BCPS News

This video spotlights the science outreach program, BioEYES, in Baltimore County Public Schools. It also contains footage of scientist and founder of BioEYES, Dr. Steven Farber, and an inside look at the Carnegie Institution for Science, home to BioEYES Baltimore.

Jamie Shuda and Danielle Kearns-Sixsmith, Zebrafish

"For most students and teachers exposed to Project BioEYES curriculum, this series of laboratory activities offers both measurable and immeasurable reactions. For students, the experience has provided a 'glimpse into their own bodies and a more meaningful understanding of organ systems, often generating a strong visceral reaction, unlikely to be duplicated by a video or picture'...."

Claudia Dreifus, The New York Times

"Kids like animals. The fish grab their interest. The teachers tell me that they don’t have attendance problems in the week we’re there. Most of the children we see are low-income.... Some of what we see is heartbreaking. We got a letter from a Philadelphia youngster named Dasha. She wrote us something like: 'I just wanted to thank you for coming to our class. I think you thought we were the worst class you ever had. All our teachers say that. Thank you for letting us use your microscope.' Can you imagine kids hearing that from teachers?"

Steven Farber, The Scientist

"High school students, TJU minority groups, and inner city summer science programs all made their way through our cramped, noisy, humid space to see several thousands of our research subjects. The tour would culminate with a view through the microscope at the larval beating heart. I later learned, mostly through letters from the departments sponsoring these tours, that the visit to my laboratory was often the highlight of the day. I also learned, as is often the case in a large institution, that if you do something well you usually get asked to do it again. As I became more involved, however, I realized that I could not sustain this kind of effort alone. This was, in part, my motivation for starting Project BioEYES."

Jamie Shuda (as Jamie Schaefer) and Steven A. Farber, Public Library of Science (PLoS)

"If you ask the average ten year old in America what a scientist looks like, they almost always describe an older man with crazy white hair and a lab coat. If you ask a group of adolescents how many have looked through a microscope, few raise their hands. If you discuss the implications of genetic research with a group of high school students, they're likely to cut your next class. The reason why these students have such profound stereotypes of scientists and are less than enthusiastic about science's impact on society is simple—the lack of exposure they receive during their pre-college education."