2004 Annual Report

	What is Cool Science?
	What has Cool Science been doing?
	Cool Science Statistics
	What are our plans?
	Who is on the board?
	Who are our 2004 sponsors!
	Who are our volunteers?

What is Cool Science?

Cool Science is a Colorado Springs nonprofit dedicated to getting kids, parents and teachers excited about science. Cool Science, partnering with local corporations and universities, currently engages in chemistry and physics outreach to El Paso County 3^rd – 8^th graders in their classrooms, home schools, scout troops, and after school clubs. We bring only the really Cool Science – solutions that change colors, liquids that turn into solids, solids that turn into liquids, glowing things, slimy things, bubbling dry ice, explosions (safe ones!), and electricity demonstrations that will make your hair stand on end! We are committed to showing students the fun side of science! Further, Cool Science conducts exciting demonstrations and hands-on activities that are open to the public at both Colorado College and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Cool Science also conducts workshops in public venues such as “The Art and Science of Photography” at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, Cardboard Boat Races at the Southeast YMCA, and Civil Engineering Day at the United States Air Force Academy. Although we served over 4,757 students in 2004 purely out of volunteer time and resources, we aim to increase our leverage in the coming year by hiring a full time employee of Cool Science!

What has Cool Science been doing?

Outreach Programs:

Chemistry and Physics Demonstrations in Schools – In 2004, Cool Science conducted 62 presentations at 27 different schools for 4,757 students. These numbers reflect an increase of nearly 2 times the number of students served in 2003. For more information, see below: “Cool Science Statistics”

Cool Science Proliferation to Intel sites worldwide – Cool Science traveled to the Intel Arizona and Intel Oregon sites to train Intel volunteers on Cool Science methods and practices. The intention of the training is to give Intel employees the tools that Cool Science employs to excite kids about science in their communities. Cool Science plans to travel to the Intel Massachusetts and return to Intel Oregon sites in 2005.

Intel Computer Clubhouse – Cool Science brought the Cardboard Boat Race workshop to the Colorado Springs Intel Computer Clubhouse. Students learned about buoyancy and flotation while using engineering skills to build boats made of cardboard and postal tape designed to hold two team members. At the end of the three-week workshop during July 2004, students raced their boats in the YMCA pool nearby to compete for cool gift certificates!

GREAT Camp (Girls Ready To Explore Academics and Technology) – 20 girls attended the Cool Science Day at the second GREAT Camp on 7/28/04. The girls solved the pretend forensic mystery “Who Killed the Principal’s Dog?” using chemical tests and deductive reasoning skills, learned about the chemistry of smells, made slimy polymers, explored the world of COLD with Dry Ice and experimented with Cool Physics exhibits!

Girl Scout Badge Workshops – Two new Girl Scout “Cool Science” Badge workshops were developed and six workshops conducted in 2004 for 316 girls. Cool Science conducted the programs in conjunction with the Wagon Wheel Council in Colorado Springs and the Mile Hi Council in Denver.

Brownie workshop involved making a pinhole camera then taking a picture and developing it in a real darkroom, testing acids and bases, and making the slime polymer, along with testing the properties of the polymer found in baby diapers!

One Junior workshop was our ever popular forensic mystery “Who Killed the Principal’s Dog?” A mock Crime Scene Investigation.

The second Junior workshop was “Harry Potter and the science of magic” where girls explored the many science “tricks” that look like magic, but, of course, aren’t. Following the workshop, the girls saw the 2004 Harry Potter Movie.

In the Senior/Cadette workshop, girls worked with a Scanning Electron Microscope, performed a college level Qualitative Analysis lab (pictured, right), built batteries and built a pinhole camera.

Western Museum of Mining and Industry – Cool Science partnered with WMMI to bring a 3-hour workshop for 50 students on the chemistry and physics of mining in January 2004, a second workshop on the “Art and Science of Photography” will take place January 8, 2005.

Imagination Celebration – Cool Science conducted its first ever Teacher Workshop in conjunction with the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration in June 2004. Forty teachers attended two separate workshops focused on the science of the senses, one on smell and a second on light.

