Catalyst

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. 

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 to learn workforce readiness and professional skills
• Overnight field trips to see first hand cutting edge research, labs, and other experiences.
• Instruction by professors, graduate students and STEM professionals
• Advocacy

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

Second Annual Reach for the Stars! Be a Star!

STEM and Resource Fair for K-12 Students with Disabilities, who are interested in STEM and STEM Careers. Families and Friends are invited too!

Saturday, April 6, 2024 | 10 AM – 2 PM
McKimmon Center, NC State University
1101 Gorman Street, Raleigh, NC

Over 50+ Booths with: STEM Content, Careers, Research, Educational Pathways, all with Hands on STEM Activities and Support Resources. Optional sessions to attend with STEM Professionals with disabilities, including topics such as: self-advocacy, support in the workplace, pathway to success in a STEM Career and much more. For more information contact: Joann Blumenfeld, Catalyst Director, jrblumen@ncsu.edu 919-633-3120. We have some funding to pay for buses, if you want to bring a group of students from your area or school to attend.

Please contact Joann Blumenfeld if you are interested in these funds.

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

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

• 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.

Related Programs

Connecting Students with Autism to Geographic Information Systems and Technology Program (CSA – GIST)