Buy Kids Science Stuff: The Mad Biologist's 2007 DonorsChoose Challenge

This year, once again, we ScienceBloggers are raising money to buy equipment for science classrooms. I decided to focus on microbiology and marine biology, because, well, microbiology is what I do now, and marine biology is what I started in. Also, if a new textbook in evolutionary biology is any indication, I think microbiology is going to be emphasized a lot more in college. Anyway, here's what I've put into my challenge:

1. Genetic Research For Immigrants This targets a school with a mostly immigrant population, and it would buy the equipment needed to do gel electrophoresis, so they can see how genetically different they are from each other.
2. Pond Biology The students in this class are at-risk students on probation. "This project offers them an opportunity to do important field work that supports the ecology of three ponds near our school...The students will identify native and non-native species of plankton in the ponds as well as surveying the bio-diversity of the pond environments. They will conduct water soil and air testing and become stewards of the ponds and the life contained in them." Buy 'em a plankton net and some study guides.
3. Compound Microscopes for 7th Grade Future Scientists Kids need microscopes!
4. Is it dirt or soil? I really like this one: third-graders will study soil biology using soil rather than reading about it in books. C'mon: dirty, smudgy third-graders--you know you want to help.
5. Getting To Know The Hidden World Of Microbiology This focuses on bacterial isolation and culture in a school with 87% low income kids.
6. Marine Ecosystems as a Learning Tool It's not every day that an urban school teaches hands-on marine biology. Considering that's how I got my start, how could you possibly pass up the opportunity to create an entire generation of Mad Biologists?
7. The Frozen Zoo: Unlocking hidden DNA Historically, restriction enzymes were one of the most important biological discoveries of the molecular revolution. It's very clever to use them as a focal point for study.
8. Rare Species: Raising Salt Water Fish in a Bottle One more marine biology project--it not only involves aquaculture, but it also teaches them patience.

So what are you waiting for? Go give 'em money! Because online-donations, while they do cost you money, don't feel like they do...

Help Public School Kids by Funding my Challenge at DonorsChoose