Discovery:
The Educational Initiative
Impact
Discovery fosters lasting impact for students, educators, and mentors alike—building confidence, curiosity, and connection through hands-on STEM learning in university environments.
Empowering Student Success
A Platform for All Students to Achieve Success
Traditional classroom learning doesn’t serve every student equally. Discovery offers an engaging, multi-dimensional platform where all students can leverage their individual strengths, think creatively, and demonstrate their understanding through hands-on problem solving.
37% of students performed significantly higher on Discovery deliverables compared to their course average.
Building Student Confidence and STEM Awareness
Strengthening Understanding of STEM Pathways
​Many students complete high school without a clear sense of how STEM concepts connect to real-world applications. As a result, some decide early on that STEM “isn’t for them.” Discovery helps break down these barriers by placing students in university laboratories, where they work alongside graduate mentors on research projects rooted in a real-world context. Students build both confidence in pursuing their interests in STEM and a sense of belonging in post-secondary learning environments.
I’ve had multiple students tell me, ‘I’m going to study biology at university now. I wasn’t planning to before, but now I want to because I understand what it is and I’m excited about it.'
Linda
Discovery Educator
Returning to in-person learning, many students disengage when tasks become difficult. After participating in Discovery, they recognized that and acknowledged the need to change their approach to learning.
Larry
Discovery Educator
Re-engaging Students Post-Pandemic
Fostering Engagement and Growth in the Post-Pandemic Classroom
The disruptions of pandemic lockdowns created lasting challenges for students and teachers alike. Even after returning to in-person instruction, many students face knowledge and skill gaps, and engagement can wane when tasks feel difficult. Discovery addresses these challenges by offering hands-on, university-level projects that spark curiosity and motivate learning. Through these authentic, applied experiences, students regain confidence, modify their learning habits, and develop strategies to tackle challenging tasks.
Collaborative Professional Development
A Mutually Beneficial Partnership Between Teachers and Graduate Mentors
Discovery fosters a unique partnership between high school educators and graduate student researchers, where each brings complementary expertise to the table. Teachers gain access to cutting-edge projects and university laboratories that enrich their curricula, while graduate students develop valuable teaching, mentorship, and communication skills. Together, they learn from one another, combining practical classroom experience with research insight to create a richer learning environment for students.
It's very challenging to do similar projects in our schools because the technology is so expensive and inaccessible.
Casey
Discovery Educator
I found it helpful to explain routine concepts in different ways. It gave me a valuable opportunity to practice science communication with an audience I don’t typically engage with.
Jason
Discovery Mentor