Cool Science at Colorado College – approximately 450 attended the third demonstration open to the public on May 1, 2004. The hands-on activities eclipsed the demonstration show in excitement as Cool Science unveiled all of the exhibits built thus far for the Cool Science Center, and Colorado College students wowed the kids with a real buffalo lung and a human brain they could touch. Feedback from the show included this comment from a parent: “Good idea, too bad there is no permanent facility in Colorado Springs” – Max. To this we say, Max – we’re working on it!

Cool Science at UCCS – approximately 400 attended the fourth demonstration open to the public on October 23, 2004. It was hard to believe, but the number of hands-on activities more than doubled for the “Mole Day” event. Exciting new hands on activities included a GPS Treasure Hunt, Tie Dying Cool Science t-shirts, and many of our new exhibits developed in conjunction with the Day of Science Program.

Cool Science Center

	Cool Science heavily pursued many options for science center space including space with local school districts 2, 11 and 20, the Citadel Mall, and Colorado College prior to settling on a “mobile science center” concept for next year. With this structure, Cool Science will bring a careful selection of exhibits designed to meet schools’ curriculum needs to schools for events such as our “Cool Science Day.” This new structure allows us best to use our resources and to “lab test” our exhibit concepts for content, coolness, and labeling understandability before opening the permanent space.
	A new concept was implemented this year - Cool Science Days - funded by the Intel Foundation. Based on the model of our “Cool Science at Colorado College and UCCS” events which are open to the public, this new program makes Math and Science the focus of an entire day at an elementary school and involves every child and teacher at the school. The Cool Science Day schedules every classroom for periods of demonstrations, hands on activities, guest speakers and special projects with individual teachers. Parents are heavily recruited as volunteers for the activities to emphasize the nurturing of science exploration at home as well as in school. The day will be focused on creating a level of excitement and energy around science, as well as a sense that science applies to every child’s every day life and is understandable.
	The first Cool Science Day took place October 15, 2004 at Columbia Elementary. The concept is to involve the entire school for the entire day with Cool Science! Students participated in over 40 different hands on activities, watched chemistry demonstrations on acids, bases and polymers, saw physics demonstrations on electricity, light and lasers, watched the wonders of liquid nitrogen and were launched into space by a talk and demonstration on the physics and chemistry of ROCKETS! It was, according to one student “the best day she’d ever had at school”. Four more Cool Science Days are scheduled in the spring of 2005!

Website:

www.coolscience.org has grown significantly in the last year – with additional Cool Science Experiments and links to other internet sites featuring hands on science for kids. Additionally, Cool Science Oregon has been added as a section on the web. Cool Science Oregon is an offshoot of our proliferation to the Intel Oregon site. This branch is operated independently from Cool Science Colorado, but will benefit from a shared website.

Media Coverage:

	Gazette: The Slice – July issue covers the Cool Science workshop at the GREAT camp!
	News 5/30 covered the Cool Science workshop at the GREAT camp on July 28^th!
	Over the summer, Cool Science adopted a new logo!


Cool Science Logos 2002-2004	Cool Science Logo 2005-?!

Cool Science Statistics

The following statistics show quantitatively and qualitatively the success that Cool Science has had over the school year (2003 – 2004). School year statistics are reported instead of annual statistics.

Comparison of Total Number of Students Served Year to Year	2003 – 2004 Distribution of Demonstrations Physics and Chemistry

2003 – 2004 Distribution of Demonstrations Boys and Girls	2003 – 2004 Distribution of Demonstrations School Districts in El Paso County

2003 – 2004 Distribution of Demonstrations Grade Level: target age range is 3-8)	2003 – 2004 Non School Based Functions

2003-2004 Teacher Quantitative Feedback

2003-2004 Teacher Qualitative Feedback:
What Teachers had to say about the Quality of the Presentation	q Excellent! [Our presenter] had an excellent rapport with the students - presentation was age appropriate. – Grace Best Elementary q It was incredible! [Our presenter]'s mannerisms with the children were highly effective! – Columbia Elementary q Very well done! Interesting, kid friendly and showing a wide variety! - Janitell Jr. High q Excellent - great job keeping students focused! – Manitou Springs Elementary q Very well presented. Presenters are always energetic, lively and great motivators. – Jefferson Elementary q Used terms the students are familiar with so it wasn't over their heads. – Grace Best Elementary q Very good! High level thinking skills were consistently tested! – Columbia Elementary

