WINS (Women In Natural Sciences)

Women In Natural Sciences (WINS), the Academy’s successful 40-plus-year youth mentoring program, has been honored with the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), with the National Science Foundation (NSF). Multiple opportunities exist for young women to interact with the program as they grow and pursue their academic, personal and mentorship goals.

Here’s how to apply to the Women In Natural Sciences program.

WINS I: Exploring the Natural World

WINS I is a free year-long after-school and summer science enrichment program. Students participate in classroom lessons, science experiments, behind-the-scenes museum tours, and daylong, weekend and weeklong field trips — all of which are designed to help students explore the intricate relationships between plants, animals and our biological and physical environments. Sustainability and the importance of scientific knowledge to make informed decisions are interwoven throughout the curriculum. The Academy, with its extensive scientific collections and research initiatives, public museum and world-renowned scientists, is the ideal setting to expose the program’s participants to real-life science.

Following a rigorous application and interview process in the winter and spring of 8th grade, a new cohort of 25 incoming 9th grade students is accepted into WINS I each year. Activities begin in the summer before entering 9th grade, deepening student foundations in STEM through hands-on learning and opening space where friendships and support networks with peers, scientists and museum staff are formed. At summer’s end, all WINS I students spend a week at the Pocono Environmental Education Center applying lessons from summer programming to real-world experiences and deepening the peer connections they will maintain throughout their high school years. During the school year, WINS I students spend 15-20 hours per month in activities designed to help them explore the relationships between plants, animals and our environment.

WINS II: Expanding the Horizon

WINS II explores natural science topics and integrates professional and academic achievement, averaging 10-15 hours per month. In addition to lessons ranging in topics from coastal engineering to gemology and everything in between, WINS II students engage in college preparatory activities, including an annual college tour, financial aid counseling, resume writing and interview skill building. Students go on monthly day and overnight trips to other museums and science centers. Students also participate in internships with Academy and Drexel researchers and in the Academy’s public museum.

WINS III: Support in the College Years

WINS III, launched in 2022, expands the nurturing and engaging WINS environment to high school graduates who have begun their college journey. WINS III aims to improve graduates’ educational experience during their college years, increasing their persistence and resilience in a new environment and better equipping them to pursue STEM careers upon graduation. WINS III provides guidance around building a professional image, learning financial literacy as students move into young adulthood, navigating overwhelming aspects of a campus environment, developing strong time management skills, selecting majors and planning out their course of study, and emotional support while adjusting to the demands of higher education.

Engineering WINS

In collaboration with Drexel's College of Engineering and School of Education and the Philadelphia Education Fund, the Engineering WINS (EngWINS) program is developing the capabilities of working engineers and faculty to serve as mentors in a new initiative to develop interest, self-efficacy and persistence in engineering careers among low-income urban high school women in grades 9–12. WINS has a proven track record of increasing the number of students pursuing STEM majors and careers. We want to increase opportunities for many WINS students to consider engineering as an option. We are modifying our curriculum to incorporate engineering design concepts as they relate to the natural sciences, allowing participants to explore engineering in conjunction with the environment. Participants will then be paired with mentors in engineering, providing more immersive experiences in various branches of engineering.

Learn about DEANS a pilot project that will create novel educational experiences among high school boys.