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STEAM Collective
Developing Intergenerational Socio-Technical Leaders
STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics
From Museum Initiative to Independent Program
In 2025, the Science Museum of Minnesota transitioned its Racial Justice STEAM Collective Initiative to the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA) as a standalone program. This expansion marks an exciting new chapter in our mission.
Our Intergenerational STEAM Cultivation Pipeline
- Engage Youth interested in STEAM career pathways through Ideathons, learning cohorts, and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)
- Connect STEAM Educators and the field through communities of practice and learning exchanges
- Partner with Organizations, schools, and institutions to deliver training, curriculum, and summits that raise awareness and deepen outreach strategies
Goals of the STEAM Collective
The STEAM Collective's long-term goals are to utilize our cross-regional connections to bring youth-focused racial justice summits to every community that our group members represent. By developing a framework or toolkit that demonstrates our deep model of power-sharing, we aim to change the museum and educational fields through:
Mentorship Models
Creating new entryways to the STEAM-pipeline, support career development, and support ongoing community efforts
Project Expansion
Developing a network of Black, Indigenous, and people of color STEAM professionals that grows beyond our initial regions
Self-Sustainability
Transitioning this work to being driven by partners, individuals, and organizations
Impact on Participants
What are the impacts on participants and community members?
Empowerment to Autonomy
We want participants to walk away recognizing the power that they have to make a difference in their communities.
Collaboration Experience
Power-sharing models and community-first engagement practices can change the way participants think about collaboration and project management.
Resource Access
Access to resources, connections, and research that allow deeper connections between participants, partnering organizations, and STEAM professionals.
Open Innovation Challenge 2025
In May 2025, the Racial Justice STEAM Collective (RJSC) hosted the Open Innovation Challenge in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
About the Program: This program centered on empowering Black, Indigenous, and people of color youth ages 15-23. Participants came together to brainstorm solutions to issues at the intersection of race/culture and science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). The format was similar to a hackathon, except that rather than working solely on computers and engineering, students were encouraged to collaborate and ideate directly, using a variety of means to deliver their solutions, including presentations, models, posters, zines, and more.
Topic Selection Process: The community participated in Conversation Cafe events in September 2024 to discuss issues facing their communities. Following these sessions, the RJSC selected a topic based on community relevance and conducted research efforts to inform the Open Innovation Challenge held in May 2025.
About the RJSC's Youth Summit 2024
Over the course of two Saturdays in March 2024, youth participants came to the Science Museum of Minnesota to explore the many intersections of race and health, engineering, environmental justice, and technology.
At the March 16 event, participants learned about the intersections of race and engineering with partners from the University of Minnesota Libraries, then dug into race and environmental justice with social justice advocate and teaching artist Eshay Brantley.
In the March 30 session, participants took a look at the intersections of race and data with Shayna Karuman and Marika Pfefferkorn, supported with a zine from Sophie Wang, then investigated the intersection of race and health care with a variety of Black, Indigenous, and people of color health care professionals and circle keepers.
How did it go? Explore feedback provided from youth participants below
YOUTH SUMMIT STEAM COLLECTIVE
Hear directly from the youth participants about their experiences and insights from the STEAM Collective Youth Summit.
History of the STEAM Collective
Our Roots
The relationships and projects of the RJSC grew from the Science Museum of Minnesota's long-standing commitment to working through the lens of race. Several of the future RJSC members served as consultants and advisors in the development of the RACE: Are We So Different exhibition. These networks continued to expand as we developed smaller footprint RACE models in partnership with organizations in:
- Twin Cities
- Fargo-Moorhead
- Rochester
- Worthington
Evolution & Growth
Through deep relationships and consistent trust-building, these connections evolved into the RJSC. With initial funding from the National Science Foundation, the group created youth leadership development programs, podcasts, and digital board games. Explore our past work.
Current Mission
With support from the Association of Science and Technology Centers' Cultivating Community Science Stipends program, the RJSC is developing youth-focused racial justice workshops that travel throughout the Great Lakes region. We are committed to repositioning museums as learners, supporters, and facilitators — rather than the sole experts — while community members become the primary decision-makers and deliverers of expertise.
Meet the STEAM Collective Members
The Collective's work is built on the cross-regional connections of our group members.