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SLC's YouthCity Program Gets $500K Grant for STEM Education

Bob Nelson

Students and teachers in Salt Lake City’s YouthCity program announced Thursday a half a million dollar boost to their program with a new grant for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM education.  YouthCity has centers throughout the city that provide out-of-school activities for young people. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says the programs are offered free to middle and high school students in the city.

“So this really is an opportunity for students that otherwise would not be getting an opportunity through their regular education,” says Mayor Becker.

Damian Choi is the director of YouthCity’s northwest program. He says it’s important to provide students with these types of interactive learning experiences.

”We will start with a class called the Hunger Games, which talks about food science and sustainability. We’ll be looking at a food justice model and talking and utilizing cooking and science projects to help students understand where their food is coming from,” says Choi.

Credit Bob Nelson
Bend in the River City Park along the Jordan River on Salt Lake City's west side.

Choi says the other segment of the class focuses on the ecology on the Jordan River where students spend extended time outdoors.  He says he’s excited to imagine how many students will benefit from experiencing this program over the next three years.

Bob Nelson is a graduate of the University of Utah with a BA in mass communications. He began his radio career at KUER in 1978 when it was still in Kingsbury Hall. That’s also where he met his wife, Maria Shilaos, in 1981. Bob left KUER for commercial radio where he worked for 25 years, and he is thrilled to be back at KUER. Bob and his family are part of an explorer group, fondly known as The Hordes and Masses, which has been seeking out ghost towns and little-known places in Utah for more than twenty years.
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