“We want kids to know that everyone is involved in science and math their entire lives,” said Diane Miller, who will be honored as Stellar Performer at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2009 Salute to Excellence in Education gala on Friday, September 18 at America’s Center.
“They have to use that to make decisions.”
As senior vice president for school and community partnerships at Saint Louis Science Center, Miller connects the museum to schools and community organizations. These partnerships help area youth and other citizens to develop a better understanding of and interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
“Observation, approach to problem-solving, working as a team, persistence – that’s what we as informal educators bring to the class and to the schools,” Miller said.
One of the core programs she has nurtured is the Youth Exploring Science (YES) program for high school students. Under her leadership, mentorship and expertise, the program has grown from 15 to 150 young people since she created it in 1997.
YES is a work-based four-year program for 14-year-olds that provides teenagers opportunities to explore scientific concepts through inquiry-based experiences. The teens also teach younger audiences.
YES seeks to offer a transition experience for young people to move into higher education and professions, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
“Many of our first YES students have graduated from college and are contributing to our community,” said Carol Valente, senior vice president and associate museum director of the Science Center.
Valente said that Miller’s leadership of the YES program has turned it into a national model.
“She’s been able to attract significant funding for the program from the National Science Foundation and others,” Valente said of Miller.
“And there are many educators on a national level that have looked to her success and want to work with her and with the Science Center to study what factors make it so successful.”
Miller’s other outreach efforts at the Science Center include organizing Community Science Days four times a year and hosting the Minority Scientist Showcase during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend – the largest annual attendance days at the Science Center.
For the Minority Scientist Showcase, she invites local African Americans in science industries – including Boeing, Monsanto and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center – to provide hands-on learning opportunities.
“The kids get to meet African-American scientists face-to-face and interact with them,” Miller said. “It’s an opportunity for kids not to rely on books to tell us who we are and our history.”
However, Miller also uses books to communicate her message of implementing public programs and projects that increase the involvement of community members, minorities and young people.
In the chapter “American museums as a borderland” written by Miller in the recently published book Living to Learn, she describes museums as places for young people to explore new behaviors, language and cultures.
“They have the capacity to provide a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn and grow,” Miller wrote of museums like the Science Center.
“They need a space that is non-judgmental and does not require a choice to be made between different cultures, a space that allows them to value each culture equally.”
Miller’s work has received national honors, including a 2008 Best Practices Award for the YES Program, recognition from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and a Distinguished Service Award from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority.
Miller is a Pittsburgh native who has been with the Science Center since 1996, starting as a senior director of public and community programs. Previously she worked in a similar position for the California Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles, where she was recognized by the State of California for outstanding work with communities and youth.
Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the California State University at Chico and is currently pursuing a master’s in Museum Studies at the University of Missouri – St Louis.
The 2009 Salute to Excellence in Education gala will be held Friday, September 18 at America’s Center. General seating tickets are $85 or $850 per table. VIP/Corporate tables are $1,500. For information or tickets, call 314-533-8000 ext. 305 or visit www.stlamerican.com.
