DNREC’s mobile science lab, “Science at Your Door,” was unveiled at the North Laurel Elementary School in a ribbon cutting ceremony led by Gov. Jack Markell, DNREC Secretary David Small and Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky.
The mobile science laboratory is part of Gov. Markell’s Children in Nature initiative that’s increasing opportunities for youth to take part in outdoor and environmental science activities both in school and out of school.
“Young people throughout Delaware have benefited from opportunities to experience nature and science – up close and personal through the Children in Nature initiative,” said Markell. “I am delighted to announce this mobile science laboratory that supports the goals of the initiative: to connect kids with nature, provide meaningful outdoor experiences and increase environmental literacy, all while nurturing an environmental ethic in our youth that can last a lifetime.”
“Science at Your Door” provides learning opportunities where students can experience first-hand, through observation and exploration, important scientific relationships and how personal decisions impact the health of the environment.
The laboratory improves environmental literacy and increases student diversity and access to science and nature experiences – two goals shared by the Delaware Children in Nature initiative and the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the document signed by Markell and five other governors in 2014 that sets goals that protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
“This trailer allows Delaware educators and students an opportunity to embrace the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS),” said Education Secretary Godowsky. “By encouraging a hands-on and analytical approach to science, NGSS is promoting the type of deep learning in students that extends well beyond the classroom, leading to significant learning gains and positive changes for our students.”
The mobile science laboratory will travel to schools in Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including Laurel, Woodbridge, Seaford, and Delmar School Districts and other individual schools located in the watershed. More than 2,000 students in kindergarten through high school and their science teachers will be enrolled in the “Science at Your Door” program during the 2016 -17 school year. Future plans are to expand the program to serve other schools located in the Delaware Bay, Piedmont and Inland Bays Watersheds.
