SBIR-STTR Award

EDVOTEK, the "company" (www.edvotek.com) has identified a new market for products that will serve as resources for students and parents. The product line which will be marketed as the "Science Path Accelerator(tm)" (SciPac(tm)) is biology based resource which consists of hands on experiments designed to enhance life science education in the United States. The overall objective of this SBIR Phase I proposal is to develop an informal bioscience education product line for students who will pursue experiment based biology concepts under the supervision of adults or as home based education science activities. Preliminary market research determined by the company identified the need to concentrate on experiments designed for ages of 7 to 15. Products to be designed will include a range of science activities from "edutainment1 to resources for "science fairs" and beyond. The company will engage teacher consultants to assure the best selection of SciPac offerings as home based activities. Targeted experiments will include topics on human health and applications of biotechnology to societal issues. The SeiPac "hands on" activities will provide student self study with optional parental or adult supervision. Parents will participate in the selection and oversight of topics that affect their children's daily lives. The company proposes for the Phase Me to research an initial set of four experiments. Research for an additional 16 experiments is projected to be completed during Phase II. The Informal Science Education product line is a logical extension of the current base business. EDVOTEK plans to market SciPac kits by direct and through distribution channels to home schools, selected toy stores, museum and science centers stores. The Phase I Specific aims are thus: 1. Research and design 4 Informal Bioscience Education experiments in Phase I, and 16 in Phase II; 2. Develop an educational assessment program to meet National Science Education Standards; 3. Initiate a Web-based data entry site for long-distance inquiry student experiments and data sharing; 4. Teacher and parent Informal Science Education resource workshops.

Thesaurus Terms:
educational resource design /development, science education Internet, information dissemination, workshop clinical research

Home schools represent an underserved market that is rapidly expanding in the United States, and there are currently only a limited number of products for middle school life science specifically tailored for this segment of the student population. EDVOTEK, the applicant organization believes the opportunity provided by this market is significant and will continue to grow; it affords a unique business opportunity for the company and is a logical extension of its current business. The proposed products to be researched in this Phase II SBIR are "hands- on" health-related and life science-related experiments designed to stimulate science interest and self-directed student research. In this Phase II project, the company will research twenty stand-alone experiments ("Science Path Accelerators" or "SciPacs(tm)") or five clusters of four experiments related to a single science concept (Sci4Pacs(tm)). The SciPac(tm) product line will emphasize current biology and technology concepts for middle school and introductory biology students that personally impact students' daily lives; these products will also be specifically designed for home and traditional school use, as well as for community science centers and museums. Science activities in all proposed SciPacs(tm) and Sci4Pacs(tm) will be evaluated for safety, shelf life, and affordability for parents and teachers to incorporate as teaching resources. A new advisory board with established expertise in education assessment will strongly complement the company's existing strength in science education, manufacturing and marketing. Specifically, we will rigorously assess whether the proposed products allow for increased science interest and achievement of National Science Education Standards. As science and technology are pillars of our society that maintain our current standard of life (and that of generations to come), the company strongly believes that "hands-on" life science experiments for students ages 10 to 15 will play a significant role in developing interest and comprehension of science, with direct impact on our society. Continued early introduction to science might also stimulate career opportunities for young students that in turn, will have a positive influence on the economic development and public health of our Nation. Page 1 Principal Investigator: Graf, Karen Narrative Our Nation is a highly industrialized society and science-based education is critical to maintain our leadership in the world. With globalization and the inevitable continued export of lower skilled manufacturing jobs, future careers for our citizens will require improved mastery of science and technology. Shortages of scientists and engineers will result in continued high technology job losses to other nations. Early and sustained science education will provide noteworthy societal benefits, including scientifically literate future voters. One can anticipate that continued early introduction to science might also stimulate career opportunities for young science students, which in turn, will have a positive impact on the economic development of our Nation