John McConnell was visiting elementary school classrooms to teach science when he came upon a shy third-grade boy who did not want to go to school.
Ryan wanted to stay home and build robots.
That sparked McConnell's interest, and he discovered Ryan had an intensity for electronics uncommon for his age. The boy already had great building skills and was doing circuit drawings.
The author's curiosity led him to mentor Ryan-an arrangement that lasted well beyond college and resulted in the winning of $500,000 worth of cash, scholarships, and a Dr. Glen Seaborg week trip to the Nobel Awards.
When McConnell was not mentoring Ryan, he was visiting classes in the area, presenting his program hands-on science and mentoring other students. When a school district gave him six thousand square feet of space, he created the Western Colorado Math & Science Center with over 150 exhibits. Students came on field trips from more than 100 miles away.
McConnell also conducted science workshops to train teachers, capping his career of volunteerism by founding the Eureka! McConnell Science Museum in Grand Junction, Colorado.
