PHILADELPHIA - A three-year, $800,000 grant to the University of Pennsylvania will enhance science learning in grades 4-8 in six Philadelphia schools.

Science Projects Are Right for Kids, or SPARK!, from the National Science Foundation is designed to enrich science education for 100 elementary school students in four public and two charter schools in the city.

The SPARK! grant not only allows researchers to study how children learn science inside and outside the classroom, but it is also designed to inspire underrepresented minority students to pursue science- and engineering-related careers.  Researchers will seek to determine if students learn better when they study science and technology through real-world problem solving.  They will also evaluate how mentors and more individual attention affect student learning.

Students will meet after school, Saturdays and in the summer to complete activities that focus on real-world engineering problems in biotechnology, zoo habitats, nanotechnology, electronics and robotics.

Nancy Streim, associate dean for educational practice in Penn's Graduate School of Education, is in charge of the project.

"We hope to inspire students in Penn's partnership schools to consider careers in science, math and technology," Streim said.  "Through the collaboration of four major institutions we expect to have an impact on children's academic and career aspirations that is greater than what any of us could hope to accomplish individually."

GSE will partner with Penn's schools of Engineering and Applied Science and Social Policy and Practice, along with the School District of Philadelphia, iPraxis and the Philadelphia Zoo in offering the program.