Science magazine Scientific American has announced that a new service matching K-12 science teachers and scientists has gone live. In May 2011, the publication issued a call to action for 1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days to volunteer to improve the weak state of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in the US. The response from scientists was overwhelming, with more than 1000 scientists volunteering in only 62 days, including 49 of the 50 states in the nation.
The goal of Scientific American's initiative is to engage teachers and students with the volunteer scientists for a range of activities from giving advice on lesson plans to hosting a lab visit, participating in a Skype discussion, or making a classroom visit. California, Massachusetts, and New York are the top three states in terms of volunteer scientists. Cambridge (MA), New York City and Stanford (CA) are the cities that attracted the most volunteers.
Teachers and schools can register online for Scientific American's service to match them with scientist volunteers. Teachers can search for scientists based on geographic proximity, field of study and discipline. There is both a sign-up form for scientists and a registration form for teachers on Scientific American's website, scientificamerican.com/education.
1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days is one of a number of education initiatives from Scientific American, as part of its Change the Equation commitment. In September 2010, Nature Publishing Group (NPG), Scientific American's parent organisation, joined Change the Equation, a CEO-led public-private partnership to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) literacy in the United States.
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