4-H Children's Gardens

The 4-H Children's Gardens provide field trips and field trip resources to over 14,000 students annually.  Explore how you can connect to this resource to deliver your broader impacts.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships  
  • Communication to public

Contact: Michigan 4-H Children's Gardens (garden4h@msu.edu)


Abrams Planetarium

Abrams Planetarium in the center of campus has a fully digital projection system that allows for immersive environments to teach a variety of topics beyond astronomy. We do this through fulldome video, 360 degree photographs and videos, and using 3-D models. We have already worked with faculty and staff from the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum; Biochemistry; Art, Art History, and Design; and the Cylcotron.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Communication to public
  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Interdisciplinary collaborations  

Contact: Shannon Schmoll (schmoll@pa.msu.edu)


Office of College Access Initiatives

The Office of College Access Initiatives (CAI) provides academic enrichment programs to high school students in the Lansing area in order to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in post-secondary education.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups

Contact: Office of College Access Initiatives (ocai@msu.edu)


CREATE for STEM Institute

CREATE for STEM is a Michigan State University sponsored research institute. CREATE has five major focus areas for its work: creating and investigating change in K-16 STEM education, educational policy in STEM fields, discipline-based undergraduate STEM education, developing innovative and digital materials, and international engagement with the global STEM education community.

Within each of these areas, we build interdisciplinary and intergenerational research groups, foster new talent, provide seed money for initial work and support the grant writing process. CREATE is also a hub for the exchange of information and ideas, sponsoring conferences, workshops, seminars, and visiting scholars to enhance interest in STEM education and develop capacity in these fields here at MSU.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Undergraduate or graduate student learning
  • Interdisciplinary collaborations

Contact: Bob Geier (bobgeier@msu.edu)


MSU Youth Programs

The Office of the Director of Youth Programs promotes compliance of youth programs at Michigan State University with the operational requirements for conducting university youth programs. To support youth program coordinators, the director of Youth Programs communicates relevant information, best practices, and policies, and provides consultation, training, and development opportunities.

Broader Impacts Area

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships

Contact: David Chupak (chupakda@msu.edu)


Gifted and Talented Education

The GATE office is dedicated to promoting differentiated educational programs for students in middle school and high school. The mission of the Gifted and Talented Education office is to provide educational experiences that allow gifted students to develop intellectually, to cultivate social relationships, and to expand their understanding of the world.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships

Contact: Susan Sheth (shethsus@msu.edu)


MSU Extension Children and Youth Institute

The MSU Extension Children and Youth Institute provides educational programming and applied research programs in the areas of early childhood education and youth development across all 83 counties in Michigan. Programs focus on the needs of children and youth from birth through age 19, including the adults who support them (e.g., parents, families, early childhood providers, volunteers, community based organizations). The largest program under the umbrella of the Children and Youth Institute is 4-H, which serves over 200,000 Michigan youth annually. 

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups

Contact: Nick Adkins (adkinsn1@msu.edu, 517-432-7619)


MSU Museum

The MSU Museum aims to engage and inspire campus and community through science and culture. The Museum is one of the earliest established museums in the nation and has continued to preserve collections and serve learners since its opening on the campus in 1857. We are committed to exploring ways to integrate scientific and humanistic understandings of our changing world and our place within it.

View ideas on how to engage the public with the MSU Museum

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Communication to public
  • Interdisciplinary collaborations
  • Undergraduate or graduate student learning

Contact: Denice Blair (dblair@msu.edu)


MSU Detroit Center

The MSU Detroit Center is designed as a space for convening education, research, outreach and engagement and extension opportunities for colleges and units of the university and its partners and stakeholders.  The Center works to advance the university's work, impact and relationships both in the City of Detroit and more broadly in Southeast Michigan.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Partnerships with other public groups
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups
  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships

Contact: Jena Baker-Calloway (bakerca9@msu.edu)


MSU Science Festival

The mission of the MSU Science Festival is to celebrate the many ways  science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (the STEAM disciplines) touch our everyday lives and shape our future, broaden public access to informal learning environments, create meaningful direct interactions with scientists, and inspire the workforce of the future.

Goals of the Festival are:

  • Provide a rare opportunity for people of all ages to experience STEAM live and discover new concepts through hands-on experiences and face-to-face interactions with faculty, staff, and students
  • Inspire future generations about STEAM fields and opportunities
  • Promote MSU as a champion of STEAM outreach and research across the state
  • Provide a platform for faculty, staff, and students to develop and hone informal science communication skills
  • Create networking opportunities with other scientific, cultural, and educational institutions

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Communication to public
  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Partnerships with other public groups

Contact: Katherine Hagman (hagmanka@msu.edu)


Office of K-12 Outreach

The Office of K-12 Outreach, under the leadership of Acting Director Dr. Bryan Beverly, has unmatched experience in developing and implementing customized support for schools and districts in Michigan seeking to turnaround their schools and rapidly improve student achievement. Our unique field-oriented service organization within the university brings a 20-year history of collaboration with schools and districts across the state.     

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups
  • Interdisciplinary collaborations

Contact: Bryan Beverly (beverlyb@msu.edu)


Spartan Youth Programs

Michigan State University's Spartan Youth Programs offer a wide range of exciting opportunities for youth to improve their knowledge and skills in specific subject areas. Programs are available to serve all age ranges from pre-kindergarten to high school.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups

W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) is Michigan State University's largest off-campus education complex and one of North America’s premier inland experimental field stations. KBS supports field experimental research in aquatic and terrestrial ecology that takes advantage of the diverse managed and unmanaged ecosystems. A main focus of KBS outreach is providing resources and professional development for local K-12 teachers.

Broader Impacts Areas

  • Youth/K-12 programs and partnerships
  • Undergraduate or graduate student learning
  • Increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups
  • Communication to public

Contact: Misty Klotz (klotzmis@msu.edu)