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Fiction became a reality when a "magic" school bus pulled up to Kathryn Spivey's science class at Banneker Middle School in Burtsonville, Md. Though this bus was black and not yellow, the interior was gleaming white, with interactive tablets, high-definition video and special effects panels to take the students on a journey through the solar system. The explorer lab bus, a mobile STEM lab run by the nonprofit organization Learning Undefeated, is one of several buses bringing science to rural, low-income communities. Each of the mobile labs is accompanied by Learning Undefeated instructors. Scientists, educators and interns from AmeriCorps are oftentimes alongside, too. The students at Banneker have been learning remotely since March of 2020 and only recently returned to in-person learning. The kids had a blast, commenting on how cool the whole experience was. "I'm trying really hard to get these kids experiences they may have missed out on," said Spivey. "It really is something the kids are enjoying and I think they're learning more than they realize."
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