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Grant Success Stories

Following are the stories of a number of science projects recently funded by the Science House Foundation. You’ll learn more about the project, how the money was used, and perhaps even get a few ideas for how you can promote science yourself. Some of the project descriptions include photos and documentation to help schools generate similar results.

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High School Scanning Tunneling Microscope Project
November 2009

Science House is funding materials and equipment to enable high school physics students to construct a functional scanning tunneling microscope, in partnership with a local University and a local Community College. The students will be optimizing a working prototype, constructed with parts costing $300 - $500, which they will use in classroom research.

One of the goals of this project is to develop plans for a functioning and affordable STM, which the students will be sharing on the Science House website, in addition to video footage showing the STM being built. Keep an eye out as we'll be postign these materials over the next few months!

 

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: Physics
AGE: High School
LOCATION: Nebraska
Grant for:
  • Materials to build a Scanning Tunneling Microscope
  • Laptop computer, data card and software
  • Educational outreach materials
Robotics Kit for LEGOBots Team
September 2009

Science House Foundation is helping the Quatama LEGObots team by providing them with a LEGO robotics kit and participation fees for the FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition. Since receiving the robot the students have been hard at work and have performed demonstrations at the city council and been featured in the local newspaper. We wish them teh best of luck!

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Robotics
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: Washington
Grant for:
  • 1 LEGO robotics kit and entry in FIRST robotics competition
Science Clubs in Pokuase, Ghana
September 2009

Science House is helping fund an after school science program in Pokuase Ghana, based on ether successful Science Club for Girls program in Boston. Funding is going towards materials for the club and teacher trainings and meetings, to ensure that teachers have the opportunity to exchange information on best practice. The club is being set up in collaboration with a local University in Ghana. Science Club for Girls reports from a recent trip to Ghana

"The ideas of hands-on explorations and using guided questions as a learning tool were new, but welcome. Thanks to the support of Science House, about eighty 4th grade girls in four different schools are attending clubs this year. We hope that this venture will not only benefit the girls who come, but will change how these dozen teachers teach science in their own classrooms, multiplying the impact."

See their blog for more information on the project.

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: General
AGE: Middle School
LOCATION: Pokuase, Ghana
Grant for:
  • Materials and equipment for Science Clubs.
  • Teacher Training
Biotechnology Kits
August 2009

What better way to teach biology than through enlivening discussions and experiments in biotechnology! Science House funding helped to purchase two biotechnology kits for PCR and gel electrophoresis, for a class of Biology 10th graders.

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Biology
AGE: High School
LOCATION: Oklahoma
Grant for:
  • 2 Biotechnology kits for PCR and gel electrophoresis
Junior Robotics Kits
August 2009

Playing with robotics helps introduce kids to concepts in math, engineering, electronics and physics in a fun and rewarding way. Science House donated robotics kits to an elementary school class in Louisiana to help them learn about electronics, force, motion, and energy.

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Robotics
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: Louisiana
Grant for:
  • 10 Beginner Series robots, 1 solar battery pack, 4 anatomy model kits, and 3 electronic and electricity kits
Math Games
August 2009

Science House donated math games, puzzles and geometric models to a 7th grade class in New York City. These materials will enable the students to learn about math in a visual, manipulative way. In addition, they will provide a challenge for advanced students who are ahead of the class.

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: Middle School
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • Crammer, geometric solids, Quizmo math game, 30 sets of Algebra tiles
Laptops for a School Classroom
August 2009

Forty five minutes on the computer each week may be enough time to type up an essay or do some basic research, but it's hardly enough to explore the many academic resources available online or to become proficient in computer skills. Science House stepped in and donated two laptop computers to a class of enthusiastic, young students in Brooklyn. With these new laptops, the students will be able to do a lot more computer activities, and develop skills and knowledge that will help them in all their school subjects.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • 2 laptop computers
Electrostatics Kits
August 2009

Science House donated electrostatic experiment kits to a high school class in Texas. The school offers advanced academic programs in the sciences, but can not afford lab equipment to perform challenging experiments. These kits will help the students to develop their understanding of electricity and prepare them for further study in college.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Physics
AGE: High School
LOCATION: Texas
Grant for:
  • Electrostatics Experiment Kit, 2 Flying Ball & Snake Kits, and a "What is Resistance" kit
A Class Set of Calculators
August 2009

Science House donated a set of 30 calculators to an elementary school class in San Jose, California, where budget cuts across the district have reduced funding for educational supplies. Having calculators will help the students explore different possibilities to solving mathematical problems and enable them to build a mathematical and technological foundation in learning.

