The DiscoverGenomics! Mobile Laboratory is a modified 40-ft Blue Bird bus outfitted with advanced laboratory equipment. This genomics laboratory accommodates up to 32 students, their teacher and two mobile instructors. There are working stations equipped with all the necessary equipment to facilitate the learning and inquiry process such as pipettes, electrophoresis boxes, and reagents. In addition, it has a wireless network with computers provided when necessary. The instructors’ station is outfitted with a camera that can transmit to 4 LCD screens to ease viewing of instructions. The mobile lab is self-sufficient with its own water supply, electricity via generators, and internet capabilities.
JCVI targets impressionable middle school students and provide memorable and engaging hands-on science experiences via a multiple-day approach which allows for more interaction during the school’s daily and academic school year, unlike existing local science programs. The DiscoverGenomics! Mobile Laboratory visits middle schools within a 50-mile radius of Rockville bound by the Chesapeake Bay.
The lab was delivered January 2006 and began visiting students a few days later. It has been on the move since. Through July 2008, nearly 6,000 students from over 60 schools have participated in over 16,000 hands-on activities on the mobile laboratory.
