Science Express Background Information

The College of Science at Purdue University, through its Chemistry, Life Science, Physics, and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences departments, delivers research grade instruments to high schools throughout central Indiana.

This project provides an opportunity for young students, from all backgrounds, to have hands-on learning experiences with instruments used in research laboratories today. These experiences increase the students' and teachers' skills and understanding of modern scientific technology.

The equipment, mounted on rolling carts, is delivered directly into the classroom for use by the students. The Instrument Project creates opportunities for teachers and students to learn the theory and practice associated with scientific instrumentation.

Teachers attend training sessions during the school year or summers, during which time they are trained on the instruments and develop experiments appropriate for the high school laboratories. Emphasis on real world applications helps to demystify the instruments and link experiments to student experiences. The use of a variety of instruments provides a wide range of laboratory experiments and allows teachers to customize their chemistry and biology curriculum to fit the needs of their students.