The Bio Bus mission is to help K - 12 and college students in New York City discover, explore, and pursue science. Through this work, we envision a world where all people have the opportunity to reach their full scientific potential.
Students discover the excitement of hands-on science aboard our Mobile Labs, equipped with $75,000 microscope and staffed by scientists. Parked in front of a school, entire classes of pre-K through Eight-grade students climb on board for inquiry-based, hands-on, standards-aligned lab sessions.
After 45-minutes aboard a Bio Bus Mobile Lab, students have more positive attitudes towards science and want to do more. Eight to twelve week Bio Bus “Explore” programs at existing schools and community centers provide the students opportunities to develop their own research practice. At the same time, Bio Bus scientists build site staff's capacity to run inquiry-based research programs, as well as help equip sites with hardware and supplies.
Mobile science laboratories have been identified as an important part of improving science education by NYC elected officials the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Sciences’
80% of our staff are from groups underrepresented in STEM fields, an important factor in inspiring the primarily black, Hispanic, and female students with whom we work 95% of teachers requesting return visits from the Bio Bus because of the passion for science it ignites in their students. 65% of our students are African American or Latino.
Survey results and conversations with parents confirm that many students experience a dramatic positive shift in their attitudes towards science as a result of enrolling in BioBase courses