What Teachers had to say about the Content of the Presentation	q Applicable to state standards and in target with classroom lessons. – Janitell q Perfect - We just finished a study of chemistry. The presentation was at an appropriate level to tap into what the kids knew and to challenge them to think deeper. – Broadmoor Elementary q The chemicals used in the presentation were chemicals the students were familiar with. – Grace Best Elementary q The content tied in extremely well with the 5th grade core knowledge curriculum that we use at our school – Monument Academy

What Teachers had to say about the Style of the Presentation	q [Our presenter] was very upbeat and excited about what she was doing and that clearly rubs off on the kids. – Grace Best Elementary q Wow! [Our presenter] did a great job at involving as many kids as possible and kept a real upbeat presentation! - Grace Best Elementary q Funny! Humorous! Kids could relate to the presenters. – Columbia Elementary q Fantastic! Relaxed atmosphere encouraged participation. – Manitou Springs Middle School q The college students have such a way and sense of humor which ignited each student's interest. – Columbia Elementary

Other Comments	q Difficult to improve on any level. I went to the website to get the chemistry portion o f the experiments - the explanations were good and I appreciated it. I was able to find the actual chemical equations which was helpful. Best presentation I've ever had, really. – Panorama Middle School q Excellent - I'll call you again next year. :) Thank you so much. Both presentations were OUTSTANDING! The student enjoyed them and learned from them. That is a great accomplishment for both things to happen. As I told you at the start, my goal is to make learning science fun so that the students will choose to stick with it at higher levels. You certainly accomplished these goals last Friday. – Holmes Middle School q [Our presenter] was an energetic and engaging presenter. I hope we have a long association with her. – Sabin Jr. High

What Girl Scouts have to say about Cool Science	q Your presentation was a challenge and of interest to my girls. All enjoyed the event and the role playing. Well done!! As for science experiments – Excellent!! – Raquel – Girl Scout Troop Leader q I think that this was a cool way to get kids interested into science and crime investigations. And this was an awesome simulation!! Cool Science Rocks! – Morgan age 12 q Chemistry is very cool. I love science. – Hanna age 9 q I think this was a fun day. I’ve never done anything like this. I liked the science show best. – Becky age 10 q I thought it was so cool! It was interesting, fun and I really felt like an investigator! The chemistry was oh-so awesome! Thanks! J - Conner age 10

What people who attended Cool Science at Colorado College had to say	q It was really fun, especially because there were so many things that were fun to see. - Allan (age 10) q I thought it was cool to learn science. - Christiane (age 9) q Interesting, fun, very cool. I learned about acids and bases and I learned about brains and I saw how big [numbers] get when you double each time - Lea (age 9) q You have awesome stuff. I can't wait till the next one. - Zachary age 10 q Knowledgeable science combined with dynamic presentation methods! Good job! Thanks - George (Adult) q Good idea, too bad there is no permanent facility in Colorado Springs - Max (Adult)

What Are Our Plans?

Outreach programs:

Demonstrations at schools and home schools will be scheduled throughout the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school year to bring chemistry and physics into classrooms. The 2004-2005 school year is completely booked! Sign up on the Cool Science website for 2005-2006 school year, or send an email to chemisty@coolscience.org or physics@coolscience.org to schedule a demonstration.

Cool Science Days: Four are planned for the Spring of 2005.

Public Demonstrations: Cool Science at CC is planned for April 16^th, 2005. Find more details on the Cool Science website, or email admin@coolscience.org for more information.

Workshops, Camps and Scout Badges:

Continuation of Girl Scout Workshops with Mile-Hi and Wagon Wheel Council

GREAT Camp 2005

Joint workshops planned with the Western Museum of Mining and Industry

Continued involvement with individual Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops

New! Civil Engineering workshop in conjunction with the USAFA on April 9^th, 2005.

New! Cool Science Cardboard Boat Races! Cool Science will open up this exciting event to the public this year! With an orientation meeting on May 4^th, and the competition May 26^th.

New! Parent Workshops at schools to help parents understand how to get their kids excited about science – first parent workshop is scheduled for February 24, 2005 from 6-7:30 on the subject of DRY ICE! C O O L. A primary goal of parent workshops will be to pass enthusiasm for science to parents. An ability to convey passion, enthusiasm, or, at a minimum, no fear of science, is crucial to passing on a love of science to the next generation.

