from KRIS Corpus Christi | November 8, 2017 read it >
More than 200 schools along the Gulf Coast were damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Many schools were left to use makeshift tools in temporary facilities. One organization traveled 1,600 miles to help the students in Port Aransas.
The MdBio Mobile Science Lab made it’s way to Texas to help schools that were impacted by the storm. The MdBio Foundation is a non-profit organization based out of Maryland. They traveled to the Coastal Bend to provide hands-on scientific investigations for grades 9-12.
“We have been operating mobile laboratories across our state of Maryland for more than 15 years. We just received a new mobile laboratory that we started at schools since September. This current lab was about to be renovated; we were watching the news and wanted to do something so we just decided to bring it here,” said MdBio Vice President of Education Jennifer Colvin.
The lab program, that has been on the road since 2003, provides science, technology, engineering, and math lessons, also known as STEM, to the students.
“We have had a lot of donations, monetary and material donations. But to have a donation where our students are receiving instruction from a 21st century science lab is amazing,” said Port Aransas High School Principle Jim Potts.
“We want them to refocus on their education. We want to do it in a unique way and give them a fun environment to suddenly stop thinking about what’s been happening and refocus on school,” said Colvin.
During its stay in Texas, nearly 270 Port Aransas students will have the opportunity to apply what they have been studying in class on board the lab.
“It is really awesome. Obviously we have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey. So a lot of our learning has been very abstract, just been learning straight out of a book. The value of a lab is very special because you get to apply things you learn in a classroom. It is really neat to get a mobile lab, to get all this advanced equipment, to be able to use it and be able to apply some of the things we have been learning lately,” said senior Benjamin Brown.
“This is a small two week program, one week in Port Aransas and another week in Houston before heading back home. We brought the program here to increase the awareness about the opportunity, to show people what we could do while we are here. Our larger goal is to stay the whole year. We would like our mobile laboratory to stay in Texas for the year. We are trying to increase awareness about our program and create nine local jobs. We would have your local folks run it and then, when the year is up, we would like to leave the program here permanently,” said Colvin.
For more information visit: www.mdbiofoundation.org or follow on social media @MdBioFoundation
