Fighting for Sciene in Motion
By KIMBERLY MARCOTT WEINBERG
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing
Proponents of Science in Motion, a popular program that brings high-tech science lab equipment to underserved schools, are once again working overtime to reinstate the program in the commonwealth’s budget.
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is one of 11 universities around the state with a Science in Motion program, which is funded each year by the state budget.
In a region where the average high school science teacher is given $900 each year with which to buy or repair equipment and purchase supplies, Science in Motion is understandably popular.
“I use the kits all the time because it’s well-organized,” said Kerri Detsch, a biology and physics teacher at Kane Area High School who was helping with a Science in Motion camp held on campus last week for elementary-age students.
Teachers can schedule regular visits with mobile educators who drive a van loaded with the science equipment they need to do basic or advanced labs. The mobile educator can also offer ideas and support.
The value of materials and equipment in just a single visit can easily exceed $10,000, says James Baldwin, director of Science in Motion at Pitt-Bradford, which served 75 teachers in 25 different schools during the 2007-08 school year.
Detsch loves the effect Science in Motion has on her students.
“The students get so excited when they see the Science in Motion van at school. It brings a new interest in science – using this high-tech equipment,” she said.
She said she used to worry that her students weren’t prepared to study science at top colleges, but now she believes they’re ready.
"I don’t feel that they’re stepping out there and that they’re so far behind.”
The learning is valuable for teachers as well as students, Detsch says. “Through Science in Motion, I’m always learning something new.”
In addition to having mobile educators visit their classrooms, teachers can attend workshops where they can learn about new labs that are available and network with other teachers, an aspect highly prized by educators who come from science departments with one or two people.
Despite its popularity, or perhaps because of it, Science in Motion fights each year to be included in the state budget.
When Gov. Ed Rendell unveiled his budget earlier this year, he cut the $2.2 million line for the program.
Being left out of the budget, it turns out, is sort of a backhanded compliment afforded to only the most popular programs. Popular programs often become bargaining chips in the budgeting process, and that appears to be the case with Science in Motion, explains Dr. Don Mitchell, professor emeritus at Juniata College, where Science in Motion was founded.
Although he is now retired from working full time, he continues to help shepherd the program he started through the ups and downs of the state budget process each year.
“Fortunately, many legislators have recognized the value and efficiency of Science in Motion and have championed restoring the money each year,” Mitchell said.
Among those who are trying to help out is Sen. Bob Robbins, R-Greenville. In May, legislation proposed by Robbins passed the senate. If the measure were also to pass in the House of Representatives, it would write Science in Motion into the state school code.
While that measure now waits its turn to be taken up by the House, the fight for next year’s funding continues.
With budget negotiations entering a critical period, Mitchell will be spending lots of time in Harrisburg visiting key legislators. State Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, is high on his list. Scarnati is the president pro tempore of the Senate. Pitt-Bradford and all of the schools it serves are part of his district.
“Senator Scarnati and his colleagues have made this a funding priority in previous years because they have seen the positive results in the schools they represent,” Mitchell said.
The House, Mitchell explains, has added $2.2 million for Science in Motion to its budget. In the Senate, Robbins would like to see the line restored to the $3 million that is considered full funding.
“We will continue to make our case for funding restoration and the increase that will maintain the quality of this program,” Mitchell said.
In this photo, Dawn Dietsch, left, who teaches advanced chemistry at Eisenhower High School in Warren County, and Sue Hutchins, a newly retired physics teacher from Sheffield Middle/High School, also in Warren County, build a model of a molecule at a Science in Motion teachers workshop at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford earlier this month. In the other photos, wwo boys look for minnows and insects on the Tunungwant Creek, which runs through the campus at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; and Bernie Picklo of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford shows three children a minnow he caught in a net on the Tunungwant Creek at Pitt-Bradford last week. The children are taking part in an elementary school summer science camp sponsored by Science in Motion, a program that brings top-notch science supplies and labs to schools.
(Photos Courtesy of Pitt-Bradford)
What Could Full Funding Do for Pitt-Bradford Sciene in Motion?
One of the many budget scenarios taking place this week in Harrisburg involves a proposal by State Sen. Bob Robbins, R-Greenville, to restore full funding to the Science in Motion program.
For the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s program, that would mean an additional $40,000.
Pitt-Bradford Science in Motion Director James Baldwin explains what the program could do with the additional funding.
“With restoration of the $40,000, we could provide many more new labs, increase the amount of equipment that we can provide, continue to increase the number of students whom we, together with our partnering high school faculty, can reach with high-quality, state-of-the-art science equipment, and ensure that there are no disruptions in our service.”
Baldwin also cited concrete examples of what $40,000 could provide:
· 10 Vernier LabQuest handheld computers with built-in software that helps collect and analyze data in the field, as well as in the classroom ($3,290)
· 10 cordless microscopes ($6,019)
· Five analytical balances ($10,450)
· One spectrometer ($13,249)
· Two centrifuges ($3,600)
· One autoclave ($4,325)
The additional money could also help cover rising costs due to the higher price of gasoline and oil. Pitt-Bradford’s Science in Motion program supports a region about the size of the state of Connecticut and travels more than 15,000 miles each year. The hike in gas prices has meant a $2,000 increase in spending on travel.
Higher gas prices have also meant an increase in shipping costs for the materials purchased to take to schools, and higher oil prices are increasing the cost of the materials themselves, such as chemicals, plastics and containers.
