Her goals were to reverse the declining interest in science studies and careers and to introduce students, especially girls and minorities, to hands-on experiences in science. SmithKline Beecham's support has helped Science in the Summer grow from 10 libraries and 300 children to its current 125 libraries and 5,850 children. So far, more than 36,000 students have been touched by this unique program. By the year 2001, all branches of the Philadelphia Free Library will participate. Each course consists of four 45-minute classes for one week.
Students register for the program by signing up at their local library.
With the personal guidance of certified science teachers, children participate in hands-on activities and experiment with scientific lab equipment that usually isn't available in schools. They might create simple machines, dissect flowers, search through fossil matrix ore, or study plant and animal cells under a microscope.