Our Story

iPods. Smart phones. Pharmaceuticals. Alternative energy. YouTube. For many Americans, having so much technology within easy reach makes the idea of a scientific crisis in this country incomprehensible. The media subtly and continually portrays Americans as smarter and more capable than ever. In addition, when it comes to scientific progress and education, countries such as India and China are primarily associated with a poorly educated population good for low-wage, outsourced labor.

On the contrary, the reality is that these low-wage societies are significantly more high-tech than most realize. Worse, the media has failed to accurately project the future results of a dangerous trend in American education where we are losing our global economic and technological edge.

In 2006, as Jeremy Babendure graduated with his doctoral degree from UCSD, he recognized the symptoms of this national science crisis. His research had explored fluorescent proteins, and he saw an opportunity to engage high school students in cutting edge research. He realized that you first have to change attitudes towards science before you can change science education. “Glow in the dark” bacteria was his key to opening that door. Starting with a two-part "BioBridge Labs" series, “Bacterial Transformation” and “Protein Purification,” Jeremy began leading high school students through genetic engineering labs.

From there, BioBridge has evolved into ScienceBridge, developing new labs and curricula in science education incubators. Our programs now include a number of "boots on the ground" programs for innovation. Cutting-edge science can be taught in classrooms. The organization is sustainable and scalable through the building of stronger support networks throughout public school districts, and creating new programs to achieve the goal of spreading enthusiasm for the sciences.