On an unseasonably sunny Seattle afternoon, the auditorium is packed with students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and supporters from the University of Washington and industry. The excitement is palpable. The principal proudly whispers, “a bigger turn out than we get for basketball games!” It is the Science Fair at the African American Academy!

What made this occasion very special is the fact that the 250 middle school students who eagerly participated in the science fair did not have a science teacher, lab or equipment until last year. The University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) ERC and MESA (Math, Engineering and Science Achievement) have teamed up to create a reality that students can dream about until the next science fair and for years to come. They developed a pilot program to collaborate with the African American Academy (AAA), a K-8 alternative school in the Seattle Public School System, to begin an inquiry-based science program for the AAA students. The AAA serves a population that the traditional educational system has failed. In 1999 only 6% of 4th grade students met standards on the math portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning and at the middle school level there are few teachers who hold science or math endorsements. The student body is 91% African American with 86% qualifying for free and reduced lunch. MESA serves 4,100 underrepresented students in 71 schools in Washington State, and in 1999 94% of MESA seniors pursued higher education with 68% entering SMET areas of study. The partnership has made it possible for both programs to leverage resources and to create more learning opportunities for middle and high school students and middle school teachers.