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Catalyst

A free international and national award winning high school program designed to create STEM opportunities for students with disabilities.

The primary goal of the Catalyst program is to provide students with the skills, knowledge and experiences they need to help build the STEM workforce of the future. 

Catalyst provides students with a unique opportunity to engage with STEM education through free weeklong institutes in the summer and Saturday sessions throughout the school year. Students participate in paid STEM internships, field study trips, professional STEM certifications and much more.

Catalyst and GIST programs featured on CBS 17

Catalyst prepares students for a future in STEM through: 

  • STEM content and skills through hands-on labs, engineering design, research, computer programming, and more. 
  • STEM field trips
  • Workforce and college readiness skills
  • Explore STEM careers and educational pathways
  • Paid internships available in STEM fields within research and engineering labs, collaborating with government and industry partners to enhance skills in STEM, workforce readiness, and professional development.
  • Overnight field study trips to see first hand cutting edge research, labs, and other experiences.
  • Instruction by professors, graduate students and STEM professionals
  • Advocacy
  • Life 101 Skills

Alumni of Catalyst are attending colleges including Wake Tech, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Asheville, NC State University, UNC Pembroke, Eastern Carolina University, Appalachian State University, Northeastern, Campbell and Peace College. They are majoring in STEM programs such as engineering, physics, molecular biology, chemistry, mathematics, electrician, nursing and received many scholarships and awards.

Upcoming Events


Catalyst Open House for June 2025 – June 2026


Save the Dates: 
Thursday, January 16th, 2025, 7 PM-8 PM Virtually
Saturday, January 18th, 2025 10 AM-12 PM In Person at NC State University

Registration is required to attend the Open House and you can only pick ONE to session to attend. Students must be rising grade 9-12 high school students for school year 2025-2026. Students also must be in regular education, honors, AP or college level classes or the occupational course of study program to participate and have a documented disability, IEP or 504 plan. We accept students in public, private, charter and homeschools.

QR Code to Register

Third Annual Reach for the Stars! Be a Star! STEM and resource fair for K-12 students with disabilities, Family and Friends.

Save the Date:
April 12, 2025 from 9 AM – 12 PM
Location: McKimmon Center at NC State
101 Gorman Street, Raleigh, NC.

Program Details

Catalyst has been successfully engaging students with disabilities in STEM for the past six years. Our program is a part of The Science House at NC State located on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Students are eligible to participate if they are rising 9-12th grade students with ANY disability. Students can be in regular education classes (AP, honors, regular level) or in the OCS Program. Catalyst is designed specifically for students interested in STEM  who want to pursue a STEM career following high school.

Catalyst is funded by North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation and free for qualified participants. Catalyst has many community partners including NC State, Wake Technical Community College, NC Museum of Natural Sciences,  ABB, Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, Red Hat, Eastman Fund, Kenan Institute, NC Space Grant,  IBM, Fidelity, Junior Achievement, EPA and NASA. Catalyst would not exist without the generosity of our funder and partners.

If you are interested in this program, please contact Joann Blumenfeld, Program Director, at jrblumen@ncsu.edu or by phone at (919) 633-3120.

Catalyst in the News

Perspective | Building an inclusive, innovative STEM workforce

Catalyst Students visit Puerto Rico, get field experience in STEM

N.C. High Schoolers fly to Puerto Rico for hands-on STEM experience

Catalyst Program Goes to NASA

Creating STEM Opportunties: Catalyst Program in Photos

Joann Blumenfeld, Catalyst Director, received 2022 Friday Medal from the Friday Institute

Joann Blumenfeld, Catalyst Director, Named One of Time’s Innovative Teacher of the Year 2022

NC First Lady, NC Commerce Secretary Visit The Science House (Catalyst)

Energizing opportunities for students with disabilities in STEM

Learners, Leaders

Education Matters with Joann and Governor Cooper

Nice Video About Catalyst

Catalyst InvenTeam brings high-level STEM to students with disabilities

INVENTEAM TEACHER’S SECRET TO SUCCESS: ‘NO EXCUSES!’ AND ‘HIGH EXPECTATIONS’

Catalyst Awards and Accomplishments

  • Excellence in Education Award, Raleigh Mayor’s Committee For Persons with Disabilities, October 2024
  • Airwards 23/24 Winner in the Education and Research / Training Category: NC State College of Sciences with our work, “Drones Power Launch for Disabled Students in STEM at NCSU.
  • Invited to the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, San Juan, Puerto Rico for a Special Program, April 2024
  • Invited to NASA Johnson Space Center, April 2023 for a Special Program.
  • Received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant For Connecting Students with Autism to Geographic Information Science & Technology, 2021
  • Program of Excellence Award, 2021, International Technology and Engineering Educators Association.
  • Winners of National 2017 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Competition. The students invented a mat that screens for lameness in cows and an App that notifies farmers. This device costs less than $1,000, and the current one on the market is over $100,000. They also won the technical award and were the only in the country with all students with disabilities. All participants presented at MIT and received a $10,000 grant to build their invention, which we hope to patent.
  • Winners of National Energy Education Development Project: Special Project Award, 2020
  • Invited to the US Patent Office, June 2018 for a special program.
  • All graduating Catalyst Seniors have gone on to STEM Educational Pathways in College.
  • Letter of Commendation from President Obama
  • Invited to NASA Johnson Space Center, April 2023 for a Special Program.