National Lab Day
The National Science Foundation is proud to be a partner with the National Science Teachers Association, the American Chemical Society, the Bill and Melinda Gates and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundations and other federal science agencies in National Lab Day.
National Lab Day is a volunteer initiative to form local communities of support around science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers and to connect them with STEM professionals who will share their expertise as well as their excitement and passion for their disciplines.
National Lab Day is a response to the call to action made by President Obama at the National Academy of Sciences in April 2009:
“I want to persuade you to spend time in the classroom, talking and showing young people what it is that your work can mean, and what it means to you … to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering … encourage young people to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”
Many National Lab Day 2010 activities will culminate on May 12, but there really isn’t a National Lab “Day.” It is hoped that May 12 will only be the beginning of long-term commitments on the part of those in the wider NSF community to engage in helping our nation’s STEM teachers.
To find out how you can help, visit the National Lab Day website (www.nationallabday.org), where teachers post information about what they need to succeed. And when you register (www.nationallabday.org/scientists/new), be sure to remember to note your NSF affiliation.
Meanwhile, on our site, you can view video clips that explain the basics of what National Lab Day is and how it works, get tips from a professional educator about how to effectively help in the classroom and learn about some NSF-funded projects that already are conducting activities in the spirit of Lab Day.
NSF’s National Lab Day contact is Janice Cuny, a program director in the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate’s Broadening Participation in Computing program: jcuny@nsf.gov / (703) 292-8950.
