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03 October 2003

LABRats: A National Program to Teach Science, Self-esteem, and the Virtues of Community Service

by Shawn Carlson
Executive Director

It's hard to believe that the Society for Amateur Scientists is approaching its tenth anniversary. But January 1 will close out our first decade of service to citizen scientists. Our first decade of service has been devoted to supporting adults and adult education. For our second decade, our Board of Trustees has decided to expand the scope of SAS's work to find the most effective ways we can come up with to bring science literacy to the next generation.

To achieve this new goal, SAS has launched a new and revolutionary program for young people. Its called LABRats, and promises to bring together passionate adult science mentors and young people age 12 to 18 who share their passion for science. Our long-term goal is to build a nationwide network of community-based LABRat packs that could one-day include hundreds of thousands of young men and women and which could be sustained indefinitely, much like the Boy and Girl Scouts. Only instead of teaching camping skills, LABRats will teach science through a carefully designed inquiry-based program. What's more, LABRats will also teach essential life skills--like how to stay healthy and how to tell good information from nonsense--as well as the great human virtues like self-esteem and community service. In short, LABRats will help prepare its members academically for college, while simultaneously giving them many of the practical skills they will need to live rewarding and productive lives.

The LABRats concept for teaching science is nothing short of revolutionary. Each participant will receive a hands-on introduction to every major field of science. Members who stay the course will advance through a series of ranks. To do so, each member will have to demonstrate an ever-increasing level of competence in basic science skills, as well as show an increasing awareness of how science serves humanity. Along with the core studies, the young investigators will be able to tailor the program to their own interest by selecting electives in whatever fields intrigue them. The highest rank in LABRats will be analogous to Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. It will be extremely difficult to merit and only the most dedicated young scientists will obtain it. In fact, we intend to make it such a noteworthy accomplishment that everyone who reaches that rank will be all but certain to be accepted into a good college. In addition, we hope to persuade some of Americas finest colleges to provide full scholarships to many who achieve this honor.

I invite you to look over the white paper online by clicking here and decide for yourself whether LABRats is going to make a difference in this world. And please, don't hesitate to send whatever comments or suggestions you may have directly to me at scarlson@sas.org.

A New Face

As part of our new effort to make LABRats a reality, we have hired a new Program Development Director, Heather Smith. Ms. Smith is the perfect person to run LABRats. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Genetics from Harvard University and is fluent in the language of science. She also has extensive private sector experience in project planing and program management and development. What's more, Ms. Smith is passionate about LABRats, and she is extremely capable. We are very lucky to have her head our new program. Ms. Smiths salary will be paid out of a generous endowment that LABRats has received from Mr. Mark Gelfand, an SAS member and visionary business leader in Boston.

What we need now...

Heather is only part of the team we need to make LABRats a success. We also need to hire someone to be in charge of fundraising for the project, as well as someone who can help us expand our network of local chapters so that every member can plug into a community of like-minded science enthusiasts near them.

We've already found the perfect person to do all that. Her name is Denise Todd, and she's from Atlanta, Georgia. Denise helped raise six million dollars last year for her current organization, and she has a world of experience in developing local volunteer organizations, including in the inner cities of the deep South. She has extensive expertise in working with exactly those Americans who most need a program like LABRats. When Denise is on board SAS will finally have all the experience required to bring LABRats to every American who could benefit from it.

But I need your help to hire her.

Bringing an experienced professional on board isn't cheap. After salary, benefits, office equipment, computer, additional rental space, phone support, etc., relocating and hiring Denise to run our fund raising campaign will cost about $75,000 over the next year. But with any luck, at the end of that year, Denise's efforts will pay not only her own salary, but also those of a growing roster of talented new SAS employees. In short, with LABRats staffed with these two very capable women, SAS will finally be in a position to bust loose.

If you've supported an SAS project in the past, then I hope that we can count on your generosity again now. And if you have never supported any SAS project before, then LABRats is definitely the one you've been waiting for. You can donate online by clicking here, or, if you prefer, you can print out our PDF donation form and mail your contribution directly to our home office.

Please, make whatever contribution you can. LABRats could very well be the most important project that SAS ever does.

Sincerely,

Shawn Carlson, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Society for Amateur Scientists

PS: Raising $75,000 may seem like a daunting challenge, but remember that you have thousands of friends in SAS who also want to see LABRats change the way science is taught in America. If every member makes the best donation they can, then we will reach our goal. Wont you help us right now, while its still fresh in your mind? Just click here.