Science in Motion
Science in Motion
Elizabethtown College’s mission is to Educate for Service. The goal of the Science in Motion program is to provide private and public schools with science equipment, resources, teaching support, and professional development that are too costly for a single school district to finance alone. Elizabethtown College is proud to be part of the Science in Motion consortium, which is comprised of 10 colleges and universities from across PA. Our program focuses predominantly on serving schools in Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. Science in Motion is one more way to serve local communities and help middle/high schools by providing state of the art science equipment and resources. The Science in Motion program is housed within the College's Department of Education and is funded through a grant from the PA Department of Education and the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.
Science in Motion (SIM), housed within Elizabethtown College’s Department of Education, partners with public and private schools to help augment their science programs. By sharing and pooling resources, the Elizabethtown College - Science in Motion program is able to provide:
- Science Equipment and consumables that are high-tech and financially beyond the reach of most school districts;
- Teaching Support and Equipment Delivery through a mobile educator and a staffed lab preparation center;
- Professional Development to science teachers through a college network and necessary infrastructure for modern science training, as needed.
For more information check our Science In Motion FAQ, our Science in Motion brochure, or email Wendy Martin.
Resources & Equipmentarrow_right_alt Equipment Request Formarrow_right_alt Science in Motion Staffarrow_right_altWhat is Science in Motion?
No Cost to Schools
There is no cost to the school district or its teachers. The EC-SIM program is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and supported by Elizabethtown College.
Providing Equipment You Need
SIM works to meet the schools' individual needs by asking them to provide a yearly “wish list” of equipment. The most commonly requested items are purchased and loaned, upon request, to the schools. The Mobile Educator delivers and picks up the equipment and supplies with the SIM van on a first-come, first-served basis.
Visits from Our Mobile Educator
There are three types of support our Mobile Educator can provide to schools:
- Deliver and pick up the equipment at your school;
- Teach a lesson/lab once in the classroom as a train-the-teacher model;
- Assist the teacher as a “second pair of hands” when running the lab.
No Maintenance
The Mobile Educator and staff will replace all consumable supplies and refurbish the equipment and kits after each use. Therefore, teachers have no maintenance on equipment and supplies.
Professional Development
Teachers in our Region can participate in SIM workshops at Elizabethtown College. Workshops may include lesson and lab development sessions, learning to use newly acquired equipment, and other training requested by the teachers. Trainings are scheduled as finances permit.
Public and Private Schools
EC-SIM serves educators teaching grades 7-12 in both public and private schools. We have a variety of STEM equipment that can be used for all types of classroom settings. (Ex. Gifted, Agriculture, Math, Special Education, etc.)
SIM Impacts
The Science in Motion (SIM) program at Elizabethtown College primarily serves public and private schools in Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. However, districts in Cumberland, York, and Dauphin counties have also utilized the program.
2020-2021 School Year Numbers
Demonstrated and/or Expected Outcomes: Science in Motion
Science in Motion provides teachers and students in public school districts with access to and training on research quality equipment, used for hands-on, inquiry-based lab exercises in the subject areas of biology, biotechnology, biochemistry, environmental education, robotics and STEM in general. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the demonstrated outcomes in regard to usage and training within the SIM program included:
- Provided 878 pieces of laboratory equipment which were utilized by 112 teachers and 3257 students for 166 weeks;
- Students had 6344 Educational Contacts using this equipment (number of students multiplied by number of different laboratory experiments completed)
- Access to the equipment allowed classes to add 141 laboratory experiments to their courses;
- Equipment was utilized by 198 different sections of students and in 55 different Advanced Placement classes.
