Supporter Spotlights

As an independent nonprofit, BSCS Science Learning relies on grants and donations to tackle the toughest challenges in science education. We are grateful for our many supporters, who are direct contributors to the more-inclusive, meaningful, and effective science education that we’re actively pursuing.

What is it that keeps our supporters so loyal to BSCS?

There are many reasons why, and we love sharing them! Check back regularly for new supporter spotlights.

Monica Sircar

(Major Donor)

I first encountered BSCS as a preservice teacher. I was looking for strong curriculum examples of the inquiry-based science learning that I kept hearing about in my graduate classes. Finally, someone handed me a copy of a BSCS biology textbook. BSCS has since been synonymous in my mind with striving towards innovative and research-based approaches in science education.

I have been lucky to get to contribute to curriculum projects at BSCS, and it strikes me that BSCS fosters a professional community that mirrors the learning environments we might wish for our students: purposeful, creative, reflective, deliberative, collaborative, caring, and joyful. BSCS creates the conditions where powerful growth can happen.

It’s no wonder that BSCS has been at the vanguard of supporting science education for years–and for years to come.

Tom Seaver

(BSCS Supporter since 2001)

While an active teacher, I taught BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach (Green Version) until BSCS Biology: A Human Approach (AHA) came on the scene. The training session with Janet Carlson in Colorado Springs the summer after AHA was first published was wonderful and led me to become a consultant for Kendall Hunt for several years, going to Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, San Diego, Castle Rock, Singapore, and here in Winston-Salem. I still miss playing with termites!

I donate to BSCS to further quality science education for all kids. The last four years politically surely showed us that everyone needs more science knowledge if we are to not only survive but to thrive.

Megan Mistler

(BSCS Supporter since 2013)

I went to graduate school with Janet Carlson at CU and she remains one of my closest friends to this day. We share a love for high quality science education so I appreciate the work of BSCS! I have had the opportunity to work with several people from this organization over the years. Anne Westbrook customized a BSCS health science curriculum on energy balance for a collaborative project of Anschutz Medical Center, Cherry Creek School District and Aurora Public Schools when I was leading a project there that I was so proud of! She and April Gardner led professional development for implementation in Cherry Creek. It received rave reviews from teachers and parents as I knew it would. BSCS continues to be a national and international leader in creating innovative, research-based science curricula and supporting high quality teaching, and I am happy to offer some financial support toward those goals.

Genie Scott

BSCS Board Member (1993-1999)

What first comes to mind when I think of BSCS is integrity. It’s the organization that returned evolution to high school textbooks in the 1960s, and never knuckled under to the pressures exerted by “adoption states” to water down the subject, or qualify it in some way–as routinely was done by some publishers. It’s the organization that stayed true to its core to not just publish scientifically accurate instructional materials, but to challenge teachers and their students with innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and do it over and over, for more than 60 years, now.

And what comes to mind for me personally is how much I cherish having been able to learn from the smart and creative administration and staff of BSCS, including (but not limited to) the late Bill Mayer, Joe McInerney, Rodger Bybee, Janet Carlson–too many to list!

Biology education is greatly enriched due to BSCS innovations. And they’re just getting started!