Lab Equipment
By: Ronald Hammond

Every science educator wants to maintain a safe, well-managed classroom and student laboratory. The ideal time to assure a successful, mishap-free year of science teaching is before your students return in the fall. I suggest that you begin your school term with a thorough examination of the laboratory work and storage areas.

General Housekeeping
First, make sure that eyewash stations, safety showers, fire extinguishers and fire blankets are positioned correctly and are in good working order. Inventory all chemicals and other hazardous materials to ensure that containers are labeled and stored properly. Insist that only authorized personnel have access to the storage area. Dispose of outdated and unnecessary items in the manner prescribed in their material safety data sheets (MSDS). Current MSDS sheets for all chemicals must be readily available for anybody who requests them.

Check your various forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) to assure that the quantities of goggles, gloves and aprons in serviceable condition are adequate for the number of students in your classes. Make sure that the goggle sterilization cabinet works correctly.

Plan Ahead
The incidence of laboratory accidents escalates dramatically when too many students attempt to work in a confined area. Anything that can be done to reduce crowding in a student laboratory should be given the highest priority.

Also, science classrooms should not be assigned for use by nonscience classes. Curious students cannot resist the wondrous things that reside in a science room. A science teacher really needs to be in charge of these facilities at all times to prevent unfortunate occurrences.

If it's not already scheduled, initiate a meeting of all science teachers as well as the principal and, if appropriate, the science supervisor to review your school's laboratory safety rules.

Safety Checklist
Every instructor has some safety requirements that are unique to the grade level and the specific activities. However, the primary list of laboratory safety rules for the school science program can be reasonably generic and should include the following:

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be of the accepted type for the activity and must be worn correctly at all times-by students and instructors.
• All chemicals and other hazardous materials must be kept in a properly secured area, clearly and properly labeled, and accounted for meticulously at all times. Students must never be allowed to remove hazardous materials from the lab.
• Laboratory working conditions must be safe. Safety equipment must be sufficient to deal with the most extreme hazard or mishap that could potentially occur.
• Proper equipment and supplies must be provided for students to use. They must be given instructions in laboratory technique and in handling materials before being allowed to conduct experiments.
• Teachers must supervise laboratory activities at all times. Students must not perform any unauthorized experiments. During inquiry-based activities, the teacher must approve student-designed experiments-before they are performed.
• Students must dress appropriately for the laboratory. This includes wearing the required PPE, and not wearing certain types of personal apparel, including open-toed shoes, shirts with floppy sleeves, and shorts or short skirts. Long hair should be tied back to keep it away from flames and chemicals.
• Students must not bring food, drink or personal items into the work area. After completing the day's activity and cleaning up, they should wash their hands thoroughly to prevent contamination of themselves and their personal effects.
• Emergency telephone numbers, including those for the school office, the poison control center and a hazardous materials service, should be posted in the laboratory. Include emergency response and evacuation procedures on this posting. Students should be familiarized with this information before the first laboratory session.

Safety Contract
Your laboratory safety program cannot be successful without the support and commitment of all persons involved in the educational process, from the school administration to your students and their parents. Safety rules, which pertain to teachers and students alike, must be clearly stated and enforced, without exception, in all classrooms and at all levels of authority.

Parents and guardians must be aware of the laboratory safety program that exists for their children's benefit. Moreover, they must agree to accept the rules as they are implemented on the students' behalf. This is most satisfactorily accomplished by sending home a laboratory safety contract, to be signed by the student and his or her parent or guardian. The contract explains the safety rules that the student will be required to abide by while participating in laboratory activities. The signatures signify that your students and their guardians agree to abide by the rules and the measures set forth to deal with infractions.

Elementary, middle, and high school teachers have unique laboratory safety issues that involve the age of their students and the types of activities to be performed. Likewise, safety considerations differ among the various disciplines and are influenced by instructional preferences and many other factors. A laboratory safety contract does not satisfy every need, but it will provide a platform upon which a customized document can be built. Regardless of the precise wording of the laboratory safety contract, be sure to provide two copies of the signature portion so the student's family and the school each have a copy on file.

Sidebar One
Supplies List

Items for Student Use
(Good to have one for every 1 or 2 students)

• Magnifying Glass (the inexpensive, plastic ones are fine)
• Meterstick
• Measuring tape
• Eyedropper
• Thermometer
• Plastic cups
• Plastic spoons
• Various sized plastic bags
• Straws

Items for Group Use
(Good to have one for every 4-6 students)

• Test tube(s)
• Test tube holder
• Plastic (poly) beakers
• Plastic (poly) graduated cylinders
• Plastic funnels
• Balance / triple beam
• Stopwatch
• Shoebox-sized plastic containers (for holding water)
• Magiscope / Student microscope
• Small (3-4 liters), clear, water tank
• Spring Scales (5th grade)

Items for Teacher Demonstrations
(Could be shared between teachers or grade level)

