Citizen Science Lab receives Champions in Action award from Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media

The Citizen Science Lab in Bethel Park has been busy turning what started as a jar of mud into microbial fuel cell technology — all with the help of teenagers.

Andre Samuel, president and CEO of The Citizen Science Lab, said the end goal of the Integrating Computational and Experimental Technologies project is to bring a self-powering “living battery” to market. Every year since 2016, the battery has been improved and reworked by a new group of teenagers, many from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM.

“It’s been one of our most successful programs for getting kids interested in science,” Samuel said.

The organization received $50,000 in unrestricted funding, volunteer commitments and promotional support, Citizens Bank and Trib Total Media announced jointly on Thursday.

Given out twice a year, The Citizens Bank Champions in Action award targets nonprofits with less than $5 million in revenue that meet a specific initiative, in this case, sustainability.

This isn’t a typical science lab for students, though there are plenty of test tubes and beakers to go around. One room houses snakes, spiders and two bearded dragons; another has a freezer full of cell cultures. There’s even one where kids have grown heart valves with non-human tissue.

“The Citizen Science Lab is an exciting and innovative organization fostering enthusiasm for the sciences among underrepresented, diverse and marginalized communities through interactive STEM learning,” said Jennifer Bertetto, Trib Total Media President and CEO. “They are truly a champion in action.”

Since the program’s launch 21 years ago, the bank has awarded more than $10 million to nonprofits, including $1.5 million for 53 organizations in Pittsburgh.

“I’m always inspired … this one is particularly inspiring,” Mark Rendulic, Citizens Bank Pittsburgh market president, said at a check presentation on Thursday. “I mean, I walked in and somebody started showing me arteries and a heart valve growing in that refrigerator by 13- and 15-year-olds.”

Samuel said the funds will go towards continuing the ICE-T project — and yes, that’s a reference to the rapper and “Law & Order” star by the same name.

The young scientists working on that project arrive through the lab’s pipeline program, but the organization also offers summer camps, school-sponsored programs and classes for adults.

According to Chris Wandell, operations manager at The Citizen Science Lab, up to 2,000 kids participate in programming each year.

The lab is hoping to expand its reach with an Urban Development Authority-supported Hill District headquarters set to open in about a year and a half. The Citizen Science Lab started in that neighborhood with the backing of Urban Innovation21 before becoming independent in 2020 and relocating shortly after. The Bethel Park location will remain open.

It makes sense to return, Wandell explained, since many of the kids who participate in their programs live in or near the Hill District.

Of course, there are hiccups to doing complicated science projects with teenagers, and occasionally something goes wrong. That’s a risk worth taking, Wandell said.

“We’d rather them break stuff than never have a chance to use it,” Wandell said. “If you’ve never been in a lab before, how do you get any of that knowledge?”