About Us
About The Program
The mission of Science on the Move is to inspire students and support teachers in STEM education with hands-on investigations that connect content to real-world experiences. The program serves elementary, middle, and high school students in the Big Bend region surrounding Tallahassee, Florida.
Science on the Move is a collaboration between the Office of STEM Teaching Activities and the Department of Physics at Florida State University. The program began in 2000 under the direction of Lance King and has impacted over 100,000 students and teachers.
About The Director
CHARLES CARPENTER
Charles Carpenter became the sixth director of Science on the Move in the summer of 2024. Fascinated by physics and math from an early age, he earned his degree from Florida State University and began his career teaching Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics in Gadsden County. After six years, Charles moved to Lawton Chiles High School in Leon County, where he taught Chemistry and Physics and deepened his passion for STEM education.
In 2012, he joined Florida State University to lead professional development in the physical sciences but soon realized his greatest fulfillment came from teaching students directly. He returned to the classroom at Swift Creek Middle School before being invited back to Lawton Chiles High.
Throughout his career, Charles has engaged in professional experiences at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Fermilab in Chicago, and CERN in Switzerland. As director, he now aims to use his expertise and enthusiasm to expand Science on the Move’s impact on students across the region.
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Previous Directors
Lance King, Program founder (2000–2004)
Jonathon Grooms (2004–2010)
Erica Staehling (2010–2013)
Teresa Callahan (2013–2020)
Hannah Hiester (2020–2023)
