Every child is born with a natural curiosity about the world – a need to know how it works, where it came from, and how he or she fits into the picture. Keeping this curiosity alive and nurturing it toward a mature knowledge of science, math, and engineering is at the heart of Science Resources, a new non-profit corporation. The mission of Science Resources is to assist families and communities in providing quality education in science and engineering.

Background

The deficient state of science, math, and engineering education in our country is getting a lot of media attention these days…and it should! Our country is exporting knowledge faster than any other commodity; meanwhile American children’s minds are being wasted in front of TVs and video games.

Cultivating inquisitive minds with hands-on science classes, fun and challenging competitions, and amazing field trips can keep students interested in science, and perhaps even lead some into science-related careers. We know because for the past six years we have been doing just this by running a local science fair for homeschoolers, coaching robotics teams, and teaching science enrichment classes. But we also know that it will take more than just a handful of concerned parents to reach and keep a generation of young people interested in science and engineering — hence, the creation of Science Resources.

Who are we?

Lisa Swieson: Lisa has been the visionary and driving force behind the Greater Philadelphia Homeschool Science Fair (GPHSF) for the past six years. Lisa also teaches challenging lab-based middle-school and high-school science classes for homeschoolers under our Science Academy division and is an assistant coach of our Math Olympiad team. (Dr. Robert Styer, math professor at Villanova University, is our head coach.)

Dana Swieson: Dana heads up our robotics division, the RoboWhizards. Our middle school FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams have enjoyed great success in the past three years: competing at the state, national, and international levels. This year we started a community-based high school robotics club, which we intend to expand into a competitive high school FIRST robotics team next year.

Karen Hess: Karen is in charge of development for the science fair, robotics teams, and Science Resources, establishing business contacts, providing science education advisement, and making students aware of local science and math opportunities. She also teaches middle-school and high-school science courses and electives at several homeschool co-ops. This year Karen is an assistant coach for our FLL teams.

What is our vision?

Our vision is to enrich the lives of young students by providing them with outstanding science, math, and engineering experiences. We are already beginning to see our students choose these challenging fields of study in college and beyond. At the very least, our alumni will have an excellent appreciation for how technology interfaces with many areas of life in the modern world.

Within five years we would like to see:

• GPHSF students earning college scholarships for their original research.
• RoboWhizards having several successful middle school FLL teams and a highly competitive high school FIRST team, and some of our alumni studying engineering and science at major universities.
• Science Academy offering a range of science and technology classes for K-12 students in a number of locations.
• A central location providing lab facilities and a resource center for student and teacher use.
• Partnerships with local businesses and non-profits providing exciting science, math, engineering, and robotics activities to students and teachers in the Greater Philadelphia area.
• A network of science and engineering professionals mentoring students as they reach high school.
  
  

How will this vision be realized?

Seeds of each of these goals were planted years ago. Our plan is to continue to work steadfastly toward each of these goals by improving and expanding the current work of Science Resources. We will need more teachers, coaches, and volunteers to work alongside us.

How will all of this be financed?

As a non-profit corporation, we are able to partner with individuals, local businesses, corporations, and foundations who share our vision and goals. We have just received our Federal tax exempt status, making us an official 501(c)(3) corporation – just in time for year-end tax deductions! Obtaining this status opens the door to many grant opportunities and other privileges extended to non-profits. However, turning our vision into a reality depends upon first having a local network of like-minded individuals who believe in our mission and share our goals.

What now?

Whenever and wherever possible, we are sharing our vision and letting folks know about Science Resources and the exciting plans we have for the future.

We are very grateful to those of you who have made financial contributions and volunteered your time to make our projects successful over the years, and we hope you will continue to support our endeavors.

If you would like more information, we would love to hear from you!