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: San Jose
Grant for:
  • 30 TI-108 school calculators
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Cool Chemistry Classes
August 2009

Many schools with limited funding find it difficult to afford experimental materials for science classes. To help out, Science House donated some chemistry materials to a school in Chigaco. These materials will help students learn chemistry by seeing things pop, fizzle and foam!

 

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Chemistry
AGE: Middle School
LOCATION: Chicago
Grant for:
  • Acids and bases, litmus paper, pH paper, fun experiment collections, 20 thermometers, and 15 beakers
Classroom Computer and LCD Monitor
August 2009

Science House donated a desktop computer and LCD monitor to a science class in North Carolina. This equipment will allow the class to make use of educational software that the school owns but does not have enough computers to give students access to. The students will also be able to use some of the great free educational resources online, such as the physics game, Phun, which teaches about the forces that interact in our world.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: High School
LOCATION: North Carolina
Grant for:
  • 1 desktop computer
  • 1 LCD monitor
Geometry Games
August 2009

Geometry is often a hit with kids, but the vocabulary can be daunting, especially for ESL students. Vertex, edge, face, rectangular pyramid, cone, cylinder, quadrilateral, polygon - these are just some of the words that students must master in order to understand plane shapes and 3-dimensional shapes. With fun, hands-on geometry games from Science House, the students will be able to practice old concepts and vocabulary while adding new ones with greater ease.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Maths
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: Florida
Grant for:
  • Geometry games
Math Numeracy for Kids in South Africa
July 2009

The Maths Centre provides teacher training and student resources for math, science, technology and entrepreneurship education throughout schools in South Africa. In schools where the Math Centre has active programs, students' understanding of math and science concepts has noticeably increased. The programs also help students to find oportunities in math, engineering and entrepreneurship-based careers and to realize the importance of these skills for their future.

Science House funding is helping to support the Maths Centre's mathematics literacy programs in elementary schools throughout the country.

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: Elementary
LOCATION: South Africa
Grant for:
  • Elementary school math literacy program
Prizes for Online Math Competition
June 2009

Science House is sponsoring cash prizes for the Suffolk Community College "Math Online Competition" to encourage greater participation and a competitive spirit. The competition is open to all students in the college and the rules are simple - the students receive one problem each week of the semester and must submit their answer before the next week's problem is released. Science House funding is going towards the fall 2009 and spring 2010 competitions.

TYPE: Competition
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: College
LOCATION: New York Area
Grant for:
  • Competition prize money
New Gear for the BioBus
June 2009

The BioBus is a biophysics lab on wheels that provides immersive, hands-on lab courses in biology to school students throughout New York City.

Science House recently donated 3 new digital displays that allow dozens of people to see the microscopical world at the same time, in addition to hard drives and other devices that allow us to more effectively communicate science aboard the BioBus

The BioBus is currently looking into technology to upload real-time microscope images to the web, sharing the wonder of biology with more kids.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Biology
AGE: K-12
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • 3 large monitors
  • 3 wall mounts
  • Storage drive, external DVD Burner and DVD media pack
Science Activities at "Science Club for Girls" April 2009

Science Club for Girls aims to increase the self-confidence and science literacy of girls, especially those from under-represented backgrounds. Science House provided funding to help support the club's after-school science meets, where girls come along to learn science and do educational experiments with the guidance of mentors. Enrolment in the programs is free to all girls, to encourage maximum participation. Funding also went towards a "reverse science fair", where scientists from local universities brought along experiments, which kids got to judge!

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: Boston
Grant for:
  • Materials and operating expenses for after-school science clubs
  • Organization of "reverse science fair" event
Math Olympiad Training Scholarships April 2009

Science House is funding scholarships for six students from Latin America to participate in a Worldwide Online Math Program run by the Art of Problem Solving, an organization that provides educational materials and courses for gifted students who seek a greater challenge in mathematics.

