. Hoyt
- IQEQ
- Matthew Jackson
- K.L Carpet Corporation
- KGPCo
- Ivan Kimball
- Kostelanetz LLP
- Jeffrey and Jill Libshutz
- David Lillywhite
- Ms. Wyna Liu
- Paula Marisi
- Bronwen Mason
- MATRIXX Software, Inc.
- Jeff Mayzurk
- Anthony Melone
- Walter Montgomery
- Moonshot Strategies
- Robert Mujica
- Netpace
- Palo Alto Networks
- Park&K Public Affairs
- PKF O'Connor Davies LLP
- Stuart Pollak
- Ponce Bank
- Presidio
- Property Services Corporation of Long Island
- Trevor Putrah
- Renee Rallatos
- Thomas Reilly
- RHB Consulting
- Michael and Sandy Richman
- Tom Robey
- Roof Services of New York
- Fred and Karmen Royall
- Jim Seery
- Russell Selby
- Servpro of Upper East Side
- Chung Seto
- SHI International
- Jeff Sousa
- Lauren C. States and Kenneth Creary
- Straus Family Foundation
- T-Mobile
- Hoffer-Tawil Family Fund
- Tech Mahindra Ltd.
- Cleaning Systems
- Tusk Strategies LLC
- Varonis Systems, Inc.
- VHB
- Marie Wieck
- Wind River
- Melinda Witmer
- Jim Wynne
- Jeffrey Zimmerman
- Alfred Zollar
Leadership Team
- Minerva Tantoco, Interim President and CEO
- April Drummond, Chief Financial Officer
- Katie McMillan Culp, Chief Learning Officer
- Christopher Ebe, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer
- Kiryn Hoffman, Chief Advancement Officer and Interim Deputy CEO
- Priya Mohabir, Vice President, Youth Development
- Sylvia Perez, Senior Vice President of Education Services
- Dana Schloss, Director, Exhibit Experience
Board of Trustees
Officers
- Timothy J. Tynan, Chair
- Frans Johansson, Vice-Chair
- Stuart Fischer, Secretary
- Martin R. Kupferberg, Treasurer
Board of Trustees
- Ellen S. Baker, M.D., M.P.HNASA Astronaut (Former)University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Gilda Barabino, Ph.D.Olin College of Engineering
- Al BunshaftDassault Systemes (Ret.)
- David A. Christman
- David B. ChubakEdward Jones & Co.
- Robert DavisAlcentra
- Atul DubeyWolters Kluwer
- Yvette EncarnacionNBCUniversal - Telemundo
- Bridget EngleBNY Mellon Corp.
- Anna M. EwingNasdaq (Ret.)
- Joseph R. FicaloraNew York Community Bancorp, Inc. (Ret.)
- Stuart FischerFGS Global
- Michael B. Freedman, M.B.A., C.P.A
- Dario Gil, Ph.D.IBM Corporation
- Edward D. HorowitzEdslink, LLC
- Frans JohanssonThe Medici Group
- Srini KalapalaVerizon Communications
- Mary E. KellyConsolidated Edison Company of New York
- Ivan KimballConsolidated Edison Company of New York
- Maya KulyckyGoogle
- Martin R. KupferbergKepco, Inc.
- Hendrik (René) Lammers, Ph.D.PepsiCo., Inc.
- Yvonne LiuMulticultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc.
- Mary Jane McCartney
- Louis ModanoNasdaq
- Martez R. MooreMoore Freres & Company, LLC
- Jaclyn A. Mucaria, MPA, FACHENewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens
- Sudhir NairBlackRock Solutions
- Michelle NealThe Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Sháka RasheedSalesforce
- Frederick Royall, IIIJPMorgan Chase
- Stephen H. SandsLazard
- Linda S. SanfordIBM Corporation (Ret.)
- Anil Shrivastava
- Alan Sinsheimer, Esq.Sullivan & Cromwell
- Steven ThogmartinThe Boston Consulting Group
- Lisa M. C. ThomasCowen and Company, LLC
- Ian TrombleyNBCUniversal
- Timothy J. TynanBank of America Merchant Services
- Melissa G. Vail
- James S. WienerOliver Wyman
- Alexandra ZubkoTroupe
Ex - Officio
- Honorable Eric AdamsMayor, City of New York
- Honorable Brad LanderComptroller, City of New York
- Honorable Adrienne E. AdamsSpeaker, The Council of the City of New York
- Honorable Donovan RichardsPresident, Borough of Queens
- Susan DonoghueCommissioner, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
- Honorable Laurie CumboCommissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
- Honorable David C. BanksChancellor, New York City Department of Education
- Minerva TantocoInterim President and CEO, New York Hall of Science
Trustee Emeriti
- Ravenel B. Curry, III
- Nicholas M. DonofrioChair Emeritus
- Seth H. Dubin, Esq.Chair Emeritus
- Sara Lee Schupf
- Ivan G. SeidenbergChair Emeritus
Download a full PDF of this report
Including Statement of Activities and Statement of Financial Position
Download
