These programs recruit STEM professionals to assist teachers and students. If you know of other programs that should be included, please contact Betty Calinger, bcalinge@aaas.org.
CALIFORNIA
- Program: Scientist in the Classroom
- URL: http://www.ncse.com/scientistinclassroom
- Leadership: National Center for Science Education
- Contact: Ann Reid, reid@ncse.com
- Start Date: 1981
- Description: Volunteers are early career scientists who collaborate with teachers and students in US classrooms around the topics of climate change and evolution education.
- Support: Membership fees, grants, and donations
- Program: TOPS, Teaching Opportunities for Partners in STEM of Santa Clara Valley
- URL: www.topsofscv.org
- Leadership: Senior community under the auspices of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Santa Clara Valley Life Members Affinity Group, a 501 (c)(3)
- Contact: Stephen Mori, s.t.mori@ieee.org
- Start Date: 2012, an IEEE initiated reorganization of RESEED of Silicon Valley, the 1998 group initiated with NSF, local industry funding, in partnership with San Jose State University
- Description: Volunteers are in middle and elementary schools and typically attend school once a week assisting science teachers.
- Support: Life Member Affinity Group of the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section and the Santa Clara County Office of Education
- Program: TOPS, Teaching Opportunities for Partners in Science
- URL: http://www.sjcoescience.org/tops.html
- Leadership: San Joaquin County Office of Education, Science and STEM, Stockton, CA
- Contact: Nancy Flocchini Stenzler, nstenzler@sjcoe.net
- Start Date: 1993 with funding from California Postsecondary Education Commission
- Description: Volunteers teach science and engineering in elementary schools in San Joaquin County; they commit to a minimum of eight hours/month. Most average 100 hours/year.
- Support: Participating schools provide $1400 per volunteer (volunteer stipend $300, Lead Teacher stipend $250), additional support from grants. Cost includes all training, support, materials and supplies.
- Program: TOPS, Teaching Opportunities for Partners in STEM, Tuolumne County, CA
- URL: http://www.stemtracks.org/tops.html
- Leadership: Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools, Sonora, CA
- Contact: Glen White, gwhite@tcsos.us
- Start Date: 2014 spin off of the TOPS program in the San Joaquin County
- Description: Volunteers (all retired) work in seven elementary schools,
- Support: California Mathematics and Science Partnership grant (STEM-TRACKS project)
- Program: TOPS, Teaching Opportunities for Partners in Science, Livermore, CA
- Leadership: Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District
- Contact: Art Krakowsky, artkr@sbcglobal.net
- Start Date: 1999 spin off of the TOPS program in San Joaquin County
- Description: Volunteers work in elementary and middle schools
- Support: Donations from Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Labs and participants
COLORADO
- Program: Cool Science
- URL: www.coolscience.org
- Leadership: Senior community in eastern Colorado in the form of a 501(c)(3) organization
- Contact: Marc Straub, marc@coolscience.org
- Start Date: 2002
- Description: Retired and still working volunteers assist executive director in providing a wide variety of fun and engaging hands-on science programs in local schools, libraries and other venues
- Support: Small grants from local companies and foundations
GEORGIA
- Program: RE-FOCUS
- URL: https://coe.uga.edu/research/grants/refocus
- Leadership: Julie Luft, College of Education, University of Georgia
- Contact: Julie Luft, jaluft@uga.edu
- Start Date: 2014
- Description: Volunteers assist teachers and students in the Clarke County (GA) School District and six surrounding counties
- Support: AAAS national STEM volunteer grant
MAINE
- Program: Maine School Science Volunteers
- URL: www.maineschoolsciencevolunteers.org
- Leadership: Retired scientists and engineers in south central Maine in the form of a 501(c)(3) organization
- Contact: Alan Burns, alanburns88@gmail.com
- Start Date: 1995, with support from RE-SEED
- Description: Volunteers present topics of interest to middle school science students in the classroom and in after-school science clubs. Volunteers serve five school districts, visiting each school once a month during the academic year.
- Support: IEEE Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, Raymond James Financial, Highland Green Retirement Community
MASSACHUSETTS
- Program: RE-SEED, Retirees Enhancing Science Education Through Experiments and Demonstrations
- URL: www.reseed.neu.edu
- Leadership: Northeastern University
- Contact: reseedprogram@gmail.com
- Start Date: 1991, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Description: Volunteers assist science teachers in middle schools in the greater Boston area; they attend school once a week
- Support: EMC Corporation, NSF (as part of a MathScience Partnership grant), and other sponsors
NEW MEXICO
- Program: Santa Fe Alliance for Science
- URL: http://www.sfafs.org
- Leadership: Senior community, Santa Fe, NM, in the form of a 501(c)(3)
- Contact: Bob Eisenstein, r.eisenstein@comcast.net
- Start Date: 2005
- Description: Volunteers provide support to a range of K-14 activities
- Support: National Science Foundation, Hertz-Meyer Fund, McCune Foundation, Santa Fe Community Foundation, Walbridge Foundation, and other organizations and individuals
NEW YORK
- Program: STEM Bridges, Professionals Leading Kids by Example
- URL: STEM-Bridges.org
- Leadership: Rochester Engineering Society (RES) STEM Initiative
- Contact: Jon Kriegel, jkriegel@rochester.rr.com (RES President 2016-17, Volunteer Coordinator, and Director, STEM Bridges)
- Start Date: 2013
- Description: Modeled after the 1987 Eastman Kodak 21st Century Learning Challenge, STEM professionals support 2nd-12th grade teachers, deliver hands-on support and "application" examples, in Rochester area schools
- Support: Rochester Engineering Society, Finger Lakes STEM Hub, Rochester Museum and Science Center, SUNY Brockport, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, Boys Scouts of America, ASME, IEEE, BOCES, Rochester City School District, Rochester Council of Scientific Societies, Second Avenue Learning, and COMET Informatics LLC
PENNSYLVANIA
- Program: Franklin (County) Science Council
- URL: http://www.franklinscience.org
- Leadership: STEM professionals, teachers, and others in south central PA as a 501(c)(3) organization
- Contact: Frank Bellino, dadbellino@yahoo.com
- Start Date: 1984
- Description: Volunteers provide special science and technology events for local students and teachers. The Council seeks judges for annual science fair and scientists to deliver age-appropriate talks or demonstrations.
- Support: Local community
WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia)
- Program: AAAS STEM Volunteer Program
- URL: http://stemvolunteers.org
- Leadership: STEM Volunteer leadership team, Washington, DC
- Contact: Don Rea, donaldrea@aol.com
- Start Date: 2004
- Description: Volunteers assist K-12 STEM teachers in 10 school districts in the greater Washington, DC area; they work in schools an average of once a week for the school year
- Support: AAAS
- Program: RESET, Raising Excitement for Science, Engineering and Technology
- URL: http://resetonline.org
- Leadership: Science, technology, engineering and math community, in the form of a 501(c)(3) organization
- Contact: John Meagher, johnmeagher@cox.net
- Start Date: 1988
- Description: Volunteers work in schools in the District of Columbia and these counties: Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland and Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax in Virginia; volunteers choose an elementary school or pre-kindergarten center and lead six hands-on science sessions in the classroom each term, with a field trip to a STEM site.
- Support: Foundations, corporations and businesses, and individuals