The math program is a 7 month course that prepares students for the International Mathematics Olympiads. It offers practice in challenging math problems beyond the scope of what students would ever see in school, and teaches student skills to be able to find solutions to these problems. The students also receive instruction and feedback from experienced mentors, who have a deep and extensive understanding of math, and have the oportunity to collaborate with some of the top high school math students in the world.

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: High School
LOCATION: South America
Grant for:
  • Enrolment fees for 6 students in the Olympiad training course
  • 6 packages of training materials and textbooks
Seedlings for Earth Day April 2009

Green thumb and expert arborist Bridgette Suzanne Smith together with her team of enthusiastic junior volunteers at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale, New York, planted a total of 200 seedlings at their Earth Day celebration on April 19. The seedlings donated by Science House will one day grow to around 60 feet tall. Their life expectancy is 130 years.

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: Horticulture
AGE: K-12
LOCATION: New York area
Grant for:
  • 200 seedlings
Equipment for the "Mobile Science Lab" in South Africa April 2009

Many high schools in South Africa face an acute shortage of lab equipment - the lack of even a single laboratory is not uncommon. When students have never seen a chemical reaction, done a physics investigation or experimented with biology, its very difficult for them to comprehend what science is all about.

Since 1998, the Mobile Science Laboratory has traveling around the country to help address this problem - by giving students a chance to perform "live", hands-on science, often for the first time in their lives. The lab is fully equipped with everything needed to run experiments, including water tanks, a gas cylinder, chemicals, biological samples and heaps of equipment. Science House recently provided funding towards new equipment, to help provide an even better educational experience for the 7,000 students who get to experience the mobile lab every year.

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: High School
LOCATION: South Africa
Grant for:
  • New equipment for the Mobile Science Laboratory
Sponsorship of the 2009 International Chemistry Olympiad April 2009
Success Stories

Science House was one of the sponsors of the 41st International Chemistry Olympiads, hosted this year by the University of Cambridge. The competition, which ran from July 18 - 27, brought together teams of high school students from several dozen countries around the world for the ultimate chemistry challenge. Check out the results of the competition here. Congratulations to everyone who won medals and a special mention to the Taiwanese team for picking up four golds, the only team where every member won the highest award.

TYPE: Competition
SUBJECT: Chemistry
AGE: High School
LOCATION: Worldwide participation
Grant for:
  • General sponsorship of the competition
Women in Math Videos March 2009

Girls' Angle, a Cambridge-based math club for girls, has begun production on a "Women in Mathematics" video series.  These 5-10 minute videos feature working female mathematicians explaining elementary mathematical facts that excited them when they were young.  New videos appear bimonthly at www.girlsangle.org.

TYPE: Education & Training
SUBJECT: Math
AGE: Middle School
LOCATION: Boston
Grant for:
  • Filming of educational videos
Microscopes and Biology Kits for Kids February 2009

Science House donated microscopes and biological kits to be used by 60 underpriviledged students with learning difficulties in grades 2-5. Now, with a microscope each, the students will be able to work independently and focus on the fascinating world beneath the microscope.

Read a note of thanks from the teacher

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: Biology
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • 12 microscopes
  • 2 "diversity of life" kits
Notebooks for a Science Class February 2009

Science House donated 100 notebooks to an underpriviledged high school science class. The students are using these notebooks to learn to think like scientists - recording scientific questions, proposing hypotheses, designing and implementing experiments and analyzing results.

Read a note of thanks from the teacher

TYPE: Equipment
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: High School
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • 100 notebooks
Science Books for a 5th Grade Class February 2009

Science House donated a set of "Spectrum Science" textbooks to a class of inquisitive grade 5 students in New York City. Through these books, the students are making connections between science in their curriculum, in the world around them and in their own lives. Hear from the students what they've learned.

Read a note of thanks from the teacher

TYPE: Books
SUBJECT: All Sciences
AGE: Elementary School
LOCATION: New York City
Grant for:
  • 25 "Spectrum Science Grade 5" books
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