In autumn 2025, the Aspen Science Center (ASC) launched a new program, Community STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] Leaders Interns (CSLI), to supplement its long-standing Summer Intern Educator Program. As summer 2026 approaches, ASC leaders are reflecting on the successes of the past year and what lies ahead.
ASC Education Manager Lillian McIntyre shared some details with The Sopris Sun. While, like the summer internships, CSLI pays selected local teens to explore STEM education with youngsters and during community events, the CSLI program has a more localized focus on education and mentorship.
“[We] hired two to three youth from each community, from Aspen to Parachute — 15 youth total — to work together as intern teams,” McIntyre explained. “Each team assessed their community’s needs and interests, and designed and delivered STEM programs to increase their community’s access to, and engagement with, STEM learning.”
During the school year, the teens were coached to further their own learning.
“Interns were also paired with a local professional in their STEM field of interest, who served as a mentor and resource for them,” McIntyre elaborated. She added that the program was “made possible with generous support from the Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation [and the] Aspen Community Foundation.”
McIntyre considers it a resounding success thus far.
“Interns ran 52 programs from Aspen to Parachute, serving 199 people total, with 556 participants recorded, since many of the intern teams ran recurring clubs where participants returned to attend programs multiple times,” she said. “In the first few months of the program, the interns learned teaching strategies and brainstormed ideas for their own programs. With the guidance of the intern coordinator and the rest of the ASC staff, the interns planned their lessons, contacted partners and advertised.”
Once the intern-taught programs started, the offerings varied by community and evaluated interest.
“The interns ran a variety of programs, including after-school clubs, drop-in programs at libraries and youth centers, and a science fair,” said McIntyre. “The Aspen team ran tech literacy programs for adults at the Pitkin County Library and coding programs for kids at the Aspen Youth Center.
The Basalt team ran STEM Lab Tuesdays at Basalt Library, where kids and their families explored different STEM concepts with hands-on projects twice a month. The Carbondale team hosted an after-school program for middle school students at the Third Street Center.”
Further downvalley and into the Colorado River Valley, intern teams offered more focused programming.
“The Glenwood Springs team ran programs at Glenwood Middle School about the chemistry of ice cream and heart function,” said McIntyre. “The New Castle team worked with Access After School and Elk Creek Elementary School on an engineering club, where kids designed solar ovens and catapults.”
Meanwhile, in Rifle, interns took a broader approach for younger community members.
“The Rifle team planned a science fair for elementary, middle and high school students in the RE-2 School District,” McIntyre shared. “Participants could attend multiple workshops leading up to the fair to learn about the scientific method, data collection and get help with their projects.”
In the western end of Garfield County, interns dived into niche science learning. “The Parachute team collaborated with the Parachute Branch Library and Grand Valley Middle School to run coding and oceanography programs,” McIntyre said.
The inaugural CSLI program just finished up as the academic year draws to a close. To mark the occasion, ASC brought all of the interns together this past weekend.
“For the final day,” McIntyre said, “the interns created presentations about what they had done throughout the year and invited their friends and family to the CSLI celebration on May 9. It was special to see them reflect on what they have accomplished.”
McIntyre shared that ASC is currently reapplying for grant funding for the CSLI program, and evaluating feedback to help determine the structure of the program moving forward.
“ASC would love to expand this program, but ultimately this decision will be determined based on funding and program integrity,” she said. “[We expect] the program to engage approximately the same number of students in 2026-2027 … and may expand in 2027-2028.”
While the ASC team reflects on the first year of the CSLI program, they are also looking forward to a landmark summer of science programming. McIntyre shared that ASC is hiring 21 summer interns, the highest number yet. The organization is also expanding summer camps, offering a new high of 37 total camps from Aspen to Silt. McIntyre said the team is also excited to have awarded 72 scholarships to students for summer programs.