University of Pittsburgh unveiled a 70-foot mobile science laboratory that will give K-12 students hands-on knowledge of the latest medical research and advanced biology.
The three-year program was initiated by the
Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse and involves Pitt, the
Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative Inc. (PTEI) and the Pittsburgh-based
Lyceum Group. The mobile lab will serve 4,000 Allegheny County students and extend beyond to underserved rural districts in Washington, Green and Fayette counties and north to Meadville and Erie.
“Our role is to bridge what’s going on in our research labs with high-quality research that’s changing the face of science everyday with what teachers in our region are required to teach,” says Alison Slinskey Legg, director of outreach for the Department of Biology at Pitt. “This is a fully functional state-of-the-art laboratory.”
The lab contains 26 work stations for 52 students and an upper staging for an additional 10 students and teachers. The interior is enclosed in glass on one side, keeping the temperature constant while providing natural light “so students don’t feel like they’re in a tin can,” says Legg.
The region joins 20 other cities across the country in offering the latest research through mobile programs. Student activities include an opportunity to diagnose and control fictional viral epidemics to an investigation of natural selection in gut organisms.
The University’s
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) purchased the mobile laboratory for $120,000 and will support its operation with $25,000 annually. The program hopes to hire more staff and raise additional funds in the coming year.
“We need to show kids that science is fun by high school, middle school, and, ideally, elementary school, if we want to foster a pipeline of new scientists,” says Steven Reis, director of CTSI.
Writer:
Deb SmitSource: Alison Slinskey Legg, University of Pittsburgh, Steven Reis, CTSI
Image courtesy University of Pittsburgh