INTRODUCTION TO THE YOUNG SCIENTIST ACADEMY Getting children interested in science at the elementary and middle school stages is important to nurture and harness their natural interest in the real world, particularly oceans that are mainly undiscovered but are vital for regulating climate and health of our planet. YSA is a non-profit corporation, bringing over 20 years of global experience in scientific research and education. We are very passionate at providing experiences in research and nurturing children’s natural interest in the real world through inquiry-based learning. One of the main goals of the YSA is to provide unique career building, research experiences to young scientists through enquiry-based learning that address core issues related to STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - disciplines. We will build a fun, creative and nurturing environment that promotes friendship, collaboration and enrichment that will build confidence in oneself and enable students to get a head start in thinking about career opportunities. There is no homework, no additional assignments and no grade involved with the YSA. We are all about promoting fun in science through active learning in a non-competitive environment. YOUNG SCIENTIST ACADEMY LEARNED OUTCOMES Some experiences and learned outcomes of the YSA include: - Conduct scientific research at the college and professional level - Be able to prepare scientific research for publication and presentation - Experimental design and statistical analysis - Computer programming and data interpretation - Teamwork and organizational skills - Conduct field and laboratory sampling - Animal husbandry and identification of marine plants and animals - Processing scientific samples and operating scientific equipment - Building scientific equipment based on STEM disciplines - Multi-disciplinary appreciation of how chemistry, biology, physics and geology relate to the real world.