SCIENCE IS COOL
Game-changing virtual events for an EdTech start-up and a canceled conference turned to digital lemonade gold.
Within two years “Science is Cool” events reached over 140,000 educators in 204 countries...
How It All Began
PocketLab brought me on as a Creative Director to strategize marketing and build their team. Then the world shut down, and a few days into lockdown, we seized an opportunity to create our virtual event to unite educators and scientists. Three days later, Science is Cool virtual unconferences were born and branded.
Because science is cool.
Make It Happen
We produced our first “Science is Cool” (ScIC) event on April 1, 2020. Anticipating a few hundred participants, we were thrilled to receive over 3,000 registrations, with an in-person attendance rate surpassing 75%.
Since the initial unconference, PocketLab has hosted fifteen large virtual events that attract ~10,000 teachers each, 20+ webinars, and created dozens of invaluable partnerships.
Real By Design
We partnered with science celebrities like Neil deGrasse Tyson from StarTalk, Ira Flatow from Science Friday, and Miles O'Brien from PBS NewsHour.
We spoke with teachers, not at them. Messaging was personal, and the unconference structure honored audience input on the upcoming events. The all-day single-stream structure kept everyone together in one space, and there was one cardinal rule for presenters: no slides.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson
COSMOS, STARTALK
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Miles O'Brien
PBS NEWSHOUR
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Constance Steinkuehler
U.C. IRVINE
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Ira Flatow
SCIENCE FRIDAY
Pretty Great Results
Within two years, Science is Cool became the largest STEM community on the planet. New partnerships position PocketLab as a science industry leader and a superstar for educators around the globe, and created a brand new business model resulting in unprecedented and exponential growth.
Teacher Testimonials
Event Registrations
140,000 Educators
Global Reach
204 Countries
“ScIC by PocketLab” Facebook Group
12,300 Members
“PocketLab” Facebook Page
7,400 Likes and 8,300 Followers
“ScIC Science is Cool Unconference” Facebook Page
16,000 Likes and 18,000 Followers
Super Fans
Authentic conversations make Science is Cool unconferences different and one-minute clips performed well on ads and social.
Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the science behind smell and memory.
The International Space Station director's unexpected path into science
The Hip Hop Scientist shares strategies for reaching students in his own world
A chat with National Geographic Society’s gorilla pee collector, named “the worst job in the world.”
Dr. Sian Proctor's unconventional journey from outsider to astronaut
Timeline of Events
March 2020 - March 2022
MARCH 9, 2020Joined the PocketLab Team
APRIL 1, 2020SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC
FOR TEACHERS, BY TEACHERS
An unprecedented pandemic just canceled everything. What can teachers do?
KEYNOTE: Dr Robert Siegel, Stanford University Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Killer Snails, Argument-Driven Inquiry, Green Ninja, PocketLab, Tyto Online, Vidcode, Estes Rockets, Brown Dog Gadgets, Bozeman Science, TeacherGeek
May 21, 2020SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC2
DISTANCE STEM LEARNING
KEYNOTE: StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice, PocketLab, The Wonder of Science, PhET, TeacherGeek, Hooked On Science, Exploratorium, Argument-Driven Inquiry, Future Engineers, Nasco, Parametric Studios
PocketLab Thermo
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Blue Sky Zero
CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
July 8, 2020SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC3
REMOTE CONTROL
KEYNOTE: StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice, Director of the ISS International Space Station, Smithsonian, Science Friday, Walt Disney Imagineering, National Geographic, NASA, Lego Education.
October 24, 2020SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC4
IN THE CLASSROOM AND BEYOND
KEYNOTE: StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice, PocketLab, Lego Education, The Wonder of Science, Estes Rockets, SciShow, Smithsonian Science Education Center, Green Ninja, Biomimicry Institute, SciStarter, NASA & Future Engineers
ScIC and StarTalk LIVE
CLIMATE WEEK NYC
Hosted StarTalk LIVE at Climate Week NYC
10,000 Teachers
EVENT BY CHUCK NICE FROM STARTALK
Presented with PocketLab and inspired by ScIC2, which attracted 10k educators.
Webinar: Break Room Series
Weather Balloons
Webinar: Break Room Series
Mr. Science Holiday STEM 2020
JANUARY - MARCH 2021PocketLab Website
BRAND STORYTELLING REDESIGN
Long overdue, we carved out time between events to redevelop the PocketLab website.
April 1, 2021SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC5
CITIZEN SCIENCE AND STORYTELLING
KEYNOTE: StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Activate, Walt Disney Imagineering, Exploratorium, PocketLab, Kesler Science, PhET, International Space Station, NGen, NatGeo, Science Friday, SciStarter
Webinar
PocketLab Notebook
Webinar: Break Room Series
Education in Action
Webinar: Break Room Series
PhET Interactive Simulations
July 29, 2021 SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC6 DAY 1
GAME CHANGER
KEYNOTE: Constance Steinkuehler, faculty lead for the UCI Esports Research Lab, Tammie Schrader, Garden State Esports, Robbie Melton, StarTalk, Twitch, Highschool.GG, Epic Games, Minecraft, First Global & Filament Games, Science Friday
AUGUST 5, 2021 SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC6 DAY 2
SUMMIT: LET’S FIX STEM
STEM Coordinators and Administrators discuss how to fix common STEM education issues. K-5 STEM, Women in STEM, Integration, Esports/Games, 21st Century Skills, DEI, Local Phenomena
Webinar: Break Room Series
UrbanHeat ATL
Webinar: Break Room Series
Games & Esports
Webinar: Break Room Series
Women in STEM
PocketLab G-Force
PRODUCT LAUNCH
“A science lab on wheels.”
October 28, 2021SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC7
INNOVATION IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM
KEYNOTE: Ira Flatow with Science Friday, OpenSciEd, Vernier, Conceptual Academy, Chris Rush Town Hall, SEL from WestEd, Wow in the World, Donors Choose, NSF National Science Foundation
Webinar: Break Room Series
G-Force Fighter Pilot
Webinar
Mr. Science Holiday STEM
February 28, 2022SCIENCE IS COOL · ScIC8
ACTION + IMPACT
KEYNOTE: Miles O’Brien with PBS NewsHour, UrbanHeat ATL, Georgia Tech, Maynard Okereke, Future Engineers, NASA, STEM Panel
ScIC Unplugged
SCIENCE IS COOL PODCAST
ScIC Unconferences
Keystone events for ScIC occurred every few months, structured as one eight-hour long stream with five-minute breaks. Hosting on Zoom made people feel like they were “right there with us.”
Webinars
Special events were hosted by ScIC and PocketLab, in association with new partnerships. We tested these events with our large audience for reach depending on the host, style of event, and timing.
Product Launches
PocketLab designs and manufactures multi-purpose science lab sensors. Marketing efforts coordinated with the manufacturing team for these launches to sync with large events and attention.
Audience-Driven Innovation
In March 2020, PocketLab was a small startup with 800 followers and part-time marketing help. Fast forward two years, boosted by Science is Cool events and a dedicated marketing team, we expanded our leads, forged standout partnerships, and established PocketLab as a global thought leader in the education industry.
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