This week, we’re helping a North Carolina high school class get a microscope and some coding robots, and a Texas middle school class get some Lego robotics kits to help them reach a competitive robot-building level. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
I’m very pleased to be able to bring this project up to the top spot this week, because it’s so close to being completed. (If not many donors stop by this week, as happens sometimes, and the matching grant then runs out, it’s possible this may turn back into a longer-term project, but either way, we WILL get it completed in time.)
Mrs. Price teaches high school in a small town in eastern North Carolina. She has a very interesting project in mind that will combine microscope viewing with robot coding in an innovative way.
We’re helped here by 3x matching funds, which we don’t see very often, from “a local family foundation”. (3x meaning, they will double-match your donation so it ends up being 3 times as much as it was originally. You give $1, they give $2 for a total of $3.)
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students the exploration of the intersection of biology and computer science through hands-on experimentation with coding robots and digital microscopy tools, creating an innovative makerspace where science meets technology.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Southwest Edgecombe High School, Pinetops, North Carolina
Total: $764.18 (3x matching funds from ”a local family foundation”)
Still Needed: $513.25 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #2 below!
Project description by Mrs. Price: Our students are passionate innovators who light up when discovering new ways to solve problems. Despite varying academic backgrounds, they unite through curiosity and collaboration in our library makerspace. The requested resources will transform their learning by combining coding and scientific exploration in unprecedented ways.
The Artie Max and Botley 2.0 robots will teach coding through hands-on experimentation.
As students program these robots to recreate patterns they observe under the GeoSafari MicroPro microscope, they'll bridge the gap between biological observation and digital representation. Our innovative learners will use the GeoSafari MicroPro microscope to examine and document microscopic specimens, then program Artie Max and Botley 2.0 robots to recreate these biological patterns through coding commands - for example, having Artie Max draw the spiral structure of a microscopic shell or programming Botley to navigate a maze based on the pathway of observed microorganisms. This hands-on connection between scientific observation and robotic recreation makes abstract concepts concrete while building both coding and analytical skills. This connection between science and technology sparks deeper understanding and engagement.
What makes our students truly special is their willingness to support each other's learning journeys. When one student masters a coding concept or makes an exciting microscopic discovery, they eagerly share their knowledge with peers. The mobile utility cart will create a flexible learning environment, allowing us to transport our STEAM resources between the library and classrooms, fostering this collaborative spirit.
Our goals are threefold: develop students' coding literacy, enhance scientific observation skills, and strengthen peer-to-peer learning. By combining these tools, students will create an interactive "Microbe Museum" where they'll share their discoveries through coded demonstrations and digital presentations, making abstract concepts tangible for the entire school community.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
At the American Museum of Natural History in New York, staff members explain why we study the microscopic fossilized shells of foraminifera. (If you have six minutes, I thought this was really fascinating.)
Our new longer-term project offers no more specific location than “Texas”, but it seems perfectly understandable to me why a Texas teacher nowadays would want to play it close to the vest. Anyway, Dr. Morales teaches middle school students, and wants them to have these cool robotics kits to help them reach competition level.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students two Lego Spike Prime robotics kits to enhance their engineering skills.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Texas
Total: $990.47
Still Needed: $494.47 $387.71
Project description by Dr. Morales: My students enjoy learning new skills and sharing such with others. The acquisition of these two Lego Spike Prime robotics kits would allow them to enhance their engineering skills. In addition, additional students would be allowed to join as a result of the acquisition.
The acquisition of these two Spike Prime Lego robotics kits would enhance the robot design and programming skills of my students.
This year we will compete in robotics competitive events. As such, the acquisition of these two Spike Prime robotics kits would be a win, win for my students and our school community.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
A team at the Tufts School of Engineering put together an overview of the requested kit, with some fun builds shown at the end.
Our #1 project from last week was completed! Thank you!
Project #1, Books, Books, Books!: Mrs. Meyers teaches fourth grade in a town northwest of Des Moines, and she needed more books to help turn her students into lifelong readers.
She writes: Thank you so much for your kindness. My students are so excited to get new books in the classroom. I love having my students excited to read and new books are a great way to do that. It will be like Christmas came early as the new books start arriving. Thank you for making it possible.
| DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. |
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund projects in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 1137! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
