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How to Volunteer

Share Your Love of Science—Volunteer with Science Buddies!

Science Buddies is dedicated to helping increase K-12 science literacy and fostering enthusiasm for science and science fair projects. We invite you to join us! We have several programs and opportunities for volunteers interested in sharing their own science expertise or interested in helping spread the word about Science Buddies. Most of our volunteer opportunities are flexible, convenient, and take less than an hour a week.

The Ask an Expert Program

The Ask an Expert Program is a free online forum where students and parents can ask questions about K-12 science projects. Our team of volunteer experts work together to provide personalized assistance with students who have questions about any phase of their project, from coming up with an idea to analyzing data to displaying results at a science fair.

Volunteers in the Ask an Expert forums check in on a scheduled day once a week in a forum that matches their area of expertise and provide guidance to students working on science projects. Experts typically spend thirty minutes to one hour, once a week, answering questions. We ask that volunteers commit to the entire school year, but at times we do make shorter assignments.

The Ask an Expert volunteer season runs from September-May (although we maintain a limited number of volunteers in summer months). We begin recruiting and scheduling volunteers each August. We accept applications year-round and will contact you when we begin recruiting for the next school year.

Our team of volunteer Experts includes both adults and high school student mentors:

High School Student Volunteers (grades 10-12, US only)

Undergraduate, Graduate Student, and Adult Volunteers (US only)

Ask an Expert Breeds Success

With the help of Ask an Expert and a mentoring relationship with Science Buddies volunteer, Donna Hardy from Bio-Rad, Christina Wang completed top-level microbiology research and went to the Intel ISEF as both a sophomore and a junior. Read her story...

McCray McGee (2nd grade) put Squanto's advice about using dead fish as fertilizer to the test in the family garden. Volunteers in the Ask an Expert Forums helped McCray and his family keep the project age-appropriate.

My Science Buddies

Our My Science Buddies volunteer system makes it even easier to volunteer with Science Buddies. My Science Buddies allows members of the Science Buddies community to choose volunteer opportunities from a list of short-term tasks with which we need assistance. Most tasks can be completed in a few hours (or less), allowing busy volunteers to contribute in convenient and meaningful ways. We have a range of opportunities for volunteers, allowing volunteers to donate in ways that match their expertise and areas of interest. Current needs include project testing, graphic design, image procurement, blog writing in cutting-edge areas of research, and more!

All users who complete My Science Buddies tasks earn points for the community activity, and we encourage companies and groups to form teams to put their organizations on the My Science Buddies Volunteer Leaderboard!

Volunteering with My Science Buddies is as Easy as 1-2-3-4!

  1. Register for a Science Buddies membership. (It takes less than 3 minutes to sign up!)

  2. Look at the My Science Buddies volunteer opportunities. (For additional and specialized tasks, check the Other Volunteer Tasks list.

  3. Choose tasks that fit your expertise, interests, and availability.

  4. Earn points for your community contributions and help us ensure the continued high quality of our materials!

Help in Other Ways?

If you are interested in helping in ways other than those described above, please contact us at volunteer@sciencebuddies.org.

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Free science fair projects.