Cycle for Science is program to translate cutting edge environmental research into hands-on lessons for K-12 students, and bring those lessons to students by bicycle. We strive for inclusive, creative, active lessons that get students moving and interacting with science. I co-founded Cycle for Science with Rachel Woods-Robinson in 2015. We cycled across the United States, stopping at 10 schools, libraries, and summer camps to teach about solar energy using a 3D-printed Sol Cycle that we designed ourselves. We created an interactive lesson to teach students how solar panels work, then had students build the Sol Cycles and take them outside to study (and race!). Each classroom is then left with a Sol Cycle kit so that the fun could continue even after we cycled off. 

This program continued in 2017 and 2019, with week-long trips in California (2017) to teach about air quality, the Hudson Valley (2019) to teach about glaciers, and the Netherlands (2019) to teach about solar energy. Lessons are available on our website and free to use and adapt.

These visits and lessons are always free for teachers, students, and classrooms. We have crowd-founded more than $13,000 and were the recipients of one of the AGU Centennial Grants in 2019.

We have been on a bit of a break since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. However, if you are a researcher, cyclist, or educator and want to run your own Cycle for Science program, we can help you set one up. We’re also always on the look out for funding opportunities, and have prepared text for, e.g., Broader Impacts sections of NSF grants. Get in touch!