Fund-A-Need

Item Description

An Upper School research course offering students a place in the global-scientific community, Citizen Scientist focuses on environmental science, genetics, bioengineering and molecular biology. Students collect, analyze and contribute data for actual researchers; projects include tracking invasive species, recording cloud cover and monitoring air and water quality. For an international ant population survey at Florida State University, students collected and identified local ants, then shipped them to North Carolina State University for incorporation into a tracking website.

With state of the art equipment and connections to real research projects, the course immerses students in the real world of scientific research by teaching them the techniques of data collection and the skills of data analysis. It gives them marketable experience that positions them well for research jobs in college and beyond. Students present their research at symposia, science fairs, and in research papers, so they practice conveying scientific knowledge to researchers and lay people.

WT has invested $10,000 in the course, through the purchase of college-level equipment including an incubating shaker that grows various types of cells at a set temperature through constant agitation; a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine, which is the basis of much of molecular forensic science and genetic testing and will enable DNA testing and analysis; centrifuges that separate different materials from one another by spinning them at 10,000 rpm; and gel electrophoresis equipment for DNA analysis.

Support the purchase of research equipment for the Citizen Scientist course: $1,000

Item Special Note

This Fund-a-Need may be paid in 4 installments between now and June 30, 2015. After you buy it, you will be contacted by the WT Advancement Office to provide your payment preferences.

Fund-a-Needs are programs at WT, taken directly from the operating budget and capital campaign, that make WT an enriching experience. Your support of our teachers’ ideas and innovations provide daily inspiration for our students.

As we push toward the Big Finish for Celebrate WT: Campaign for a Smart Future, many of this year’s Fund-A-Needs focus on the “Big Finishes” at WT.