October 5, 2011

Please Help AiP Support the Social Sciences

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

It's October—baseball is in its final throes for the season, football frenzy is fast upon us, the holiday season is peeking at us, and the kids are back in school.

I was fortunate to have some excellent teachers growing up, but I also remember having to use scrappy, dog eared copies of books, having to copy worksheets by hand to save them for subsequent classes to use, and seeing my parents sigh when I brought home a letter asking for money for Weekly News subscriptions—but they always found the money for me.

Now more than ever, schools and parents are struggling to meet the needs of students. My passion for anthropology grew from those Weekly News articles, which gave me an appreciation for the wider world and the ways we are connected. I'd love to help inspire some children similarly, which is why Anthropology in Practice is joining other SciAm bloggers in the Science Writers for Students DonorsChoose Drive.

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I've selected a series of social science requests from classrooms in New York that could use funding—including a request for copies of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. Please help if you can—and spread the word.

The funding drive will run from Oct. 2 through Oct. 22. Here's how it works: when you donate to a project, the funds are held until the project is fully funded. Then DonorsChoose purchases the materials and delivers them to a classroom. If the project isn't funded by the deadline, the funds are returned to you so you can reallocate. Sometimes, projects qualify for bonuses and companies will match your offer—these projects are marked so you can identify them.

Visit Anthropology in Practice Supports Social Sciences and support social science today!

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