Proliferation to Intel World Wide Sites: Cool Science has already shared programs and processes with Intel sites: Ireland, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Oregon and Arizona. Cool Science will share with Intel Massachusetts and Colorado Springs in 2005 and return to Intel Oregon for further training.

Cool Science Mobile Science Center:

The Cool Science Mobile Science Center is fully funded for equipment and supplies, and currently under development! Colorado College is in the process of constructing exhibits for independent exploration of scientific concepts in the areas of physics, chemistry, math and technology. The exhibits are continuously tested at Science Days and Public Demo Days.

Website:

The website will undergo continuous improvement in 2005 to optimize the utility for students, teachers and parents.

Cool Science Team:

This year Cool Science aims to hire a “Paraprofessional” from Colorado College to work full time as an Executive Director for Cool Science.

Who is on the Board?

President: Jennifer Rivers - Intel, Process Engineer

Vice President: Kathleen Watson - Intel, Process Engineer

Secretary: Elaine Naleski - D11, Director of Communications

Treasurer: Philip Erickson, CPA - Erickson, Brown and Kloster, P.C.

Board Member: Lt. Col Ronald Furstenau – Professor of Chemistry, USAFA

Board Member: Victoria Stone, Director of Sales and Marketing for Today’s Homes

Board Member: Judy Cara - Intel, Community Relations Manager

Board Member: Aimee Smith - Intel, Process Engineer

Changes in the Board:

	Congratulations to Kathleen Watson, our new Vice President!
	Welcome to Victoria Stone, our first (and very much needed and appreciated) Marketing guru! Victoria joined us in March!
	Welcome to Phil Erickson!

Who are our 2004 Sponsors?

HUGE Thanks to our 2004 Foundation and Corporate Donors:

	El Pomar Youth in Community Service, Coronado High School: 4/04 - $565
	Intel Foundation: 5/04 - $5,000 to support the Cool Science Days
	Intel - Colorado: 5/04 - $3,500 to support Cool Science
	Jerome V. Bruni Foundation: 6/04 - $2,000 to support Cool Science
	Gay and Lesbian Fund Matching grant: 7/04 - $10,000 to support Cool Science

HUGE Thanks to our 2004 Individual Donors:

Level	Range	Donors
Albert Einstein	> $1000	Melissa and David Luppino Ron and Julie Furstenau Steve and Sarah Roach
Thomas Edison	$500 - $999	Art and Heidi Lacy
Isaac Newton	$200 - $499	Jim and Aimee Smith Philip and Kelley Erickson Jennifer and Michael Rivers
Galileo Galilei	$100 - $199	Kathleen and Jim Andrews David and Kristen Scott Prof. Dr. Heidrun Halbgewachs Mrs. Anne Kern in honor of Suzanne Kern
Aristotle	$25 - $99
Archimedes	$1 - $24

HUGE thanks to our In Kind Donors:

	Colorado College has donated all the chemicals, supplies, and waste disposal.
	Colorado College, and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy are involved in developing exhibits, and developing web material, as well as allowing students to earn course credit for their involvement.

Who are our 2004 Volunteers?

HUGE THANKS to the Very Cool People who have made the contribution of their time to Cool Science:

Cool Science Board Members:

Aimee Smith

Jennifer Rivers

Judy Cara

Kathleen Watson

Lt. Col. Ron Furstenau

Philip Erickson

Victoria Stone

Elaine Naleski

United States Air Force Academy:

Randy

Kaelin Blunt

Jennifer Jones

Julie-Anne Malis

Ashley Massey

Dayle Morell

Annaline Rubio

Sarah Stampher

Rebecca Stone

Rachel Washburn

Girl Scouts:

Marty Lockhart - Wagon Wheel Council

Leslie Howard - Mile Hi Council

Western Museum of Mining and Industry:

Brad Poulson

Scott Wright

Linda LeMieux

CS School District 11:

Susan Cove

Louann Deklava

Kirsten Cortez

Community:

Art Lacy

Melissa Luppino

Michael Chamberlain

Susan Saksa

Michael Rivers

Jim Smith <