From invention to philanthropy

The origins of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) date back more than four decades from 1968 to the founding of Metrologic Instruments Inc. This innovative company became a leader in advanced bar code scanners and a pioneering force in the data capture industry, eventually registering over 370 patents. In recognition of the company’s legacy of innovation, Mr. Knowles was inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995.

The early years

Philanthropy has been a longtime priority for the Knowleses. They funded the American Association of Physics Teachers Physics Bowl, endowed the Howard and Carolyn Carr Chair in Physics at Auburn University, Harry’s alma mater, and supported high school physics teachers by providing instructional materials locally and nationally.

Mr. and Mrs. Knowles’s longstanding commitments to education reached its ultimate expression in 1999 with the establishment of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. Acting out of a strong belief that America’s well-being and economic future hinges on bringing new scientists and mathematicians into the workforce and in gratitude to their own teachers, the Knowleses dedicated the new foundation to increasing the number and quality of high school science and mathematics teachers in the United States.