{"id":49534,"date":"2023-09-18T14:01:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T19:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=49534"},"modified":"2023-09-18T15:11:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T20:11:04","slug":"tarleton-state-mobile-stem-learning-lab-to-get-130000-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-state-mobile-stem-learning-lab-to-get-130000-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton State Mobile STEM Learning Lab to Get $130,000 Update\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 The&nbsp;Texas Pioneer Foundation has granted $130,000 to Tarleton State\u2019s Timberlake Biological Field Station to retrofit the Mobile Discovery Lab in collaboration with the Science Mill in Johnson City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2023\/09\/TPF.png\" alt=\"TPF\" class=\"wp-image-49535\" style=\"width:370px;height:370px\" width=\"370\" height=\"370\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Maintained by\u00a0<a>the College of Science and Mathematics<\/a>,\u00a0the MDL is equipped with a science and engineering laboratory to provide on-site learning experiences. The trailer is housed at the field station in Mills County, and hundreds of schoolchildren visit each year.\u00a0It also travels to schools, libraries and community events in Mills, Brown, Comanche, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Somervell and Tarrant counties to deliver free educational outreach on STEM.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Science Mill in Johnson City specializes in developing inquiry-based STEM activities to schools around the country. Its creative team works with Tarleton on activities that showcase the Timberlake ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Science Mill team has done an excellent job of developing a program with diverse experiences that incorporate multidisciplinary scientific modes of inquiry,\u201d said Dr. Victoria Chraibi, Assistant Director of the Timberlake Biological Field Station. \u201cWe are particularly enthusiastic that the proposed activities reflect broader topics of research and restoration occurring at Timberlake, making the mobile lab an ideal introduction to the field station.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently the MDL contains lab benches, a sink and a set of laptops for computer-based activities. The new funding will add six inquiry-based educational activities to showcase the native ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, and technology and computer science:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An animated digital microscope to view water samples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An insect and plant investigation to view the unique features of specimens in a stereo microscope, as well as building blocks for students to create their own bugs and flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An aquaponics and vertical tower seed planting activity, which includes a virtual-reality dive into an aquaponics greenhouse and RFID-capacitated seeds that students can \u201cplant\u201d in a vertical tower and watch grow in a time lapse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A weather station aligned with the Timberlake&#8217;s MesoNet weather station that includes digital block-chain coding to program a microcontroller that captures weather data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A topographic sand table that allows students to manipulate digital-physical hybrid models of changing land masses and hydrology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A study of soil health and how different plants support groundwater retention, which will include a display of native grasses and a physical model that students pump water through to measure the dwell time of water correlated with the grasses\u2019 root structures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In operation since 2021, the MDL was conceptualized by the former director of Tarleton\u2019s Center for Transformative Learning, Dr. Denae Dorris, and a team of Tarleton faculty and staff. The interior build-out was completed with the help of graduate students from Dr. Curtis Langley\u2019s agricultural mechanics classes, funded by the Texas Pioneer Foundation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are grateful for the support of the Texas Pioneer Foundation to fulfill our STEM education goals,\u201d Dr. Chraibi said. \u201cWe look forward to making the mobile trailer available to a region with otherwise limited access to advanced educational experiences in science and technology. It fits well within the stated missions of the College of Science and Mathematicsand Tarleton State University to grow our educational programming and provide enriching experiences for the community we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new activities in the Mobile Discovery Lab should be road ready by summer 2024. Direct questions about field trips to Dr. Chraibi at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:chraibi@tarleton.edu\">chraibi@tarleton.edu<\/a>. Requests for the MDL to visit a school or community event should go to Joree Burnett at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:jburnett@tarleton.edu\">jburnett@tarleton.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the Timberlake Biological Field Station, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/timberlakeranch\/\">https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/timberlakeranch\/.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 The&nbsp;Texas Pioneer Foundation has granted $130,000 to Tarleton State\u2019s Timberlake Biological Field Station to retrofit the Mobile Discovery Lab in collaboration with the Science Mill in Johnson &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":49536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":382,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,423],"tags":[436,441,445,452],"class_list":["post-49534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-academics-research","tag-college-of-agriculture-natural-resources","tag-college-of-science-mathematics","tag-division-of-research-innovation-and-economic-development","tag-mayfield-college-of-engineering"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"priddle","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/priddle-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2023\/09\/Mobile-Discovery-Lab.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/homepage\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">_Homepage<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/academics-research\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Academics &amp; Research<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">_Homepage<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Academics &amp; Research<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/academics-research\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">College of Agriculture &amp; Natural Resources<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/academics-research\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">College of Science &amp; Mathematics<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/academics-research\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/category\/academics-research\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mayfield College of Engineering<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">College of Agriculture &amp; Natural Resources<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">College of Science &amp; Mathematics<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Mayfield College of Engineering<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on September 18, 2023","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on September 18, 2023 2:01 pm","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2023 3:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"Tarleton State University truck and trailer in a wooded area.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}