LeMoyne-Owen University News November 13, 2015 Science on Wheels Mobile Lab Ready to Hit the Streets LeMoyne-Owen College's new mobile science laboratory is set to inspire a generation of future scientists one street, one school, one neighborhood at a time. LeMoyne-Owen College will give the phrase "curbside service" a whole new meaning when its mobile science lab hits the streets in January. College officials earlier today unveiled Science on Wheels, the college's first-ever mobile science laboratory. Designed to excite kids about science, the ultimate goal is to increase the number of students who choose to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees and also develop a pipeline for future LeMoyne-Owen STEM students. The bus will visit fourth and fifth-graders at elementary schools in local communities with a higher percentage of minorities who are economically disadvantaged. The first locations scheduled for visits are A.B. Hill, Bruce, Charjean, Cherokee, Cummings, Getwell, Hamilton, Sharpe and W.H. Brewster elementary schools. Other elementary schools will be added as scheduling permits. The project is the brainchild of Dr. Sherry Painter who is chair of LOC's Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. She says the goal is to catch students early and keep it fun. "Research shows that students are either turned on to science or turned off around the 5th grade," she said. "We want to provide a positive, engaging experience involving hands-on science activities that will allow these kids to see themselves as someone able to do science." The fun and excitement begin when the students step into the laboratory and, in teams of two, get to perform various experiments at the lab's 12 workstations. Dr. Painter says the students will not just watch a demonstration or read something in a book. "These little scientists will perform actual experiments with state-of-the-art science equipment that have real world applications. Some experiments include DNA extraction, asthma and lung function exploration, exercise and cardiac function, nutrition and obesity, and exploring alternative energy." LOC faculty and STEM students will supervise the students, giving LOC students an opportunity to hone their teaching and mentoring skills. Science on Wheels is a retired 40-foot MATA bus that was transformed into a mobile science laboratory. SchoolSeed got the project rolling with a $40,000 donation. Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (TN-SCORE) sponsored the bus's four solar panels that power the inside lights and lab equipment, along with a donation of over $15,000 in in-kind energy related modules. Private donors contributed another $5,000 and Baptist Memorial Health Care added $20,000 to fund health-related instrumentation and equipment. SchoolSeed board chair William Mitchell says the project fits the nonprofit's mission to drive educational excellence and innovation for the public school students of the Greater Memphis community. "SchoolSeed understands that STEM is a rapidly growing field with many opportunities," he said. "This collaboration, with our local Historically Black College and University on this mobile science laboratory, allows us to place our young scholars at a pivotal moment to learn more about STEM. We are excited about the future scientists that will be inspired from this project." Schools may request a Science on Wheels visit by contacting Dr. Sherry Painter at scienceonwheels@loc.edu. Science on Wheels will make its community debut Nov. 14th and 15th at the Shelby County Schools Annual Race for Education & Family Health Expo at the Agricenter. Science on Wheels is a member of the Mobile Laboratory Coalition that consists of 18 member programs in 12 states. Visit loc.edu for more information about how you can support Science on Wheels. Follow us on Facebook (Scienceonwheels) and Twitter (@LOCSciLab) to see when we will be visiting to a location near you. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.