BASIS

Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students

Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students (BASIS) is a science and engineering volunteer role model program serving public elementary schools in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, Emeryville, and Pinole. We provide teachers and students the opportunity to interact with real-life scientists and engineers, while they explore hands-on science experiments and engineering challenges. We train our volunteers to communicate their research with a broader audience, sharing their love of science with the next generation!

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mentor & Role Model Sign Up

Teach phenomena based, hands-on BASIS lessons in Elementary classrooms!

Sign up for an Orientation

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Outreach Toolkit

Check out resources to help improve your practice in science outreach!

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Team Leader Resources

Find resources for team leaders to help plan and schedule your BASIS lessons!

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Lesson Plan Library

Explore our library of BASIS lessons! Find a lesson to teach or get inspired to develop one on your own!

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More Ways to Connect with Classrooms

Connect with classrooms in other ways such as storytime with a scientist, observation and sketching, and adopt-a-classroom.

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Role Model Spotlights

Read about our amazing mentors and role models in spotlights!

BASIS Goals

Connect a diverse range of scientist volunteers to elementary school students and teachers
Inspire students with examples of real-world science careers and issues
Engage students in hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences
Create effective teaching links between scientists and public elementary schools

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Contact teach@crscience.org for questions or inquiries.

The mission of CRS is to empower teachers and STEM professionals serving schools in historically marginalized communities to activate TK-8 students’ curiosity about the world, foster critical thinking, and inspire children to imagine future career pathways. We envision a community of educators, scientists, families and partners working together to build school cultures that equip all children to explore the world around them and build the skills needed to become innovators, problem solvers, environmental stewards, life-long learners and leaders. CRS leads a dynamic network, fostering relationships and collaborations that leverage expertise and resources to transform science teaching and learning toward greater equity, opportunity, and success for all students.

Our goal is simple: help teachers give students more opportunities to “do science” – to ask questions, test ideas, get their hands on real science activities. We need to inspire the next generation of thinkers, makers, problem solvers, and leaders!