"You either make- or unmake a scientist by fifth grade"
Because we believe this statement to be true the RIMES Program works with K-8 and K-12 teachers and science coordinators to enhance K-8 and K-12 science education through the development of exciting, hands-on curriculums. Our work studying the environmental effect of the Souiffre Hills Volcano on Montserrat serves as an ideal venue for this purpose. We currently have three K-8/K-12 partner schools in the United States, Russia and Montserrat (see below). The K-8/K-12 curriculums that we are developing are highly interdisciplinary and incorporate the best teaching concepts of the American, Russian and British (Montserrat) educational systems.

School 636**
191186, 38, Moyka Embankment
St. Petersburg, Russia
Telephone: 7-812-311-1660
FAX: 7-812-315-7918
Principle: Ms. Kesayeva Svetlana
Principles English Speaking Email Contact: Remma* (compositatg@svs.ru)
Project Coordinator: Klara Zinger* (NB: All communications to School 636 must go through Ms. Zinger)
Email: klarazinger@mail.ru
(*speaks English)

Klara Zinger RIMES Coordinator School 636, St. Petersburg, Russia

Benjamin Banneker Charter School^
21 Notre Dame Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02142
Telephone: 617-491-7771
FAX-617-491-4223
Principle: Ms. Lenore Jennings
Email: ljennings@banneker.org
Science Coordinator: Dr. Barney Hoops
Email: bhoop@banneker.org
URL: http://www.banneker.org/
The Voyage of the Benjamin Banneker
Video of the Benjamin Banneker Charter School

Montserrat Secondary School**
Olveston, Montserrat, West Indies
Telephone: 664-491-6711
Principle: Ms. Kathleen Greenaway
Email: Montsec4@hotmail.com
Project Coordinator: Dr. Ian Tolan
Email: mailto:itolan@yahoo.com

Dr. Ian Tolan RIMES Coordinator Montserrat Secondary School

The overall goal of this novel effort is to dramatically increase the number of students from all three countries pursuing terminal degrees (doctorates) in science by:

1. Instilling in them a passion for science during in their formative years. This will be achieved by involving students and their teachers in the research on Montserrat. Of great importance, this involvement will be formulated by the teachers and administrators of each school according to their own educational needs and goals.
   
2. Establishing educational linkages through which students from all three schools can pursue their baccalaureate and subsequent graduate degrees with one of the many mentors (e.g. the participating scientists) available to them through The RIMES Project. We will establish specialized recruitment and admission processes with our respective universities and alma maters to recruit students from the three school partner whose career interests lie in the field sciences.
   
3. Providing students with a strong scientific foundation for their future academic endeavors through their long-term involvement with The RIMES Project’s international corps of established scientists. The international content of the consortium reflects the international nature of science. Students will not only benefit by learning a large body of state-of-the-art science, but will learn the important process of scientific collaboration.)
   
4. Providing students with a corps of mentors who will personally guide individual students to their career goals. We fully expect that a considerable percentage of graduates of the three schools will ultimately pursue their doctoral science degrees with one of the scientists involved in The RIMES Project.
   
5. Providing career strategies and opportunities to students and teachers at the Montserrat Secondary School. In this regard, participating scientists will hold annual meetings, luncheons and seminars for students and teachers of all three schools. These sessions will spell out established- and changing educational processes with respect to undergraduate and graduate education. It is well established that students who fail academically often do so because of poor or non-existing educational strategies.

The formation of this educational consortium brings together three schools from three different nations and cultures; but whose educational standards and expectations are uniformly high. Through the involvement of these school’s teachers involved in our research on Montserrat will develop new, more effective and hands-on methods for K-12 science teaching incorporating the best aspects of the British/Caribbean, American and Russian educational systems.