Get on board the Science Van!

Here's a look at what we hope to do as our funding allows.

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We are two passionate educators who want to inspire more students to fall in love with science through a hands-on, bio-tech-focused outreach program we call the "Science Van." Our mission is to encourage a culture of scientific curiosity in our community through authentic, engaging science experiences and meaningful research opportunities.

Our Mission

Drawing upon our years of experience teaching, our research into trends in teaching STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) and the casual conversations we've had with both science outreach educators and our students, we believe that longterm connections with schools (versus quick experiences with little follow-up), plus exciting student-centered research opportunities are the best way to foster a culture of scientific curiosity and inspire students pursue careers in science. Studies show that cultivating students' STEM skills improve their critical thinking abilities in all subjects. In addition, according to a report prepared for the National Governors Association, STEM occupations are among the highest paying, fastest growing and most influential in driving economic growth and innovation. Individuals employed in STEM fields enjoy low unemployment, prosperity and career flexibility. Encouraging a passion for science is a sound investment in students' present and their future.

Maintain Student Interest

A recent report by STEMconnector and My College Options shows that 60 percent of students who begin high school with an interest in science or math lose that interest by graduation. The STEM outlook for college students is worse. In a 2012 report to the President, his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology reported that, while the U.S. will need to add one million STEM workers to the workforce in the next 10 years to stay competitive, “fewer than 40 percent of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree.” We believe that the key to changing this trend is giving students real experiences with science including access to the exciting high tech equipment they would use as a professional in that career. Textbooks and worksheets don't create passion, hands-on, authentic experiences with passionate teachers and scientists do.

Here Comes The Science Van

The concept of a "Science Van" encapsulates our idea that cool science with authentic lab equipment needs to come to schools and to the community in order to be effective. Field trips are awesome and we certainly encourage them, but as high school teachers ourselves, we understand the reality of limited budgets and the demands of the school day schedule. So, we bring the lab to you! In a van! Or perhaps just in the trunk of a VW Golf until we can afford something larger. It's great that technology is so portable nowadays.

We Are Passionate Science Teachers

It's pretty amazing the difference a great teacher can make. In fact, Tara and Dani first met the day Tara walked into Dani's 9th grade chemistry class. In spite of all the effort required to master challenging material and the lab experiments that somehow went awry and had to be redone during lunch, Tara loved chemistry and even doubled up in sciences that year in order to stay in Dani's class. As a senior, Tara studied AP chemistry and then entered college as and engineering student. Ask any of the students Dani has taught over the past 20+ years and they'll describe how her passion and curiosity is infectious! As a teacher now herself, Tara has reconnected with her mentor and now adds her passion in sharing the wonder of science with students through the Science Van project.

Kids Need Hands On Science

While we've always believed in the power of messy, goopy, hands-on science as the best way to engage students and help them understand concepts more deeply. It's the visceral experience of science that captivates, inspires and develops student passion for STEM subjects. In our own classrooms, we encourage students to ask questions, dig deeper and spend a lot of time at the microscope. We encourage an active classroom with more time spend diving in to scientific research than staring at a whiteboard or screen. A recent National Research Council report affirms what we've noticed all along: Across the science and engineering disciplines, scholarly studies clearly indicate that “student-centered instructional strategies can positively influence students’ learning, achievement, and knowledge retention, as compared with traditional instructional methods.” It specifically cites such approaches as making lectures more interactive, having students work in groups, and incorporating authentic problems and activities into coursework as being superior to traditional lectures."

Take Awesome Science Technology to Schools

According to a recent US New report, the demographics of students attracted to STEM fields reveal a significant gender and race gap. Male students are more than three times as likely to be interested in STEM than female ones, and that gap is widening. And across the country, Hispanic and African-American high schoolers continue to lag their Caucasian and Asian peers in STEM engagement. Yet diversity in our scientific community is essential if we are to benefit from the brightest minds and tap into a variety of perspectives. Through our Science Van program, we hope to reach out to underserved schools and provide exciting, college-resume-building science research opportunities to students from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, as women, we are excited to serve as role models for girls considering a career in science.

Students Do Real Research

Making your learning your own is a key ingredient in cultivating a culture of scientific curiosity. Each summer, we hope to invite students to design and implement a research project of their own choosing. As their mentors, we'll coach them on developing a successful project, connect them with experts in their field of research and provide them with all necessary materials. At the end of the summer, students will present their work to their community, including their peers as a way to celebrate their accomplishments and share the spark of science.

Tara and Dani

Howdy! We're Tara and Dani and we're passionate about science, students, curriculum development and unending exploration!
Tara has taught at variety of ages in a variety of settings over he past 13+ years from Montessori, to K-5 after school enrichment, to full time high school and even at a university in Taiwan. She aspires to connect with her students, nurture their own interests and act as an encouraging entrepreneurial role model. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Tara creates lesson plans and curriculum for Scholastic and the Denver Art Museum.
Dani has more than 20 years of experience in teaching science classes including chemistry, biology and physiology. She specializes in getting kids hands and heads into science. In her free time, Dani volunteers regularly at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in the Biology Basecamp area where visitors to the museum can conduct hands-on experiments. She loves the days when she gets to help a visitor use microscope for the first time.