Our Programs
Our volunteers support young STEM learners by giving them the unique opportunity to work directly with “real scientists.”

“The Santa Fe Alliance for Science was born in May, 2005.  It arose from the hope that the large body of talented engineers, mathematicians and scientists in the Santa Fe area could perhaps be marshaled to provide significant assistance to local K-14 schools in math and science education. Over its 15 years of effort, the Alliance has found many ways to contribute and has established itself as a major force in STEM education in Santa Fe.”
​Bob Eisenstein, Founder

Since 2005, we have partnered with classroom teachers and schools in Santa Fe to put students and teachers in direct contact with STEM professionals.  Our 75-100 volunteer network of STEM experts build students’ curiosity and confidence in STEM by engaging them in hands-on STEM learning experiences.   Our organization currently focuses on supporting elementary (K-8) school students.

Our dedicated volunteers enhance classroom learning by:
  • Igniting an early interest in STEM and STEM learning activities
  • Demonstrating how STEM relates to everyday life
  • Exposing students to a variety of STEM careers

Our volunteers support young STEM learners by giving them the unique opportunity to work directly with “real scientists.”

Our Current Programs
In the interests of the health and safety of our program participants and our volunteers, the Alliance will deliver all of its services remotely, and there will be no in-person interaction with faculty, staff or students of the Santa Fe Public Schools.  This policy will be revisited as circumstances evolve with the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Science/STEM Fairs

  • In 2019-2020 we judged 1,537 student projects at 21 school STEM fairs.  More than 2,100 K-12 Santa Fe Public School students had the unique opportunity to have a personal interview with a scientist or STEM expert.
  • We also mentored 370 elementary and high school students at three schools as they worked on their STEM fair projects and engaged 250 elementary students in a classroom science experiment to model and reinforce key elements in a project.
Adopt-A-School
We link a team of Alliance volunteers with an elementary school to provide tailored, year-round STEM wrap-around support and programs.  This program supports young STEM learners by engaging them in a variety of hands-on STEM experiences, both during and after-school, led by our our network of volunteers.

Science Cafes

In 2006, we launched our “Science Cafes for Young Thinkers” program.  We invited local scientists and STEM professionals -- from astronomers, biologists and geologists to climatologists, physicists and authors -- to share cutting edge research and topics with Santa Fe students and their families.  From 2006 – 2017, we hosted 65 Science Cafes at the O’Keeffe Museum Annex.  Attendance ranged from 20-140 participants, with an average attendance of approximately 50 people.  In 2017, the Santa Fe Science Initiative also partnered with us to host a few cafes.  This series of evening interactive workshops helped to spark interest in a variety of STEM topics among Santa Fe students and gave youth a chance to learn how some local “real scientists” discovered and prepared for their career path.
 
In fall 2017, we joined forces with the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) to support their teen science cafes, which is part of Café Scientifique New Mexico.  The SFIS teen café series hosts nine cafes a year, which are open to all Santa Fe high school students.  Each café features a 20-minute presentation, hands-on activities, free food and a raffle prize.

Professional Enrichment for Educators

We have supported numerous one-day programs for teachers and educators on STEM-related topics that are relevant to their work in the classrooms.  
 
In 2018, we partnered with the Santa Fe Public Schools and the National Center for Genome Resources to provide a professional development workshop for middle and high school teachers.  As a result of this training, more than 1,065 middle and high school students will participate in DNA wet and computer-based labs, which will have an enormous impact on student engagement and learning.