— ABOUT FAR TO GO
Extraordinary potential
deserves a path forward.
We exist to help high-performing high school scientists move bold ideas beyond the limits of circumstance.
OUR BELIEF
The future belongs to students who do more than know the answer.
Traditional academic achievement matters. It reflects discipline, preparation, and mastery. But the qualities that produce breakthroughs are harder to measure: curiosity, original thinking, resilience, and the willingness to test an idea that may fail.
Science competitions make those qualities visible. They give young people a demanding arena in which to investigate, invent, defend their work, and learn from others who share their ambition.
WHAT WE DO
01
We focus on high-performing students who demonstrate original scientific thought through competition.
Find the potential
02
We help fund the materials, fees, travel, and practical needs that stand between talent and opportunity.
Remove the barrier
03
We believe one well-timed investment can help a young scientist take a consequential next step.
Back the journey
WHY “FAR TO GO”
Progress begins by recognizing the distance ahead.
The students we support have already come far. Yet even exceptional ability needs time, resources, encouragement, and opportunity before a vision becomes real.
That is true for young scientists—and for all of us. The name is both an affirmation of progress and a reminder to keep moving toward what is possible.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MISSION
Leadership
Dr. John Barrie, Founder
John studied rhetoric and neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley. He then went on to be a DJ in Japan before earning his Ph.D. in Biophysics (specialty in Neurobiology) also from U.C. Berkeley. His graduate work involved how the brain converts the sensory world into perceptions and consciousness. After Berkeley, John and some friends created Turnitin.com and changed how education works around the world. More than two decades later most of his time is spent as a dad, artist, winemaker, pilot, and someone who supports young scientists on the verge of changing the world.
Dr. David Lawson, Co-Founder
David studied Genetics at the University of California, Davis, and earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Washington State University. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at WSU, where he conducted foundational research on intrinsically disordered proteins, he transitioned to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, focusing on small-molecule drug discovery. Over the course of his career, David has authored more than 40 publications, is an inventor on 25 patents, and has helped advance four drug candidates into clinical development. He remains passionate about discovering innovative therapies that improve patients' lives. Outside of work, David enjoys spending time with his family, especially on cycling and camping adventures, and is committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers who will help make our world a better place.
Thomas Atkins, Co-Founder
Bio.
STAND BEHIND THE NEXT IDEA
Help potential become progress.
Your support can put materials on a workbench and a promising student in the room where opportunity begins.