The Science in Motion project is designed to support state-of-the-art instruction for secondary science students in our area. How is this possible? The project purchases and then loans science data-collecting equipment, otherwise unavailable or financially out-of-reach, to area schools.

The loan process works on three levels.

  • We can bring the equipment and a self-contained, fully-prepared lesson into the school district classroom and teach the lesson for the teacher who requests it.
  • We will bring the equipment and team teach the lesson with the classroom teacher to help them become more comfortable with the instrumentation and its use with students.
  • Or, if the teacher is comfortable with the use of the equipment, we will deliver it to the school as requested and return to pick it up when the teacher has finished using it and move it on to another location.

No matter which loan process you choose, the ultimate outcome is an enhanced science curricula as students get hands-on experience using state-of-the-art equipment.

To request equipment and labs, fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

The Science in Motion Project seeks to support the improvement of secondary science education by:

  • Providing access to adequate instructional resources.
  • Providing access to effective professional development opportunities for science teachers.
  • Providing support for the development of good secondary science curricula.

Teacher Support

This program will offer the type of professional development activity most needed by teachers of science. That is professional development in a particular subject area that is ongoing and allows one to work with other teachers from the same subject area within the sciences. Both summer and academic year professional development sessions will be offered specific to the stated needs of the teachers of our region.

Here's what some teachers had to say about their experience with Science in Motion:

  • "Science in Motion has materials that allowed me to offer learning experiences for my students that I couldn't afford any other way."
  • "Science in Motion enables our students to stretch their minds and demonstrate a greater understanding of science."
  • "The students love the labs. SIM activities increase their enjoyment and their learning."
  • "One of my personal goals is to allow students to have experiences that they wouldn't have otherwise and may never again. Science in Motion allows me to give kids those experiences."
  • "The time frame in which you can get things is pretty reasonable. Any time I want anything, it's usually available or on its way to me from another school."
  • "It's really exciting to me when (my students) go to college and they come back and say 'We did this in my college class and I already knew how to do it.' These are some skills that they can take with them and I wouldn't be able to do this on my own."

PennWest Clarion Support and Funding

The Science in Motion Project is operated through the Science Education program under the supervision of Dr. Karen Spuck. The Department of Biology and Geosciences and the Department of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics are involved and lending support to the project. Spuck also is the mobile educator for the project and serves full-time to work with area schools and teachers to assist them in all ways possible.

Funding for the Science in Motion at PennWest Clarion project is provided on a year-to-year basis by the Pennsylvania General Assembly through the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Nine such projects are funded each year across the Commonwealth, PennWest Clarion is the sole PASSHE institution involved at this time. We are supported by: PennWest Clarion and Science in Motion conducted by Juniata College in central Pennsylvania.

For more information contact Karen Spuck at 814-393-2408.

Available Resources

You may use any lab activity with any of the equipment we have. The focus of the Science in Motion Project at PennWest Clarion at this time is on secondary biology and chemistry, as well as, some physics. A great deal of the equipment/instrumentation used in teaching and student research is common across these areas so we chose to focus on them. The list of available equipment and materials, and the corresponding available classroom lessons, is growing on a daily basis. Many of the lessons we are making available focus on the use of laptop computer based probe systems as used in many research laboratories.

Equipment is available for labs.

Science In Motion
Equipment & Labs Lists

Equipment For All Disciplines

Lab Activities:
You may use any lab activity with any of the equipment we have.

We have copies of the PASCO teacher manual available for you to check out if you wish to do so.

Biology Labs and Activities

To view a lab, click on the lab name.

Subject Lab
Anatomy and Physiology: Muscle Strength*
Measuring Respiratory Volume*
Regulation of Body Heat*
Sherlock Bones:* Identification of Skeletal Remains
Environment and Ecology: Acid Rain
Determining Soil Quality
Effect of Drugs on Daphnia
Enviroscape Watershed Point/Nonpoint Source Pollution
Insulating Properties of Water and Soil
Leaf Pack-Macroinvertebrate Study
PASCO Soil pH
Predator-Prey Relationship (Daphnia and Hydra)
Water Quality Testing
Genetics and Heredity: ABO and Rh Blood Typing
Amino Acid Starter Kit
Analysis of Precut Lambda DNA
Building a DNA Model with K'nex
Central Dogma Lab --> DNA, RNA, Protein (Fluorescence)*
Chromosome Simulation Kit (Mitosis & Meiosis)*
Chromosome Student Modeling Pack
Chromosome Spread of Cancer Cells
DNA Fingerprinting: A Crime Scene Investigation
DNA Spooling with Strawberries
Exploring DNA Structure (Fluorescence)*
Food Safety Lab (PCR / Electrophoresis)*
Forensics Lab (Electrophoresis)*
Genes in a Bottle
Genotype to Phenotype: PTC PCR Taster Lab
Intro to Fluorescence Lab*
Map of the B-globin gene (Advanced)*
Micropipetting 101
Mutations: A DNA Dice Game
Principles of DNA Sequencing
Ready to Load DNA Sequencing
Sequencing the Human Microbiome*
Shark Attack (Electrophoresis)*
Viral Diagnostics (PCR / Electrophoresis)*
Why do people look different?(Edvotek)
Evolution: Analysis of Fish Protein
Microbiology: Bacterial Transformation
Cell Biology: Absorption Spectrum of Leaves
Chlorophyll Lab (Fluorescence)*
Diffusion Lab (AP Biology)
Membrane Permeability
Membrane Student Modeling Pack
Observing Plasmolysis in Elodea
Osmosis Lab
Phospholipid and Membrane Transport Kit
Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
Plant Respiration and Photosynthesis
Respiration of Germinating Seeds (AP Biology)
Transpiration
Water Kit Osmosis Lesson
Biochemistry: Buffers in Biological Systems
Characteristics of Water*
Energy Content of Food
Enzyme Action
Enzyme Activity
Enzymes in Action Modeling Kit
Organisms and pH
Respiration and Energy
Water and pH*

