The science program of the future will reach more students, across all grade levels. And those students will be taking greater numbers of science courses than in the past. While only a fraction of our students will become scientists, all will be confronted by the impact of science and related issues on their daily lives; we must therefore provide each student with the essential skills for scientific thought.

Maryland Science Facilities Design Guidelines are presented to help citizens, educators, facility planners and architects create facilities which are effective learning environments for science programs. This revised edition responds to evolutionary changes in education, including emphases on the processes of science, the application of scientific thinking to broad content areas, the introduction of electronic communications into the science laboratory, and the inclusion of all students, including those with disabilities, in the full range of science activities.

The Guidelines are not a blueprint for facilities nor are they an attempt to standardize all science programs and facilities. They propose a framework to support sound decision-making and design. I encourage those charged with the creation of new science facilities, and the renovation of existing facilities, to look to the future, under the guidance of experience.