STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State University’s Mobile Discovery Lab recently received a $160,000 facelift, with plans in the works to show off the results.
The 44-foot STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) outreach trailer offers six new interactive stations where students learn about soil health, weather, topography, insects, aquatic microorganisms and aquaponics. The activities are tailored to showcase the environments of North Central Texas.
Regional tours for the Mobile Discovery Lab are in the planning stage. Information will soon be available on the Timberlake Biological Field Station’s website, www.tarleton.edu/timberlakeranch/.
The Mobile Discovery Lab is housed at Tarleton State’s Timberlake Biological Field Station in Mills County, which hosts hundreds of schoolchildren each year for field trips. The Mobile Discovery Lab will also travel to schools, libraries, and community events in Mills, Brown, Comanche, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Somervell, and Tarrant counties to deliver STEM educational outreach.
It is the centerpiece of an outreach program that endeavors to spark intermediate-level children’s interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through experiential learning activities.
Dr. Victoria Chraibi, Assistant Director of the Timberlake Biological Field Station, oversees its education and outreach programming.
“The Science Mill did an amazing job of creating interactive, technology-based learning stations that work well for structured classes or for casual public walk-throughs,” she said. “This new and improved version of the Mobile Discovery Lab will augment the learning quality of students during field trips to the station and will greatly increase the potential reach of the College of Science and Mathematics’ educational outreach initiatives in the region.”
The Science Mill in Johnson City, which installed the upgrades, specializes in developing inquiry-based STEM activities to schools around the country. Its creative team worked with Tarleton State on activities to showcase Timberlake and other North Central Texas ecosystems and agriculture.
The trailer improvements were funded in large part by a $130,000 grant from the Texas Pioneer Foundation which previously provided more than $250,000 in grants to build the lab in 2021. The Texas Pioneer Foundation is a private, independent 501(c)(3) foundation that supports innovative educational programs in Texas. For more information, email the College of Science and Mathematics at [email protected].
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