Resources

MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement. It offers two unique programs to middle school teachers and students: The MATHCOUNTS Competition Program and the FREE MATHCOUNTS Club Program.

Math Forum at Drexel offers problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem solving; collaborations; and professional development, both online and face-to-face.

Mathematica Free and low-cost software from Wolfram, Mathematica allows students to visualize important concepts in both math and science.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) is an NSF supported project that began in 1999 to develop a library of uniquely interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives or concept tutorials, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction (K-12 emphasis). Free trial version available.

Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence lists math resources for algebra, geometry, data analysis and numbers and operations.

Teachers' Domain: Mathematics This Web site contains a multitude of resources for the educator in elementary and middle school.

Geometers Sketchpad Resources for teachers using this visualization software.

American Mathematics Competition (MAA)The Mathematical Association of America sponsor math exams for middle grades, high school and college level students.

Math Counts MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory.

National Science Foundation Funds basic science and engineering. Web site is good source of data and reports.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Wide array or publications, projects, reports, news and career information.

National Girls Collaborative A national consortium of science programs for girls.

National Science Digital Library Searchable data base of resources for all areas of math and science. Well organized and thoroughly vetted.

BioEd Online Resources for biology teachers from Baylor School of Medicine

Learn. Genetics The University of Utah provides interactive activities that teach genetics concepts.

Life Science Career Alliance This Philadelphia-based organization provides information about careers in the life sciences.

Biology and Nature topics from science.gov is a portal to hundreds of biology resources.

Chemical Heritage Foundation CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. It hosts conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Its museum topics range from alchemy, synthetics, and the chemical-instrument revolution to chemistry education, electrochemistry, chemistry sets, and the science of color.

The ChemCollective—Virtual Labs for Introductory Chemistry Courses A collection of online activities emphasizes the design and interpretation of experiments.

Monell Chemical Senses Center Located in University City Science Center, the Monell Center is the world’s only independent, non-profit scientific institute dedicated to interdisciplinary basic research on the senses of taste and smell. Has a summer intern program for high school students.

Modeling Chemistry Pioneered at Arizona State University, Modeling Chemistry (and Physics) is a different approach to teaching science.

Explore Your Future is an interactive website for job and career exploration targeted to teenagers and young adults in middle school through college. The site includes a series of videos designed to engage students in career exploration, developed by WHYY, GlenDevon Group, Life Science Career Alliance and the Chester County Intermediate Unit.

Life Science Career Alliance provides resources on careers in biotechnology and health services. Check out BioExplorations to learn how you can bring experts to your classroom.

Careers in Chemistry From the American Chemical Society, descriptions of chemistry careers.

First Robotics is intended to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Includes Lego League for middle grades.

Carver Science Fair The Carver Fair is jointly sponsored by Temple University, The Academy of Natural Sciences, The School District of Philadelphia, and The Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is open to all students in grades four through twelve who attend Philadelphia County public, charter, parochial, and private schools, as well as to home schooled students residing in the county.

Delaware Valley Science Fair - a forum for students to present their scientific work and interact with scientists in their field to receive feedback on their efforts. Students are awarded, scholarships, cash prizes, and other non-monetary recognition for outstanding work. We provide mentoring and teacher training to facilitate participation in this activity. Students can go on to the Intel Science talent Search (see below).

Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Program Sponsored by Sears and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program challenges students to use creativity and imagination along with science, technology, and mechanical ability to invent or modify a tool that performs a practical function. Held each year, the program is open to all students in grades 2-8 in the United States and the U.S. territories, and winners receive savings bonds; teachers and schools also receive prizes.

ExploraVision Awards Sponsored by Toshiba and NSTA, ExploraVision is a competition for students of all interest, skill, and ability levels in grades K-12. Entrants must be United States or Canadian citizens or legal residents, living within the United States, U.S. Territories, or Canada. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to combine their imaginations with the tools of science to create and explore a vision of a future technology. Winning students receive savings bonds.

National Engineers Week Future City Competition The National Engineers Week Future City Competition is a fun and exciting educational engineering program for 7th and 8th grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with a "hands-on" application to present their vision of a city of the future. Groups of students use team work, problem-solving approaches, and skills in mathematics and science, computers, and research and presentations to design cities using SimCity software. Regional contests lead to the national competition.

Odyssey of the Mind Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. Thousands of teams from throughout the United States and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

Intel Science Talent SearchThe Intel Science Talent Search is America's oldest and most highly regarded pre-college science competition. For more than 60 years, this competition — often referred to as the "junior Nobel Prize" — has provided an incentive and an arena for U.S. high school seniors to complete an original research project and have it recognized by a national jury of highly regarded professional scientists.

eCYBERMISSION eCYBERMISSION is a Web-based science, mathematics, and technology competition for 6th through 9th grade teams. Students compete for regional and national awards while working to solve problems in their communities. This competition is sponsored by the U.S. Army and awards savings bonds to the winners.

Siemens Westinghouse Competition The Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology recognizes remarkable talent early on, fostering individual growth for high school students who are willing to challenge themselves through science research. The competition, which is administered by The College Board and administered by the Siemens Foundation, awards tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to finalists and winners.

Explore natural history at the Academy of Natural Sciences including lessons for grades K-12 brought to your classroom and resources for teachers

Bartram Gardens, 18^th century home of naturalist and botanist John Bartram, is America’s oldest living botanical garden. Here you can see a wildflower meadow, majestic trees, river trail, wetland, stone house and farm buildings overlooking the Schuylkill River, and, of course, the historic botanic garden of American native plants.

Chemical Heritage Foundation CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. It hosts conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Its museum topics range from alchemy, synthetics, and the chemical-instrument revolution to chemistry education, electrochemistry, chemistry sets, and the science of color.

The Franklin Institute provides many online resources for teachers and
students, including Curricular Companions for Philadelphia science units in grades 4-8.

John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum , located partially in Philadelphia, is a
resting and feeding area for more than 300 species of birds, 80 of which nest there. Fox, deer, muskrat, turtles, fish, frogs and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants call the refuge "home". The Cusano Environmental Education Center , built using principles of sustainable design, hosts exhibits and programs for students

Morris Arboretum Thousands of rare and lovely woody plants, including some of Philadelphia's oldest, rarest, and largest trees, are set in a romantic, 92-acre, Victorian landscape garden of winding paths, streams,
flowers and special garden areas. Located in the Chestnut Hill section of the city.

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a rich resource for gardening, trees and broader issues of the environment and sustainability. PHS sponsors the internationally known Philadelphia Flower Show.

Philadelphia Zoo The Zoo is home to more than 1,300 animals, many of them rare and endangered. Its state-of-the-art animal exhibits and health-care facilities, award-winning education and conservation programs, scientific accomplishments and historically significant venue make the Philadelphia Zoo one of the world's most renowned zoological societies and
gardens.

One of the first urban environmental education centers in the country, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education has programs for students and teachers as well as the general public. It also lists other resources. SCEE hosts the Philadelphia Envirothon.

Wagner Free Institute The Institute provides science courses for adults and children. The museum houses an extraordinary collection of natural history specimens including mounted birds and mammals, fossils, rocks and minerals, insects, shells, dinosaur bones. It has a library of scientific works covering the natural and physical sciences, education, medicine, archaeology and anthropology, the pseudo-sciences, instrument building, and engineering.

Wistar Institute - The Wistar Institute is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of our knowledge of biology and medicine. Founded in 1892 as the first institution of its kind devoted to medical research and training in the nation, the Institute has evolved from its beginnings as an anatomical teaching museum to its present-day status as an international leader in basic biomedical research.