3M Launches ‘Science at Home’ To Help Close Distance Learning Gap
More than one billion students across the globe had their education disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including 55 million students in the US. Around the world, the virus has forced the closure of public and private schools, leaving educators scrambling to adapt to new forms of distance learning.
To help school systems, parents and caregivers adjust to this new reality, 3M is thrilled to introduce Science at Home, an online video library of easy, at-home science experiments performed by 3M scientists and special guests.
Watch Science at Home Intro Video
“The next generation of innovators is critical to our future in solving many of the global challenges we face today. With Science at Home and through our philanthropic focus on education, we are doing our part to support children with e-learning content and assistance with distance learning capacity building,” said Denise Rutherford, 3M’s senior vice president of corporate affairs.
The experiments, which were designed for children ages 6-12, reinforce core scientific principles and are conducted with common household items. For the next several months, the Science at Home program will post at least one new video experiment each week.
3M worked closely with several educational partners to help bring this program to life, including Discovery Education, St. Paul Public Schools and the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis.
“Since the outbreak began, 3M has addressed the COVID-19 pandemic from all angles and across all stakeholders, and this includes supporting the educational community,” said Rutherford. “Throughout this crisis, we will continue to look for ways to help minimize the impact of COVID-19.”
In addition to the Science at Home program, 3M has provided funding to DonorsChoose.org’s Keep Kids Learning program to provide help teachers in 3M communities across the U.S. provide students with key resources and to local Twin Cities’ school districts to build up distance learning capacity. This support includes funds to purchase laptops and WI-FI hot spots for families with immediate needs.
3M has a long history of supporting STEM and quality education programming. We have specific goals to advance equitable outcomes in STEM and skilled trades for underrepresented and under-resourced students. In 2019, 3M donated more than $41 million in cash and products to educational initiatives.