Priscilla Scaife, widow of popular Chemistry Professor Charles Scaife who was known as the “Johnny Appleseed” of science, mesmerized the crowd in the gymnasium at Schenectady’s Lincoln Elementary School, where she carried on the tradition of introducing the wonder of science to children.
Wearing a white lab coat decorated with felt balloons, she demonstrated scientific principles using common household items in a way that taps into kids’ natural curiosity. In one experiment, she showed what happens when heavy red syrup, white milk and blue oil get together in a jar (they don’t mix).
“Charlie” Scaife, who specialized in inorganic chemistry, joined the Union College, Chemistry Department in 1972 and retired in 2001. He taught a range of courses in inorganic chemistry and designed laboratory experiments for chemistry majors at Union. He and Priscilla, a social worker, caught the eye of the national media with their interactive science instruction, inspiring stories in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor and other publications. Charlie died in 2003, but Priscilla has continued the work they began together.
“My whole purpose is to say science is not difficult, and children’s natural curiosity can make it a lot of fun,” Priscilla said as students in Larry Grimmer’s first grade class eagerly awaited her presentation in the gym-turned-laboratory.
The Scaifes’ enormously popular traveling science fair has captivated tens of thousands of youngsters in schools across the country for more than a decade. Teams of Union College students have often joined the Scaifes in local schools and always enjoy mixing learning and fun with the children.
For Family Science Nights, Priscilla will set up 19 science activities with between 1 and 8 stations each, for parents and children to work on together. She tries to hold the number of attendees to about 150 people. The feedback from parents and teachers alike is always positive about the evening they spend interacting with their child while doing the activities, with one teacher from Queensbury, NY enthusiastically saying it is the most popular program they have for the parents.
Priscilla studied considerable science toward a BA in Nutrition from Cornell University in 1964. She volunteered extensively for several organizations including Hospice and "Young Moms". She went back to college and completed a Masters in Social Work (MSW) at the State University of New York at Albany in 1993. She counseled part-time at a Christian counseling center for three years. Since 1994 she has been very involved with hands-on science, first purchasing and packing supplies, and later teaching in the classroom. She is astoundingly flexible and efficient at making the teaching effective under almost any circumstances.
Other interests include traveling, hiking, bicycling, cross country skiing, gardening, woodworking, and counseling young families. She has two married daughters and nine grandchildren with whom she spends as much time as possible even though they are in neighboring states.