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Pittsburgh Allderdice physics teacher Jan Waldeck is the driving force behind the science equipment lending library housed in the Chevron Science Center on the University of Pittsburgh's campus.
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Lending 'labs' help local science students

Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette.

Lending 'labs' help local science students

Lending libraries offering science equipment have been created in the Pittsburgh region to help level the playing field between poorer school districts and richer school districts so all children have access to materials that will enhance their science education.

“Even when you’re highly supported by the administration, as a public school teacher you’re always stretched for funds to get the materials you need,” said Janet Waldeck, a physics teacher at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill.

That’s especially true for constantly changing fields such as science and technology, where older learning materials quickly become outdated. To ensure that Pittsburgh students have access to accurate, more expensive learning materials, Ms. Waldeck, a 2015 state finalist for teaching excellence in math and science, began creating a series of science learning kits, including equipment and lesson plans, in chemistry and physics.

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“When the teacher opens up a kit, they don’t have to do the scavenger hunt of asking for materials or needing money,” said Ms. Waldeck. “In 10 minutes they’ve got eight to 10 stations set up in their classroom, and their students can work on that activity for up to two weeks.”

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Ms. Waldeck, who has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Stanford University, began developing her physics and chemistry kits in the summer of 2012 with the support of Carnegie Mellon University chemistry professor Catalina Achim. Ms. Achim offered to help launch the lending-library program through the Center for Nucleic Acid Science and Technology, known as CNAST, which includes students and faculty from CMU and the University of Pittsburgh.

Ms. Waldeck’s kits are housed in Chevron Science Center at Pitt, where they complement the Pitt Kit biology program already in place. Ms. Waldeck says that since starting her library, she has worked consistently with about 25 middle and high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

When an educator borrows one of these kits, Pitt chemistry professor George Bandik, who works closely with Ms. Waldeck to develop and maintain the library, calls upon the students in the undergraduate chemistry group he sponsors to help educators introduce the lesson in their classroom.

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“As a teacher, doing something new with 30-some kids can be chaotic. So to have the support from undergraduate students is a big help,” Ms Waldeck said. “And for those students, it really enriches their college experience.”

Inspired by Ms. Waldeck’s success, Ms. Achim and her colleagues at CNAST have created their own set of kits, initiated with a $25,000 grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. Like Ms. Waldeck’s kits, they are available for local educators to borrow for free.

The six CNAST chemistry and biology kits each contain three modules, making a total of 18 one-hour activities. They include curriculum standards for middle school through high school, and are flexible enough to be used for classrooms ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade.

For educators interested in lessons on environmental science, Allegheny College’s 20-year-old Creek Connections program has a range of kits full of hands-on indoor and outdoor activities for students K-12. The kits may are available for educators in local schools, Scout troops, summer camps and 4-H clubs to borrow for up to three weeks.

“Creek Connections started as a way to help students understand how important it is to have healthy waterways, so when they grow up, they will be concerned, responsible citizens, aware of their connection to the environment,” said Laura Branby, Creek Connections camp director.

Housed at Robert Morris University in Moon, most of the Creek Connections kits were developed through the support of private Pittsburgh foundations and are maintained through Allegheny College’s Creek Connections budget.

Some Creek Connections kits include expensive materials that teachers are to have in their classroom. A topographical map module includes a map wheel and a planimeter. A lesson on insects includes specimens encased in acrylic, so kids can study the real things.

But many kits include more commonplace supplies, such as a lesson about water striders, bugs that glide across the surface of the water That kit includes paper clips and glue guns. While these supplies aren’t expensive, Ms. Branby says having them pre-assembled makes it much easier for teachers to focus on the lesson itself, rather than paying for and gathering materials.

“Most public school teachers have limited space in their classroom. Using these kits means they don’t have to store equipment they might only use once a year,” Ms. Branby adds.

Creek Connections staffers also deliver and pick up the kits anywhere in the greater Pittsburgh area for free to make them as accessible as possible.

In addition to offering the kits, each of these programs hold workshops at least twice a year, giving teachers hands-on experience with the kits. Creek Connections also holds workshops teaching educators how to make their own kits to keep in their classrooms permanently.

Currently, each of these lending libraries operates independently. Ms. Waldeck’s goal is to create a single website that contains information for all the kits, so local educators can see the entire range of kits available to them.

For more information on the kits and workshops, contact Janet Waldeck at jwaldeck1@pghboe.net; Catalina Achim at achim@cmu.edu or Creek Connections director Wendy Kedzierski at creek@allegheny.edu.

Sophie Wodzak is a former intern for the Post-Gazette.

First Published: December 15, 2015, 5:00 a.m.

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Pittsburgh Allderdice physics teacher Jan Waldeck is the driving force behind the science equipment lending library housed in the Chevron Science Center on the University of Pittsburgh's campus.  (Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette. )
Lending libraries offering science equipment have been created in the Pittsburgh region to help level the playing field between poorer school districts  (Bloomberg)
Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette.
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