Our Mission
Cultivating Leadership Through Science
IAMM Science Education Group is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through science education, critical inquiry, and culturally grounded dialogue. Our mission is to expand access to knowledge, nurture intellectual curiosity, and cultivate leadership by integrating STEM education, scholarship with support, and community-centered conversations that inspire lifelong learning, social responsibility, and encourage unlimited human potential.
Our Vision
A Future of Equity & Empowerment
Our vision is to create a future where Black and Brown children, who have historically faced marginalization within science, engineering, mathematics, arts, and agricultural professions due to systemic racism, are empowered through ethically trained educators to address and reduce disparities.
We envision a society where these children not only gain access to applied science knowledge but also develop a profound understanding of the interconnections between the arts, agriculture, nutrition, and health. Through inclusive programs, we provide the tools, resources, and mentorship necessary to advocate for equitable access to STEAM.
In collaboration with community partners, healthcare professionals, artists, land equity and food sovereignty activists, and educators, we are forging a path towards dismantling systemic racism and improving the overall well-being of marginalized communities. Together, we are committed to breaking down barriers and creating a healthier and more equitable future. This is IAMM Science.
Our Elevator Pitch
"Our three pillars — IAMM Science, Infinite Possibilities Scholarship, and the Philly Salon — expand access to education for Black and Brown students pursuing STEAM pathways. Rooted in IAMM Science's arts-integrated approach, the scholarship supports learners in developing critical thinking, creativity, and confidence — empowering them to see themselves as innovators, problem-solvers, and future leaders."
Our Origin Story
Founded in 2001 — A Shared Calling
Beginning in 2001, a diverse group of professionals (and one student) — including a physicist (PhD), an MD, a social worker (MSW), an elementary school biology teacher (MEd), and a project manager for a social service agency — living in different cities across the United States, came to a similar conclusion: Black and Brown people are severely underrepresented in all facets of the sciences and technology. A survey of statistics, coupled with empirical evidence, was enough for the group to embark upon an endeavor that became the focus of their collective and individual work from then until now.
Two members of the nascent team taught university students from lower-income and communities of color. Students uniformly reported having few or no dedicated STEAM instructors at any academic level. Fewer still reported having had interactions with STEAM professionals of color up to the point of their encounters with members of the IAMM Science team.
Thus, our resources aimed at the K–12 population are both strategic and logical. Using Philadelphia, PA as an example — the de facto home of IAMM Science — we discovered that in 2015, the Washington Post reported that Pennsylvania schools, particularly in Philadelphia, suffered from resource inequities including quality and dedicated science instructors more than any school in the nation.
"Pa. schools are the nation's most inequitable" — Washington Post; Emma Brown, April 22, 2015
We are working diligently to sustain what we have begun. With charter, public, and parochial school students in communities of color and low-income communities as our target population, we embody — one school, one classroom, one after-school program and church group at a time — the motto of IAMM Science Education Group: Science for the people!
