Debbie Mickle

Most of us don’t realize how dependent we are on electricity until a storm or accident suddenly takes it out. Our work, our entertainment, the comfort of our homes, even the safety of our food all depend on a steady flow of electrical power.

Just about everything you can do on a computer—checking your email, posting to Facebook, online banking and shopping—is powered by software. The people who come up with that software, and keep it working efficiently, are behind the scenes of a big portion of our lives.

Gummie vitamins have become a popular way to get a good dose of nutrients each day. It’s a routine many of us don’t give much thought to, but a lot of science goes into that little bite: everything from its color to its digestibility was studied and perfected in a lab.

Middle School Student Bennett Clark won the Science Matters Award at the Metro Richmond STEM Fair in 2017. Learn more about why Science matters to him and why he wants to save the coral reefs.

The medications we use today, to treat everything from coughs to cancer, were developed through a series of steps to figure out how safe and effective they are. It’s a long and expensive process, from lab tests to human subjects, before the drug can be made widely available.

Aditya Kotha won the Science Matters Award at the Metro Richmond STEM Fair in 2016. Learn more about his STEM Fair project and why Science matters to him.

"It's not often that you find yourself way up in the air, hanging from a rope, but Science makes it all happen." Kevin Tobin, rock climber and owner of Peak Experiences and Passages Adventure Camp in Richmond, VA explains how science and technology help him manage risk.

Artist Noah Scalin shares why Science Matters to him.

Amateur Pilot Janet Rafner says that understanding the scientific principals behind flight helps her experience the world from above.

How do you track a disease? How do you determine if a blood sample contains a virus or a bacteria that could make millions of people sick? What type of information would you need to know to stop a disease from spreading? If you are interested in these questions then being an “Illness investigator” or a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) might be the right career path for you.