Philadelphia has long struggled with unequal access to science, technology, engineering and math education, and a new initiative from Temple University is aiming to help close that gap one school visit at a time. Temple’s College of Science and Technology (CST), in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), officially introduced its new STEMM bus at a back-to-school fair on campus in early September, drawing over 200 students and families from the surrounding community. Beyond the science demonstrations, the event featured backpack and school supply giveaways, laptop and iPad raffles, and free food β a reminder that outreach like this is about more than just curriculum.Β
The mobile lab itself was years in the making, originally envisioned by former CST dean Michael Klein and developed with support from George Kenney, assistant vice president of government affairs, and Susan Varnum, senior associate dean of undergraduate affairs. What started as an idea to bring Temple’s science resources beyond campus has now become a fully equipped, rolling classroom ready to serve schools that otherwise couldn’t offer the same hands-on lab experience.Β
This school year, the bus will travel to five schools across the city: Universal Creighton Charter School, Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, String Theory Charter School, Philadelphia Academy Charter School, and St. Teresa of Calcutta School. At St. Teresa, for example, teacher Riley Keenan has already built a lesson plan using the bus, having students test water samples from local creeks before and after running them through homemade filtration systems β the kind of hands-on lab work that’s often out of reach for schools without dedicated science facilities. Keenan, who developed the lesson as part of Temple’s new Teacher Collaborative, said she was drawn to the program specifically because of its mission of bringing lab supplies and experiential learning to communities that don’t typically have access to it.Β
That mission speaks to a gap that’s well documented. Research on STEM education in Philadelphia has pointed to what one report called a “black hole” of access in underserved neighborhoods, with minority and low-income students consistently trailing their peers on standardized math and science exams β in one measure, Black and Hispanic eighth graders scored roughly 30 points lower than white peers on the state’s math exam, a gap that widens further as students reach high school. Nationally, of Black and Hispanic eighth graders who show proficiency in math, only about 40% go on to pursue a STEM major in college, a trend researchers link partly to a shortage of STEM teachers β especially teachers of color β who could serve as role models in these communities.Β
That shortage isn’t incidental; it’s structural. A 2023 analysis from the nonprofit Research for Action found that Pennsylvania’s most underfunded school districts employ significantly fewer teachers per student than well-funded districts, and the gap is most pronounced in specialized subjects like STEM, art, and foreign language. Closing that staffing gap statewide, the report estimated, would require hiring thousands of additional teachers and spending billions more in salaries. Philadelphia’s own superintendent has testified in state court that the city β the poorest large city in the country β routinely has to choose which support staff and specialized teachers it can afford to keep, with science education often among the casualties of those tradeoffs.Β
The city has recently seen some relief on the funding side. This year, Philadelphia received a $157 million, in this fiscal year, boost in state funding aimed at closing these long-standing gaps, part of a broader response to a 2023 state Supreme Court ruling that found Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional. But officials caution that even with sustained annual increases, it could take years to close a shortfall estimated at $1.25 billion for Philadelphia alone β meaning the kind of resource gaps that leave schools without science labs or specialized teachers won’t disappear anytime soon.Β
That’s where community partnerships like Temple’s STEMM bus come in. Rather than waiting on the slow pace of state funding reform, universities and nonprofits across the city β through programs like STEM Philly, STEMCityPHL, and now CST’s Teacher Collaborative β are stepping in with hands-on, immediate resources that don’t require years of litigation or legislative approval to reach students. The Teacher Collaborative behind the STEMM bus, made up of local educators who spent the summer developing curriculum alongside CST staff, reflects a growing recognition that closing the STEM gap requires not just funding, but sustained relationships between universities and the schools they serve.Β
For Temple students, the STEMM bus is a reminder that the university’s impact doesn’t stop at its own gates. It’s part of a citywide, and often quiet, effort to make sure a student’s access to quality science education doesn’t depend on their zip code β one water sample, one filtration system, and one bus stop at a time.