Texas students are getting a new way to experience science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through mobile labs that bring the classroom to them.
Nonprofit Learning Undefeated has launched nine mobile STEM labs across the state. Each unit is a 560-square-foot expandable pod – about the size of a studio apartment – that includes desks, equipment and the electrical and climate controls needed for a full science classroom.
The labs travel to about 270 elementary and middle schools in Texas each year, serving up to 24 students at a time and more than 100 students over the course of a school day.
“This is like a field trip in the parking lot,” said Anna Marie, an education outreach coordinator with Learning Undefeated. “The best part of the Texas Mobile STEM Lab is that it’s mobile. We can reach schools in every region of Texas.”
This week, the lab visited Parmer Lane Elementary School in Pflugerville ISD, just north of Austin. Next week, the same pod will be in El Paso, Texas.
A typical session runs about an hour, with students identifying a problem, then designing and building a solution before testing their work.
Kindergarteners at Parmer Lane Elementary School recently took part in a lesson inspired by “The Three Little Pigs” by building miniature houses designed to withstand the “big bad wolf” – represented by a high-powered fan.
Older students explore projects such as creating bottle rocket vehicles powered by baking soda and vinegar.
Teachers say the hands-on lessons and change of scenery help keep students engaged.
“From the second they get to the door, they are the most excited I’ve ever seen them,” Anna Marie said.
With the program expanding across Texas, Learning Undefeated leaders say the goal is to spark curiosity in STEM subjects at a young age and to show students that learning can happen anywhere, even in a parking lot.
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A ribbon cutting event on the Texas state Capitol mall on September 10, 2025 celebrated the launch of eight new Texas Mobile STEM Labs vehicles for Texas public schools. “The Texas Mobile STEM Labs program began with a simple idea: what can we do to bring hands-on STEM learning to students across the state of Texas?” said Brian Gaines, CEO of Learning Undefeated at the ribbon cutting event. “With the launch of eight new labs today, this program is directly preparing our students for the future workforce, educating the next generation of leaders for the high-demand STEM careers that will power Texas forward.”
Thanks to a massive program expansion for the 2025/26 school year, the Texas Mobile STEM Labs program will include nine traveling laboratories, visiting 270 school districts in all 20 education service regions this school year. Since its inception in 2020, the program has served over 33,000 Texas K-8 students to date.
