1. Chamber Executive Fall 2015 27
F
or three days in May, people pour into a building on the
Yale University campus for one of the biggest events ar-
ranged by the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.
But this is not a typical chamber event. When participants dis-
cuss “data,” they are not comparing cell phone plans. Likewise,
“boards” have nothing to do with business leaders. That’s be-
cause the participants, more than 1,000 students in an annual
city-wide science fair, display “project boards” and explain data
from their experiments to a team of judges.
This isn’t your average science fair. Rather than concentrat-
ing on students in certain grades, as many fairs do, this one wel-
comes participants from preschool all the way to twelfth grade.
A recent kindergarten group project was “Germs – A Closer
Look at Hand-Washing.”
And the science fair’s reach extends far beyond the event it-
self to include mentoring opportunities, teacher training and
events designed to interest students and their parents in the sci-
entific process.
While Yale is one of the top universities for turning out For-
tune 500 CEOs, nearly a quarter of the families in New Haven
have incomes below the poverty level, according to city-data.
com, and another 20 percent are near the poverty level ($24,250
for a family of four). For many of the city’s kids, the science fair
is a rare extra-curricular opportunity.
Since 2007, the science fair program has been overseen and
administered by the chamber. The program consultant, Maureen
Coelho, is a part-time chamber employee whose salary is paid
by grants to the chamber’s foundation. All expenses—about
$100,000—are covered by grants and donations, although the
chamber contributes in numerous intangible ways. And despite
the unconventional path that led to the partnership with the
chamber, those closest to the program say it would be difficult
to duplicate the benefits the unique arrangement offers.
If results can be measured by uplifting anecdotes, the science
fair is a success. Coelho recalls the time one student was
inspired to build a working robot—even though the only way
to acquire necessary parts was to dig through neighborhood
trash. Another time, a special needs student received a third
place trophy and hoisted it up, with tears in his eyes and TV
cameras rolling.
Seeking Program Continuity
New Haven’s science fair program began in 1994, more than
a decade before the chamber started overseeing it. The program
grew out of a federal grant designed to get fairs started in areas
with underserved populations, says Coelho. For many years, it
was administered by another not-for-profit where she worked.
Ultimately, that organization decided to focus on state-wide
programs, rather than those affecting one city, says Jack Crane,
a member of the New Haven Science Fair steering committee
and volunteer Project Director for the fair. By day, Crane is di-
rector of growth and innovation services for ConnStep, a non-
profit consulting group assisting Connecticut manufacturers in
becoming more competitive.
Crane fervently believed in the program and knew he needed
to find another 501(c)(3) organization willing to take it on. Af-
ter all, he says,“urban education in America has been in
By Katherine House
A High Profile Community Event
for the Pursuit of Knowledge
The Greater New Haven Chamber Runs
a City-wide Science Fair
The science fair program
would have floundered if
it hadn’t been for Tony
Rescigno, president of the
Greater New Haven Cham-
ber of Commerce.
Chambers Advancing Education
Maureen Coelho
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3. Chamber Executive Fall 2015 29
crisis for some time.” African-American and Hispanic students,
who make up the majority of the New Haven school system’s
population, “consistently perform poorly using any type of cri-
teria you want for educational success and attainment,”he notes.
And, with a large high school drop-out rate in New Haven, “in
an age where it’s more and more important to be educated at a
higher level,” he says, the city’s youth too often end up “dead, in
jail or in a not very good place.”
Not only do these outcomes take a heavy toll on the students
themselves, but they also have implications for the workforce
and the state’s economy, say proponents of the science fair pro-
gram. Even for students who don’t go on to work in scientific
fields, the program offers a chance to learn life skills. Partici-
pants learn to explain their work to adults.And, Crane says, they
gain confidence because they have an opportunity to share their
knowledge and expertise with judges who are scientists.
How the Chamber Got Involved
When Crane went looking for another administrator, the
chamber seemed like a natural fit. A person with ties to Yale,
who worked with the steering committee, also served on the
chamber’s board of directors. Chambers have a natural interest
in helping to create a top-notch workforce, and the chamber
already had a foundation through which donations and grants
could be collected. In addition, chambers “bring diverse groups
of people together,” says Crane, something that was critical to
the ongoing success of the program. Partners include
STEM has Deep Roots
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of STEM (Sci-
ence, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educa-
tion programs in schools and communities nationwide.
Sometimes the acronym includes an extra M for manu-
facturing or an extra A for arts. Many of these programs
are organized or supported by chambers of commerce.
Here’s a small sampling of chamber STEM initiatives:
• The Greater Akron (Ohio) Chamber has helped pio-
neer a regional effort to recognize the importance of
STEM education as an archway to Ohio’s economic
success by partnering with six other entities to launch
a STEM middle school and by assisting in the organi-
zation of a regional STEM conference.
• Greater Spokane Incorporated houses Spokane
STEM, a community partnership focused on trans-
forming how STEM is taught in the classroom, em-
phasizing work-based learning for students and pro-
viding the support necessary for teachers.
• The Fredericksburg (Va.) Regional Chamber cre-
ated an affiliate organization, FredTech, focused on
attracting and supporting technology businesses to
the region. FredTech supports various programs for
students through its STEM 16 program.
• The TwinWest (Minn.) Chamber hosts a middle
school STEM Summit, featuring a trade show at-
mosphere where area businesses provide interactive
demonstrations to promote student interest in STEM
classes and careers.
• The Decatur-Morgan County (Ala.) Chamber of
Commerce and Calhoun Community College team
up to present the Summer Welding Electrical Tech-
nology program for 9-12th grade girls. The SWeETy
Camp is free and provides hands-on experience in
welding, problem solving, and teamwork.
Eighth grader MarQuel Horton discusses his project with a judge at New
Haven’s city-wide science fair.
