What's the difference between a crayon
made of petroleum and one of grain?

How do different types of water
affect what grows in the Bay? 

Why should I wash my hands well?

Solve these problems through hands-on activities in MAEF's Mobile Laboratories.  Labs are booked primarily for schools, however they are also available for conferences, fairs, festivals and events where visitors explore current economic and natural resource issues through hands-on experiments.

• For school visits, teachers of targeted grades select investigations that can be integrated with their curriculum, and tailor a schedule that meets their school's needs. Materials to use in classrooms are provided to supplement and integrate what is being taught on the lab.  The mobile lab is scheduled at a school for a one-week session. Hands-on investigations are conducted around a particular theme: Aquatics, Ag Products, or Biotechnology.
   

• Students of the targeted grades visit the lab every day for a 45-60 minute session to complete a hands-on investigation. They work in cooperative groups to solve a problem as they form a hypothesis, collect data, and draw conclusions. Five to six sessions can be conducted per day. During the remaining blocks of time, other classes may visit the lab and complete mini-lessons. Scheduling is flexible and set on individual school needs and size.
   

• The lab fee is $1800 per week or $1500 for three or four day holiday weeks, and includes a teacher on board, all materials, and relocation fee. School provides site easily accessible to students, with an electrical 220v 50 amp "RV Type" hookup (NEMA #14-50R) and water (hose) hookup.

Ag Products :

• Examine and record the properties of several large and small grains.

• Examine the environmental impact of packing foams made from petroleum and corn, and then make plastic from corn.

• Produce glue from milk and then test its strength against a commercial glue.

• Observe the water holding capacity of an ag product to determine how it can be used to promote growth in seeds and plants as well as clean up oil spills.

• Act as egg inspectors to candle, weigh, and measure eggs, and test for freshness.

• Determine which groundwater wells might be influenced by a point-source pollutant.

• Explore how lip balm or hand cream can be made from soybean products with this lesson on liquids and solids.

• Reveal the power of a soybean by planting it in plaster of Paris.

• Use the scientific method to test petroleum based and soybean crayons for brightness, coverage and flakiness.

• Model the work of seed scientists by counting, planting and germinating soybeans and wheat.

• Construct a bottle seed sprouter and compare how corn and soybean seeds sprout and grow.

• Cream to Butter - students test a variety of milk products to determine which is the best at producing butter.

• Super Slurper - students investigate the water holding properties of various substances with some surprising results.

Aquatic Science :

• Measure pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates and ammonia to determine the water quality of a habitat.

• Determine which groundwater wells might be influenced by a point-source pollutant.

• Observe the water holding capacity of an ag product to determine how it can be used to promote growth in seeds and plants, as well as clean up oil spills.

• Experiment, observe, and collect data on how the Bay's fresh, brackish, and salty water effect animal life.

• Build a terra aqua column to investigate the connection and interaction between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

• Set up a water recycling experiment to see if cloudy water can be cleaned up.

• Integrated Pest Management - students are introduced to pheromones and insect traps as they discover ways to control insect pests.

Biotechnology, Food, Fiber & You :

• Investigate the water holding capacity of different soil types while applying math skills such as measuring and using a calculator.

• Make cottage cheese using a process that causes the milk to curdle.
• Explore how lip balm or hand cream can be made from soybean products.
• Reveal the power of a soybean by planting it in plaster of Paris.
• Use scientific method to test petroleum based and soybean crayons for brightness, coverage and flakiness; then make a crayon.
• Produce a vegetable-based glue from soybeans and then compare it to a commercial glue, testing viscosity, tensile strength, peel strength, and shear strength.
• Germinate seeds under different conditions to determine which is most conducive to growth.
• Experiment with hand washing techniques to determine how to control bacteria which cause illness.
• Observe the conditions that create the best environment for fungi organisms (yeasts) used in bread making to work.
• Replicate the wool plying process and then dye wool in Kool-Aid.
• Develop an understanding of the role of chromosomes and how genes are inherited from parent to offspring and then investigate how genetics can improve agriculture.
• Cream to Butter - students test a variety of milk products to determine which is the best at producing butter.
• Super Slurper - students investigate the water holding properties of various substances with some surprising results.