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Hands‐On Across America

In 2005 our efforts as scientists should be geared at beating the proverbial odds that our children are becoming less interested in science. Data obtained in 1999 showed that academic performance in math by students ages 9, 13, and 17 had risen modestly between 1973 and 1993, while those in science remained the same or dropped [Campbell, J. R., Hombo, C. M., and Mazzeo, J., (2000) NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance (NCES 2000–469)]. In fact, by the time children reach junior high school they are turned off to science and math and begin taking classes that gets them out of “serious” science. And that statistic does not even directly address the still declining number of minority students that are interested, much less those that take science courses seriously in high school. Junior high school teachers have commented on their low comfort level regarding teaching science to their students because of the lack of tools to engage their students in fun and life relevant ways. In order for us at the post‐high school level to maintain and even increase the number of children interested in pursuing science education, we need to take the fun to the children. We need to engage in “Hands‐on Across America”. In this lecture a toolbox of possible ideas will be presented to prompt discussion on best practices and ways to start filling the pipeline again.