Photo by Alaina Pritchard/Yale Office of Public Affairs Communications
Judges interview Lukas, a 6th grader, about his project,“Down to the Wire.”
Photo by Alaina Pritchard/Yale Office of Public Affairs Communications
Chambers Advancing Education
5. Chamber Executive Fall 2015 31
New Haven Public Schools, Yale University, other local colleges
and universities, and businesses in scientific, pharmaceutical
and engineering fields.
“The science fair program would have
floundered if it hadn’t been for Tony,” says
Coelho, referring to Tony Rescigno, presi-
dent of the Greater New Haven Chamber
of Commerce. Coelho joined the chamber
team in 2012 after taking a hiatus from
the science fair program for a few years.
Indeed, the partnership with the chamber
offers many benefits, both tangible and in-
tangible:
• The chamber is centrally located in downtown New Ha-
ven and offers convenient meeting space.
• The school system likes that the chamber is the admin-
istrative body, says Crane, because it gives the program
credibility and “shows that the community is behind it.”
• The chamber’s reach within the business community is
helpful when recruiting mentors and judges.
• The chamber’s financial audit helps streamline the
fundraising process. The pharmaceutical industry is un-
der pressure to show that their donations are not used for
influence, says Crane. “So it does make a difference that
[businesses] are giving to the chamber foundation, and
the chamber says there is no quid pro quo,” he explains.
• The chamber provides computers, telephones, copiers
and other needed office equipment.
But the infrastructure offered by the chamber goes far be-
yond meeting space and hardware, Coelho explains. The entire
staff pitches in“with a lot of administrative support, moral sup-
port and publicity,”she says. For example, she would not be able
to get all of the winners’ certificates printed in two hours were
it not for the chamber’s graphic designers, she says. The finance
department helps cut checks for winners of special prizes, as
well as for vendors who supply food to the event itself and sup-
plies, such as project boards. Other employees assist with set-up
on the day of the fair; still others provide publicity and advertis-
ing assistance.
The relationship is beneficial to the chamber, too. The high-
profile program provides plenty of public relations value to the
organization and the business community as a whole. “Mem-
bers are proud of it,” says Rescigno. “The thing that motivated
me initially [to get involved] was that we needed to take a lead-
ership role in education and how kids are being educated,” he
says.“We wanted to make sure we had an impact. We have to get
these kids interested because they’re our future workforce.” At
the same time, helping out students and witnessing their success
is “very rewarding,” he says.
The school system likes that
the chamber is the admin-
istrative body, says Crane,
because it gives the program
credibility and shows that the
community is behind it.
Above: From left, kindergartners Nalani, Trishelle and Montez represent their class project,“ Oranges
Should Never Skinny-dip,”which analyzed whether oranges float with or without their skins.
Left: A judge meets with a group of students at the science fair, held in May on the campus of
Yale University.
Photos by Alaina Pritchard/Yale Office of Public Affairs Communications
Tony Rescigno
Jack Crane
7. Chamber Executive Fall 2015 33
Keys to Success
The New Haven science fair program aims to promote
scientific literacy and to provide a sense of excitement re-
lated to learning and using hands-on science, according
to its web site. At the same time, it wants to help students
“develop skills in critical thinking and communications”
and increase the number of students taking math and sci-
ence in high school and post-secondary environments.
Coelho says the program is successful because of its multi-
faceted approach. The fair itself is actually the culmination of
a months-long process designed to get students and teachers
excited about science and to educate them about the scientific
process.Theprogramgetsunderwayeachfallwith10to12Family
Science Nights at elementary schools selected by the school dis-
trictadministration.Volunteersconductfun,hands-onscientific
experiments;eachschoolalsoreceivesasmallstipendforsnacks.
Additionally, the science fair program offers training to
teachers on advanced topics in nanotechnology and manufac-
turing technology to enhance projects and prepare students
through its partners, Southern Connecticut State University
and Yale’s Center for Research on Interface Structures and
Phenomena. These include three-day summer workshops.
But one of the program’s most complex facets is the re-
cruitment and training of mentors, who work with students
and teachers on individual or group projects throughout
the school year. Last year, 68 mentors came from universi-
ties and private businesses; the majority came from Yale, says
Coelho. Another part-time chamber employee, Dr. Su-
jit Joginpally, serves as science fair mentor coordinator.
As for the event itself, Coelho and the steering committee
must train and recruit 250 volunteer judges, arrange a venue,
order food, provide translators for students who don’t speak
English, plan an awards ceremony and attend to countless oth-
er logistical details. In the end, though, what keeps them go-
ing is the desire, as Coelho puts it, “to level the playing field”
in math and science for the city’s schoolchildren. Says Crane,
“One of the things the science fair brings to them is hands-on
relevance” and a connection to future fields of study or careers.
Crane recalls three female high school students who said
they weren’t interested in science—until they were con-
nected with a mentor from Yale who helped them study
seals along the Atlantic coast. All three attended college,
and two of them majored in science, he says proudly.
Katherine House is an award-winning business writer
based in Iowa City, Iowa.
New Haven Public Schools at a Glance:
Number of Schools: 48
Number of Students: 21,500
Demographics: 42 percent African-American, 41 per-
cent Hispanic, 14 percent white, 2 percent Asian Ameri-
can, 1 percent,“other.”
Graduation Rate: 75.4 percent in 2014, up from 58.1
percent in 2009
Free and Reduced Price Lunch Enrollment: 77.9 percent
(2012)
Sources: www.nhps.net and Federal Education Budget/New America
Foundation
The city-wide science fair includes participants from preschool to 12th grade.Younger children (through grade 3 in 2015) do projects as a class or group.
Photo by Alaina Pritchard/Yale Office of Public Affairs Communications
