Ellen A. White
Bellcore
RRC 4A-1149
444 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
(908) 699-4449
E-mail: ewhite@ctt.bellcore.com
Marc E. Fusco
Bellcore
RRC 1C-217
444 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
(908) 699-4924
E-mail: mf@cc.bellcore.com
Throughout the year, children and scientists receive three
theme-oriented "challenge packets" by mail; each addresses
a single topic area in science-, engineering-, or technology-
related fields. The packets are developed by the Museum
of Science in Boston in conjunction with a rotating board
of advisors, museum educators, institutions of higher
learning, and other contributing organizations, and they
represent a wide range of topics. Some of the offerings
have included the science of ice cream, the making of
movie special effects, waste management in space,
aerodynamics, and communication.
The challenge packets include an instructional guide, which
introduces and explains the concepts as well as describes
five to seven experiments that encourage the children to
explore, hypothesize, and analyze. There are questions in
the form of Scientist-to-Scientist memos to accompany
many of the experiments; these provide an easy mechanism
for children to communicate their results and their
observations to their pen pal scientists. Included in the
challenge packets are the necessary materials to perform
these experiments and the final "Big Challenge." The Big
Challenge is a loosely-structured exercise that encourages
students to pull together all they've learned from their
reading and experiments on the topic. For example, in the
packet on the environment, the Big Challenge asked
children to design an environmentally conscious town on a
specific piece of land that was mapped out for them. The
output from the Big Challenge, which may take the form of
drawings, reports, videotapes, models, or whatever the
children choose, is sent to the scientist for review and
comment.
Created by the Museum of Science in Boston in 1988, the
program is now administered nationwide by participating
local science museums.
The time commitment is small (estimated to be from 1 to 3
hours per month), and it will vary greatly depending on the
type and amount of communication the scientist and
children have. In our experience, we've always sent letters
to "our kids," but other avenues of communication are
encouraged. Phone, electronic mail, fax, and face-to-face
meetings are all possibilities! The time commitment is also
flexible; scientists are asked to send initial introductory
letters to the children at the start of the year and to respond
to letters or communication from the children fairly
quickly.
You need not worry if you're not an expert at cartography
or environmental sciences; each challenge packet sent to
the scientist includes suggestions about how to respond to
the children's memos and questions. The most important
thing is to foster a sense of enthusiasm for science.
Scientists are encouraged not to let too much time elapse
between correspondence with the children because they
may become discouraged and the project may lose
momentum. The focus of the scientist's response are with
words of encouragement - emphasizing that it's OK
to ask questions and it's OK not to have all the
answers. Furthermore, remarks should be kept on a
positive note, especially when offering criticism, and
analogies to real life applications are instructive to the
students. More than half the children enroll because of the
unique correspondence component of the program and this
provides a challenge for the scientist to create an
environment in which the children want to
write.
Science-By-Mail
If you would like additional information about how your
child or your child's school can become involved in
Science-By-Mail, you may also write to the same address.
Note:
Science-By-Mail is a trademark of the Museum of Science,
Boston, MA
Abstract
Science-by-MailTM
(Note 1) is a hands-on, experimental science
activity program for children in grades 4 - 9 that is
designed to be engaging, educational, and fun! Each
participating child is matched with a volunteer pen-pal
scientist who provides encouragement and guidance. They
receive three "challenge packets" throughout the year
containing information and materials related to an issue in
science or technology. Communication between students
and scientists about the packets forms the core of the
interactions. A nationwide program developed by the
Museum of Science, Boston, Science-by-Mail currently
involves about 25,000 children and 2,500 scientists.
Keywords:
Science-By-Mail, science, children,
volunteer, social action.
Introduction
Education is an important form of social action. There are
many ways to become involved in educating others, even if
you are not a professional teacher. One simple and
effective way to play a role educating young people about
science and technology is to participate as a volunteer
scientist in the Science-by-Mail program. Here we
describe the program and provide information about how
you can obtain more details. We encourage you to
volunteer as a scientist (and you may want to enroll your
children!) We also encourage you to consider other ways
for you to become involved in this important field of
science and technology education - e.g., give a lecture or
demonstration at a local school, judge school science fairs,
or contribute no-longer-needed hardware and software to
schools. A little effort on our parts will go a long way to
helping children develop lifelong interests in science!
What is Science-By-Mail?
Science-By-Mail is a hands-on, experimental science
activity program for children in grades 4 - 9 that is
designed to be engaging, educational, and fun!
Each participating child (either as an individual or part of a
small group) is matched with a volunteer scientist who
serves as a pen pal and mentor. Children are introduced to
the wonder and excitement of science in an informative,
entertaining, and non-competitive context.
What's involved in being a Science-By-Mail scientist?
The Science-By-Mail scientists are an essential component
of the program. It is their personal contact with the
children and their nonjudgmental encouragement that help
make the program unique. Success means not only that the
children learn about science, but that they also
learn about scientists. As one 10-year old girl
wrote when she learned that her pen pal was a 30-year old
pregnant biochemist, "Before, when I thought of a scientist,
I thought of a little old man with wiry hair and a white lab
coat!"
Who participates in Science-By-Mail?
Diversity is another strength of the program - involving
children from areas such as inner city schools of Boston,
Native American children in Montana, and children
isolated in the mountains of West Virginia. In the last
school year, approximately 25,000 children nationwide
participated along with 2,500 scientists from hospitals,
universities, and industry. With an average annual growth
rate of about 10%, there is a special effort to reach female
and minority children and scientists. Especially successful
have been outreach efforts to recruit female participants:
recent statistics reflect that 47% of the participating
students and 52% of the scientists are female. Minority
student participation is currently about 14%, with focused
marketing and recruiting efforts directed at significantly
increasing this enrollment over the next three years.
Recruitment of scientists has increased also through
affiliations with organizations such as AAAS, National
Council of Black Engineers & Scientists, the Association of
American Indian Physicians, the Association of Puerto
Rican Scientists and Engineers, and the Association for
Women in Science.
How can you participate in Science-By-Mail?
If you would like more information about Science-By-Mail
or would like to volunteer as a scientist, please contact:
Science Park
Boston, MA 02114-1099
1-800-729-3300