The Science of Matchmaking
If matchmaking can be done for singles seeking the perfect mate, why not for students seeking their perfect match in education, complete with the right STEM-proficient minds to lead them?
Today they can. Introduced last November by a coalition of educators and science and engineering associations, National Lab Day aims to inspire a new generation to innovate and collaborate, by teaming up veteran scientists and engineers with students in grades K-12. The result: lots of kids having fun with science all across America, and with a little luck, igniting a passion for STEM disciplines in these young scientists. It’s a nationwide initiative set to build local communities of support to foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students, and educators, with the focus on STEM.
It works like this. Any teacher in the country can simply log on to NationalLabDay.org and enter the details of the STEM project he has in mind for his students. The site will then match teachers with volunteer scientists and engineers, creating the perfect match.
With the full support of the Obama administration, National Lab Day is the sort of program that rises to meet the challenge issued to the National Academies of Science by the President in April 2009:
I want to encourage you to participate in programs to allow students to get a degree in science fields and a teaching certificate at the same time. I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent – to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.
While special events are planned for the first week of May to celebrate this new initiative, National Lab Day will promote hands-on and inquiry-based learning year-round.
Learning programs that match students with the right curriculum are essential for success in today’s educational landscape. With online curriculum like ODYSSEYWARE, courses can be customized and paced to meet each student’s individual needs – the perfect match.