Feature

Science signed, Sealed and Delivered

Susan M. Reiss

In an age of fax machines, electronic mail, and video conferences, some 2,500 scientists and over 15,000 fourth through ninth graders have decided to use an older form of communication—the letter. They're part of Science-by-Mail, a penpal program run by the Boston Museum of Science. Each academic year since 1986, students and scientists across the country and overseas have been writing to each other, exchanging notes on everything from pets to solutions for science challenges developed by the Science Museum staff. The challenges, which have ranged from making a square bubble to discovering the wonders of static electricity, are aimed at increasing students' critical thinking skills and their interest in science.