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing
Proponents of Science in Motion, a popular program that brings high-tech science lab equipment to underserved schools, are once again working overtime to reinstate the program in the commonwealth’s budget.
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is one of 11 universities around the state with a Science in Motion program, which is funded each year by the state budget.
In a region where the average high school science teacher is given $900 each year with which to buy or repair equipment and purchase supplies, Science in Motion is understandably popular.
“I use the kits all the time because it’s well-organized,” said Kerri Detsch, a biology and physics teacher at Kane Area High School who was helping with a Science in Motion camp held on campus last week for elementary-age students.
Teachers can schedule regular visits with mobile educators who drive a van loaded with the science equipment they need to do basic or advanced labs. The mobile educator can also offer ideas and support.
The value of materials and equipment in just a single visit can easily exceed $10,000, says James Baldwin, director of Science in Motion at Pitt-Bradford, which served 75 teachers in 25 different schools during the 2007-08 school year.
Detsch loves the effect Science in Motion has on her students.
“The students get so excited when they see the Science in Motion van at school. It brings a new interest in science – using this high-tech equipment,” she said.
She said she used to worry that her students weren’t prepared to study science at top colleges, but now she believes they’re ready.
"I don’t feel that they’re stepping out there and that they’re so far behind.”
The learning is valuable for teachers as well as students, Detsch says. “Through Science in Motion, I’m always learning something new.”
In addition to having mobile educators visit their classrooms, teachers can attend workshops where they can learn about new labs that are available and network with other teachers, an aspect highly prized by educators who come from science departments with one or two people.
Despite its popularity, or perhaps because of it, Science in Motion fights each year to be included in the state budget.
When Gov. Ed Rendell unveiled his budget earlier this year, he cut the $2.2 million line for the program.
Being left out of the budget, it turns out, is sort of a backhanded compliment afforded to only the most popular programs. Popular programs often become bargaining chips in the budgeting process, and that appears to be the case with Science in Motion, explains Dr. Don Mitchell, professor emeritus at Juniata College, where Science in Motion was founded.
Although he is now retired from working full time, he continues to help shepherd the program he started through the ups and downs of the state budget process each year.
“Fortunately, many legislators have recognized the value and efficiency of Science in Motion and have championed restoring the money each year,” Mitchell said.
Among those who are trying to help out is Sen. Bob Robbins, R-Greenville. In May, legislation proposed by Robbins passed the senate. If the measure were also to pass in the House of Representatives, it would write Science in Motion into the state school code.
While that measure now waits its turn to be taken up by the House, the fight for next year’s funding continues.
With budget negotiations entering a critical period, Mitchell will be spending lots of time in Harrisburg visiting key legislators. State Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, is high on his list. Scarnati is the president pro tempore of the Senate. Pitt-Bradford and all of the schools it serves are part of his district.
“Senator Scarnati and his colleagues have made this a funding priority in previous years because they have seen the positive results in the schools they represent,” Mitchell said.
The House, Mitchell explains, has added $2.2 million for Science in Motion to its budget. In the Senate, Robbins would like to see the line restored to the $3 million that is considered full funding.
“We will continue to make our case for funding restoration and the increase that will maintain the quality of this program,” Mitchell said.
In this photo, Dawn Dietsch, left, who teaches advanced chemistry at Eisenhower High School in Warren County, and Sue Hutchins, a newly retired physics teacher from Sheffield Middle/High School, also in Warren County, build a model of a molecule at a Science in Motion teachers workshop at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford earlier this month. In the other photos, wwo boys look for minnows and insects on the Tunungwant Creek, which runs through the campus at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; and Bernie Picklo of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford shows three children a minnow he caught in a net on the Tunungwant Creek at Pitt-Bradford last week. The children are taking part in an elementary school summer science camp sponsored by Science in Motion, a program that brings top-notch science supplies and labs to schools.
(Photos Courtesy of Pitt-Bradford)
What Could Full Funding Do for Pitt-Bradford Sciene in Motion?
One of the many budget scenarios taking place this week in Harrisburg involves a proposal by State Sen. Bob Robbins, R-Greenville, to restore full funding to the Science in Motion program.
For the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s program, that would mean an additional $40,000.
Pitt-Bradford Science in Motion Director James Baldwin explains what the program could do with the additional funding.
“With restoration of the $40,000, we could provide many more new labs, increase the amount of equipment that we can provide, continue to increase the number of students whom we, together with our partnering high school faculty, can reach with high-quality, state-of-the-art science equipment, and ensure that there are no disruptions in our service.”
Baldwin also cited concrete examples of what $40,000 could provide:
· 10 Vernier LabQuest handheld computers with built-in software that helps collect and analyze data in the field, as well as in the classroom ($3,290)
· 10 cordless microscopes ($6,019)
· Five analytical balances ($10,450)
· One spectrometer ($13,249)
· Two centrifuges ($3,600)
· One autoclave ($4,325)
The additional money could also help cover rising costs due to the higher price of gasoline and oil. Pitt-Bradford’s Science in Motion program supports a region about the size of the state of Connecticut and travels more than 15,000 miles each year. The hike in gas prices has meant a $2,000 increase in spending on travel.
Higher gas prices have also meant an increase in shipping costs for the materials purchased to take to schools, and higher oil prices are increasing the cost of the materials themselves, such as chemicals, plastics and containers.
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