Steckler has long made an ambitious effort to make science accessible to young people in all sectors of society. In 1989, she and fellow SDSC scientist Mike Bailey created the Science Enrichment programs, a joint outreach venture with the San Diego-Imperial Council of Girl Scouts that has proved successful enough to be steadily expanded over the years. The goal of alternative means of distributing curriculum, such as the Web-based EnVision Explore Engage, is not only to increase scientific awareness and knowledge, but also to sustain interest by making the activities accessible and entertaining. Many students experience difficulties because its relevance is not well explained. EnVision Explore Engage shifts the learning experience from passive to very interactive.
Students do their own simulations and learn how to use computational science.