York College To Launch Aviation-Focused STEM Program For Kids

JAMAICA, QUEENS — York College will launch an aviation-focused STEM program for kids in summer 2020 to accompany Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $13 billion plan to renovate and expand JFK Airport.

The Jamaica CUNY branch's new science and technology education program will serve roughly 300 children entering grades 1-12 and is meant to encourage students to pursue jobs in aviation and aeronautics, according to Cuomo's office.

The STEM program, made possible by a $3 million grant from the developers behind Cuomo's airport redevelopment, will build off York College's NASA Aerospace Academy for minority communities.

During the summer, the program will expand from one week of half-day sessions to four weeks of full-day sessions. There will be four Saturday sessions each in the fall and the spring.

Berenecea J. Eanes, interim president of York College, said the grant will allow them to "offer an even more robust experience for young community members."

"Through this partnership, we will continue to serve the next generation of budding STEM students," Eanes added.

The Aerospace Academy launched in 1999 with the help of U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, according to a press release. Since then, it has served thousands of students, but federal budget cuts put its future beyond this fall in jeopardy.

The STEM program grant is one of several new hiring and training initiatives announced Tuesday as part of Cuomo's planned Kennedy Airport redevelopment, which was unveiled in 2018 and would be complete in 2025.

"As we move forward with the modernization of JFK Airport, we want to ensure that the historic transformation of the airport will also lift up the surrounding Queens communities," Cuomo said in a statement.