The Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center is offering a new after-school program for middle school students interested in learning about environmental science and the role of “clean technology” in solving natural crises.

The eight-week Environmental Science Pathways program begins March 6 and will be open to students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. students will learn about the science behind renewable energy, watersheds and the natural environment, and conduct field experiments in the Bellevue wetlands.

Sessions will take place Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The session fee is $250, plus $25 for student transportation from designated pick-up locations, if desired. Registration is currently open for twelve spaces.

The Center, a partnership of the Pacific Science Center and the city of Bellevue, is built on a 320-acre wetland and includes its own wet lab.