Welcome!

The LCPA Extreme Science Program is an after-school science program at the Latino College Preparatory Academy, located on the grounds of the National Hispanic University Campus in San Jose, California.  The program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, in partnership with IBM and NASA, and additional support from Maker Faire and Home Depot.

The overall goal of the program is to train students to be designers, scientists and engineers by offering a series of projects that expose students to a variety of exciting and fundamental topics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Computer Science, Engineering and more. We want students to develop critical thinking skills, and to be able to break a complex project into a set of simpler, more manageable projects. Since participation is voluntary, the program must be fun and exciting to capture their interest, and challenging and rewarding to retain their interest.

We want students to experience the joy of discovery and problem solving that is a fundamental component and reward of scientific or engineering work.  We maximize the possibility for students to discover their interest or passion in one of these fields by providing opportunities for students to engage in hands-on scientific missions.  An example might be a project that requires students to collect data using a variety of sensors and measuring equipment and then analyze the data and form conclusions by using computers and software applications. 

This innovative component has the potential to not only provide a memorable experience, but also transform the students’ view of science and technology in a manner that no amount of lecturing or action packed videos could match.  By teaching these hands-on skills, along with the underlying theoretical background, our students have more to offer college admission officers and employers.  Furthermore, the students' enjoyment of the program is a tool that we use for recruitment and retention.