Love, Obama-Style: A Dating Service for Scientists and Teachers

Ok, it’s not actually a dating service, although Jack Hidary, chairman of the National Lab Day project, was quoted as saying, “We hope to become the eHarmony of science.” National Lab Day was the brainstorm of presidential science advisor John Holdren, and is part of a larger, presidential initiative, Education to Innovate, a $260 million, public-private partnership to move American students ahead in science and math achievement over the next decade.  Education to Innovate was kicked off at White House rally on Nov. 23. The administration wants to show the nation how private-sector efforts underway to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education will boost existing programs. ‘We’re gong to show young people how cool science can be,” Obama said at the rally.

In reality, National Lab Day isn’t just a day. It’s a “nationwide initiative”, a collaboration between government and more than 200 public- and-private sector organizations that aims to connect students in grades 6-12 with project-based learning experiences. It is, according to its website, dedicated to building “local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators.” Translation? It’s a matchmaking service for teachers and scientists. A teacher who needs a scientist for three days to, say,  help teach her sixth grade chemistry class a lesson about surface tension puts up an ad for help and within short order (hopefully)  finds a chemist for the job. The  NLD website that launched this week is where volunteers from science and technology fields and educators sign up to participate. “The website will automatically match volunteers to requests from educators to participate on the basis of geography and interests,” explains the press release.

The  website already contains some teacher pleas for assistance. One ambitious project looking for a scientist in the classroom is based in Coeur D Alene, Idaho. The description reads: “I would like to build a working model of a river watershed in my classroom.”   This one from a teacher in New York City is looking for “scientists, everyday lab workers and researchers” to come in and “lead an exploration, based on, or similar to, the work they do. I would particularly like to work with Latino and African American scientists.” The goal? To show students that not all scientists are elderly white men in lab coats.

The president also announced at the rally that he will  host a White House science fair.  Over the years the White House has regularly honored well-known athletes; Obama intends to regularly honor scientists too. All this is good news, especially for those who feel training in science, math and engineering will boost our nation’s economic future and well-being. Then again, we don’t want to become so focused on STEM education that we forget how important it is to be well-rounded, both as individuals and a nation.Mark Slouka, a contributing editor of Harper’s (and the holder of a Ph.D. in literature),  wrote an article in the Sept. 2009 issue that took to task our nation’s new obsession with math and science education. In “Dehumanized: When math and science rule the school,” Slouka wrote that the obsession puts him “and those in the humanities generally, at something of a disadvantage these days. In a visible world, the invisible does not compute; in a corporate culture, hypnotized by quarterly results and profit margins, the gradual sifting of political sentiment is of no value; in a horizontal world of ‘information’ readily convertible to product, the verticality of wisdom has no place.”