I’m just back from the Wisconsin Science Festival in Madison. I’ve been to similar events in several states and if there is one word that characterizes them all it is excitement. Sure, kids spending a school day in a cool building surrounded by lots of exhibits will always be energized. And a Saturday excursion to see robots and rockets is a surefire winner for many families. But the buzz that I’ve witnessed at these fairs is not only in the children. There’s a sense among the adults—from the professors presenting to the undergrads facilitating—that because science is such an exciting field, kids are going to “get” it. Rather than being an impenetrable language separating experts from amateurs, science is an expanding and expansive field and its activities are thrilling to share. In the late 1950s, after the Soviet Union sent a satellite into orbit ahead of the US, we panicked. Suddenly federal funds, and our focus, turned to science. While we are long past that Sputnik moment, we are aware that the ability to understand and move forward in the discipline is crucial today. This current awareness, I sense, has something to do with our digital world. There is no doubt that there’s a digital divide—not merely in terms of devices (smartphones are becoming ubiquitous), but in how we use them (having a tool is not the same as learning, or being taught, how to best use it). Still, because so much of our life is digital, we understand that on some level computer science is intrinsic to who we are. And as that is so, science itself is perhaps become more engaging than scary. There’s more interest in science across the board, more efforts to engage minorities (including girls) in coding, and more young people exhibiting enthusiasm about math. Where science and math were once deemed cold, distant, less human and humane than English, say, or history, attitudes are changing. How can the school librarian play a role? Making sure that displays of new books include as much science and math nonfiction and fiction (though there is precious little of this for K-12) as possible. Sharing information about clubs and activities, such as Black Girls Code to spread the word is also essential. Post examples of young people inventing, researching, exploring, and creating in science and math. Join the groundswell. This is a moment of possibility, and we should make sure that all young people get the message. **This just in: As I was writing the above post, I saw an entry in Paul Fleischman's blog. It opens a crucial conversation we need to have about when science standards and politics clash in our schools. Part of the push towards science comes, of course, from focus on STEM and the new science standards. But there is problem when scared or cowed states, districts, or schools turn away from the standards. Pleasing, or not angering, vested interests inclines some to, well, lie.