Youth Conference
Join us for our 15th Annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference at the Javits Center on April 30th, 2026!
“Our generation faces a new era of challenges to the environment and our way of life, but we also have the ability to learn, to work together, and to make change. We have the power to change the world, and science education for sustainability is one way these students are learning how to do that.”
– Sophia, 8th grade presenter
The Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference is an annual celebration of science where 2nd-12th grade students from our partner schools across the region take center stage and showcase the projects, research, and investigations they’ve conducted in their Hydroponic Classrooms.
The conference offers students the unique opportunity to both design and implement their own scientific projects AND to develop their communications skills through conveying the significance of their work to their peers. Student presenters share everything they have learned about the value of team work, how they recognize and adapt to challenges, and all the unexpected and magical moments innate to the pursuit of scientific discovery!
In addition, joining our young Farmer Scientists are professionals, innovators, and experts in the sustainability and STEM fields, who share their insights into the real-world applications of what students learn in the classroom.
This year, thanks to the Javits Center granting us access to a larger auditorium, we will be welcoming as many as 1,200 students from across NYC (our biggest cohort ever! 🥳). We’re so proud to be back at the center, an iconic NYC institution with a unique twist on integrating sustainability into its urban footprint.
Launched in 2011, the Youth Conference has played a vital role in expanding our community of Farmer Scientists to over 140,000 students in 370+ partner schools, creating connections between like-minded students and teachers working toward a sustainable future.
To learn more about participating in the Youth Conference as a partner school, contact your designated Curriculum Specialist or Grow Support Team (GST) contact.
To support our work and the conference as a corporate partner, please reach out to: megan@nysunworks.org.
To see each group’s presentation at the 2025 Conference, click here.
To watch the full Conference recording, click here.
Past Youth Conferences: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019
2012-2018 Youth Conference presentations available on YouTube