“Making Research a Core Value”- our mission
Inquiry Facilitators, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, was founded in 2002 initially to assist teachers and students in using student research as a teaching/learning method in secondary education. Workshops, student research expos, and assistance to students conducting research projects were our primary focus. Office space was secured in 2005, along main street Bernalillo, New Mexico, when it was learned that If, inc. had been selected the official host committee for the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Since the incredibly successful Intel ISEF 2007, we have been building our programs, NM RoboRAVE International, Science and Math Boot camps (K-12), Educational Consulting and Research ROCKS, that continue to promote research. These programs are under the President and Founder, Russ Fisher-Ives, formerly the SciMatics Academy Head at Rio Rancho High School (1997-2004). In addition to our organization’s programs, we collaborate with other student-based initiatives such as the Supercomputing Challenge, NM MESA, CENAC, FFA and AISES.
A long term goal is to design, implement and sustain a research camp for high school juniors and seniors similar to the National Youth Science Camp (www.nysc.org) for New Mexico. It is only through collaboration that our state will move forward as a leader in the areas of scientific research, economic development, and technologic improvements.
We will start by assuming that such values as honesty, integrity, responsibility and the pursuit for truth are part of your core value base. They are fundamental values that we work very hard to adhere to and improve throughout our life. Therefore, when we state our mission as “Making Research a Core Value” you may respond “How does that fit with my current values?”
1 – Question: testable, measurable, repeatable, observable and based in the natural world
2 – Data: collection of appropriate information specific to the question; not quantity but quality
3 – Analysis: representing findings, unbiased, after rigorous scrutiny regardless if favorable or unfavorable to your pursuit
4 – Presentation: allowing peer review to critique the outcome(s)
We see research as integral to a person’s character as honesty, integrity, responsibility and the pursuit for truth. So, it is no wonder that we feel very strongly about helping our children embrace and embody research so they can gain a deeper understanding of their world as they explore it through their interests. We promote this action by saying that “Any Interest Can Drive Research.” It is our job to help them learn how to think and organize it so they can produce a quality product. We fully believe that every child has some interest that they want to explore, discover and learn more about. Helping them develop the core value of research will serve them for a lifetime, regardless of the path they end up taking.
Therefore, it is our fundamental belief that our mission will assist children to understand their personal world as well as learn critical skills to be competitive in the global economy. We, the current adult force, do have a core value with our youth. We must raise the most educated, critically-thinking, group of future leaders that will apply their attitudes, skills and knowledge of science, mathematics and engineering with honesty, integrity and responsibly as they seek truth through research.
Our office is located at:
724 South Camino del Pueblo
Bernalillo, NM 87004
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 15160
Rio Rancho, NM 87174
Fax number: 867-0687
In-state phone number: 505-867-2007
Email: Info@gotoif.org