Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden

“The Living Laboratory” will connect students, their families, and teachers to information and ideas about science and the surrounding world through formal, rigorous science instruction for grade levels K–8, after hours camps and clubs for middle school students, and internship programs for high school students. The project will measure academic achievement in the understanding of science, encourage at-risk and vulnerable youth to explore future careers in science, and create environmentally conscious learners through purposeful and rigorous participatory experiences. In the long-term, accomplishment of the goals of this project will have an enormous impact on over 4,000 students’ and 200 teachers’ understanding of the natural world, the scientific inquiry process, and their abilities to make contributions to the conservation and preservation of our planet.