 About
Us
“This incredible, hands-on facility is designed to "create
enthusiasm and excitement for math and science" for kids of all
ages -- right on up to seniors.” —Frommer's
The Western Colorado Math & Science Center is a non-profit,
hands-on facility, operating to: “Create enthusiasm and excitement
for math and science” for all ages. It is directed by its
founder, John McConnell, and operates with a marvelous band of dedicated
volunteers who bring math and science alive for our visitors. The volunteers
cover all ages, but retirees make up the majority. The Center operates
with no paid staff in a public school building, thanks to the Mesa County
School District 51. We are a 501{c}3 non-profit organization.
Over 63,000 students on scheduled field trips have
visited
since the Center opened in January 2000.
The Math & Science Center began operation January
2000 at the New Emerson School in Grand Junction, Colorado. It came
about because of 9 years of volunteering with kids, and mentoring of
Ryan Patterson (discussed in Mentoring Section).
It began with my volunteering with one class at Wingate Elementary,
and progressed out of the trunk of my car for those years. It was like
a traveling road show, going out for over 100 miles, with an ever increasing
audience. It was during these early years that the project was given
the acronym SITHOK, which stands for “Science In The Hands Of
Kids”. After reaching about 5,000 students per year from the
car, I asked the School Administration for space, which they granted.
The idea was to put the basic elements of science out
on tables with descriptions for students and adults to investigate hands-on.
This method presents the most displays for a given dollar. A majority
of the stations have been constructed in my shop, some purchased, and
those constructed by several of our great volunteers. We are constantly
changing and adding displays.
The Riverview Science Park is a new addition opening
in the fall of 2003. It is a 5.5 acre outdoor science park going down
to the Colorado River. Development work is still in progress. Take
a virtual hike on the River Trail.
Who Is John McConnell?
The Board of Regents of the University
of Colorado awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa,
to John McConnell in May 2004 in recognition of his exceptional commitment
to K - 12 math and science education in Colorado. This article
was written to describe the man behind the legacy that CU calls:
“A Celebration of Commitment to Math, to Science and to Young
Minds”
After 30 years of working as a physicist at the Ames
and Los Alamos National Laboratories, John retired to Grand Junction
in 1990. Rather than retire in the literal sense, he embarked on a
new life challenge as an educator and mentor of Western Colorado K
- 12 students of math and science.
Taking the initiative to bring more math and science
into local schools, he developed sophisticated hands-on experiments
and interactive presentations, which he carted around in the trunk
of his car and presented to students and teachers. As the popularity
of his program flourished, he outgrew his mobile laboratory and established
the Western Colorado Math and Science Center. This unique facility
contains more than 160 exhibits and hands-on displays, a 5.5 acre
science park which annually enriches the science and math education
of thousands of Colorado students and teachers. John has never accepted
monetary payment for his efforts.
John has mentored many students, including Ryan Patterson
who is now a CU-Boulder student in the College of Engineering and
Applied Science.
Ryan was one of the most sought after high school students
in 2002 and was the winner of national awards for the invention of
a glove that translates American Sign Language into written words
on a digital display.
Recently, John’s Center developed an outreach
relationship with the CU-Boulder College of Engineering and Applied
Science allowing CU engineering students to work at the Center during
the summer. CU faculty also work with his volunteer staff to conduct
off-campus workshops for students and teachers.
An alumnus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas,
John began his career as a physicist at the Ames Laboratory at Iowa
State University where he worked from 1960-1974. He spent the next
16 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico working
on linear accelerator projects of national significance.
John has been honored at the local, state and national
level for his outstanding public service teaching and mentoring future
engineers and scientists. He has received numerous awards in the last
decade including the Corporation for Public Service Award (one of
only seven in the nation), the Governor’s Colorado Cares Volunteer
Service Award for education, the United States Department of Education
John Stanford Education Heroes Award (one of ten in the nation), and
the Points of Light Award. John received his honorary doctorate from
the University of Colorado in May 2004.
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