Chemistry Labs

Subject Lab
Physical Properties: Accuracy and Precision
Crystallization Lab
Determination of Melting Point
Glow Big or Glow Home (Fluorescence)*
Microdensity of Plastics
Moisture Content of Popcorn-Statistical Analysis
Water Kit
Nuclear Chemistry: Depth Gauging
Half Life of Barium
Introduction to Radiation
The Theory of pH: Analysis of Drain Cleaners
Determination of Acetic Acid in Vinegar
Determination of the Ionization Constant of a Weak Acid
Determination of the KA of a Weak Acid
pH of Households Substances
pH Titration Curve
pH Titration of Oxalic Acid
Chromatography: Chromatography of Magic Markers
Candy Chromatography
Gas Chromatography: Mini GC: Identifying Unknown Compounds
Mini GC: Synthesizing Ethyl Acetate by Fischer Esterification
Mini GC: Quantifying Substances in a Mixture
Mini GC: Fractional Distillation
Mini GC: Investigating Gas Chromatography
Spectroscopy: Beer's Law: Determining the Concentration of an Unknown
Determination of Iron in Water
Determination of Wavelength of Maximum Absorbance
Colored Solutions
Hydrogen Emission and Absorbance Spectra
A Spectrum
Spectral Analysis of Aspirin
UV Determination of Caffeine Content
Enzyme Activity
Determining the Order of a Reaction
Light Analysis
Phase Changes: Heat of Fusion
Evaporative Cooling
Project: Design an Insulator
Intermolecular Forces
Determine the Vapor Pressure of a Compound
Gas Laws: Boyle's Law: Pressure-Volume Relationship in Gases
Charles' Law: Volume-Temperature Relationship in Gases
Demonstrations with a Vacuum Pump
Boiling Water in a Bell Jar
Determine R, the Gas Constant
Investigating Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter
Dalton's Law of Partial Pressure
Raoult's Law
Rates of Reaction: Reaction Rates
Measuring the Speed of a Reaction
Factors that Affect Reaction Rate
Chemical Equilibrium
Reactions of Energy: Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
Building a Better Hand Warmer
Heats of Reaction and Solution
Specific Heat of a Metal
Hess' Law
The Mole: Determine the Molecular Mass of a Compound
Molar Mass Determination-Freezing Point Depression
Molal Freezing Point Depression Constant (k1)
Acids, Bases, & Salts: Antacids: An Inquiry Study
Investigation of Acid-Base Titrations
How Much Acid is in Your Fruit Juice?
Titration Curves (requires biurette)
Buffer Properties
Evaluation of Lemonade as a Buffer
Determine pKa by Half Titration

Physics Labs

Subject Lab
Motion and Forces: Position, Distance and Displacement
Position: Match Graph
Relative Motion
Graphs of Motion
Acceleration
Acceleration due to Gravity
Temperature vs. Heat
Understanding Pressure
Specific Heat of Water and Steel
Specific Heat Capacity of a Metal
Heat of Fusion
Heat of Vaporization
Visualizing Convection
Dark vs. Light-Colored Materials
Waves: Sine Wave Generator
Light: Spectrometer
Light Analysis with Wireless Spectrometer
Basic Optics
Heat: Temperature vs. Heat
Understanding Pressure
Specific Heat of Water and Steel
Specific Heat Capacity of a Metal
Heat of Fusion
Heat of Vaporization
Visualizing Convection
Effect of Color on Temperature
The Temperature of Clouds
Is Your Building Well-Insulated?
Dark vs. Light-Colored Materials
Electricity: Van de Graaff Generator
Kill-A-Watt Activity*

Earth & Space / Environmental

Subject Lab
Earth & Space / Environmental: Locating an Earthquake Epicenter
Ocean Acidification
What does Acid do to Coral Reefs?
Greenhouse Gases
Acid Rain and Weathering
Exploring Environmental Temperatures
Mapping the Ocean Floor
Soil Characteristics
Water's Role in Climate
Modeling an Ecosystem
Greenhouse Gases w/ Ecozone

 

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