• Hot plate (ceramic - the ones with exposed elements are not allowed in most classrooms)
• Beakers (100ml, 400ml, 1000ml)
• Erlenmeyer flasks, Florence flasks
• Graduated Cylinders (10ml, 50ml, 100ml, 500ml)
• Glass thermometer
• Test tube tongs
• Beakers tongs
• Rubber stoppers
• Corks
• Goggles (adult and student)
• Microscope
• Litmus Paper (4th & 5th)

Items for an Entire School to Share

• Van De Graph Generator (make sure to purchase a discharge wand with it!)
• Vacuum Chamber with pump
• Class set of goggles (30-40) with cleaning materials
• Class set (1 per 2 students works fine) of microscopes
• Bi-metalic strip / ball and ring
• Conductometer
• Tuning forks
• Prisms
• Plastic (unbreakable) mirrors
• Magnets
• Wires, batteries, and lamps

Source: Science IDEAS

Sidebar Two
Product Roundup

Nebraska Scientific
Nebraska Scientific offers a wide variety of educational science supplies to schools throughout North America . Colleges, high schools, junior highs, middle schools, and upper elementary classrooms will be most interested in Nebraska Scientific's products. Nebraska Scientific features more than 2,000 science products in its free, 176-page catalog. Microscopes, video camera for microscopes, laboratory instruments and supplies, anatomical models and charts, live bacteria, molds, and fungi, protozoa, invertebrates, science kits, CD-Roms, computer software, genetics and electrophoresis supplies, books, and lab manuals comprise some of the many science supplies sold by Nebraska Scientific. Of course, Nebraska Scientific still prides itself in its quality preserved "packing house by-products" specimens, and still features those along with more than 600 types of other preserved specimens from all phyla of the animal kingdom.
www.nebraskascientfic.com

PASCO
PASCO scientific is a leading developer of technology-based solutions for hands-on science with tools that allow students to measure, display and analyze scientific phenomena. PASCO 's physics products have revolutionized the teaching and learning of core physics concepts in schools. The innovative and affordable PASPORT Pure Digital Probeware line of data collection products is designed for K-12 and college/university level science students. PASCO's latest product, Xplorer GLXT, is a powerful new graphing datalogger that gives students and teachers ultimate flexibility in setting up a science lab wherever they need it-with or without a computer. PASCO's probeware solutions are easy to use and produce quality data for real-time student analysis, while curricular support for computer-based science labs makes it simple for any teacher to integrate technology into the classroom quickly and easily, whether they focus on Chemistry, Biology, Earth/Environmental, Physical or Middle School science.
www.pasco.com

DR Instruments
Like any other part of your school, equipping science labs require careful thought and planning. Where to begin?   Manufacturer and distributor DR Instruments has some suggestions. With technology having such a transforming effect on the classroom, teachers need the right presentation and AV furniture to be efficient.  The H. Wilson brand of presentation stations, carts, and stands prove to be excellent resources for use with overhead and computer projectors and labtops. Models and styles are available to fit every need. Microscopes, that long-time fixture in classrooms, now have much greater teaching capacity when tooled with digital camera technology. With digital eyepiece cameras images can be saved, shared, and edited for use today, or with other students & researchers across the world tomorrow. These cameras come with state of the art software that let you manipulate images conveniently. And what teachers can instruct in biology or botany without proper selection of dissecting tools. Selection has gotten easier, as 3-8 piece kits are now available providing the right selection of tools appropriate to the age level. Still not sure which products provide the right solution for your school?   Don't be afraid to ask questions of your supplier - good ones know their products and will be happy to take the time to work with you.
www.drinstruments.com

Indigo Instruments
Indigo Instruments has been providing science educational products on the Web since 1994. Their products are intended for a broad range of ages and should be of particular interest to the educational needs of homeschoolers. Their molecular models can be used for building simple molecules such as water & CO2 to highly complex structures such as DNA or AP chemistry. They also provide an extensive range of scientific glassware including beakers, graduated cylinders flasks and test tubes. You can carry out a variety of experiments with their pH test strips, metal electrodes, filter paper, petri dishes, prisms and more. Or, you can find a magnifier suitable for examining plants, insects, stamps; even your own skin. Their steel bar and horseshoe magnets work well with compasses, paper clips or iron filings for demonstrating principles of magnetism.
www.indigo.com

The Science Fair
For 18 years, The Science Fair, Inc. has provided educators, laboratories, industries and the general public with quality science supplies and educational tools. Visiting their site will give you a brief taste of what they can obtain for you. You will be pleasantly surprised by they prices; the cost of our glassware is practically unmatched. They also sell microbiology supplies (including prepared nutrient agar), dissection supplies, and much more. They have always supported teachers. To receive a special 10% discount, you need only type the code "NSTA" in the coupon box upon check-out.
www.thesciencefair.com