Hope ‘Scopes brings science to life in developing nations
June 23, 2006
In the summer of 2001, Daniel Heath crammed a pick-up truck in Minnesota full of science equipment and began the cross-continent journey to Central America. Donated by the Minnesota Preparatory School, the equipment was destined to become a science lab for the needy Honduran school Escuela El Alba, where he taught.
A year later, Heath was back in the United States and joined the mathematics faculty at PLU, but he did not lose his desire to equip poor schools with microscopes and other scientific equipment. After the tsunamis hit Sri Lanka in December 2004, he created Hope ‘Scopes, a student group at PLU directed by Phuong-Lien Nguyen, with the goal of re-equipping Sri Lankan schools with microscopes.
“The mission of Hope ‘Scopes is to provide schools in developing countries with microscopes to encourage scientific learning and improve the education and economic future of the students,” Nguyen said.
The group decided to focus on collecting microscopes because they are expensive, hard for poor schools to obtain and can be used by many students. One microscope can serve as many as 300 students in a single day, so presenting a school with just one can have a huge impact, Nguyen said.
“We had a great response from the PLU campus that first year,” Nguyen said. The group collected 16 microscopes – 13 from students and three from the natural sciences division – that were all sent to Sri Lankan schools that summer.
This year, the group has collected over 30 microscopes – 27 from the natural sciences division at PLU, the largest contribution to date, and seven from the University of Puget Sound. Most of these donations are already spoken for, with requests from teachers at schools in Sri Lanka, Honduras, India, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Trinidad-Tobago, Mexico, Ethiopia and Turkmenistan.
“We always need more microscopes,” Nguyen said. “We ask people to check their garage and talk with their local high school science teachers to see if there is equipment they can contribute.”
Hope ‘Scopes is always accepting used microscopes or monetary donations to offset shipping costs, and they are always looking for needy schools to receive the microscopes, Nguyen said. Donated microscopes must work but don’t have to be in perfect condition.
“Even the most basic microscope will make a huge difference,” she said. “These students have amazing potential.”
Heath said it was clear on that first trip from Minnesota to Honduras that microscopes – so often taken for granted in the United States, and discarded when even the slightest defect or accident occurs – make a huge difference for students in poor countries.
“Can you imagine learning science only from old textbooks or through the words of your teacher?” asked Nguyen. “To students in developing countries, the world of science is little more than fiction.”
The microscopes are powerful teaching tools because students can see and interact with the scientific concepts they are learning, Heath said. A better understanding of science can motivate students and translate into a better future, more career opportunity and the means to escape poverty, he said.
As an example, Heath cites the story of Marcos, a 16-year-old Honduran orphan. After using microscopes donated to Escuela El Alba, Marcos decided to pursue a degree in engineering and is currently working towards that goal.
“If we send 500 microscopes around the world and reach one student with each, then we are successful,” Heath said.
In order to receive a microscope, schools must have one teacher that knows how to use the equipment and request it through a letter or e-mail, Heath said. The group tries to disperse the microscopes equally around the world, he said.
While the effort to equip these schools with microscopes is still very grassroots in nature, Hope ‘Scopes is gaining momentum. Additional chapters have been established at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. and Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
To learn more or donate to the project, contact Nguyen at nguyenpt@plu.edu or 253-219-3883, or Daniel Heath at heathdj@plu.edu or 253-535-7401.
“The mission of Hope ‘Scopes is to provide schools in developing countries with microscopes to encourage scientific learning and improve the education and economic future of the students,” Nguyen said.
The group decided to focus on collecting microscopes because they are expensive, hard for poor schools to obtain and can be used by many students. One microscope can serve as many as 300 students in a single day, so presenting a school with just one can have a huge impact, Nguyen said.
“We had a great response from the PLU campus that first year,” Nguyen said. The group collected 16 microscopes – 13 from students and three from the natural sciences division – that were all sent to Sri Lankan schools that summer.
This year, the group has collected over 30 microscopes – 27 from the natural sciences division at PLU, the largest contribution to date, and seven from the University of Puget Sound. Most of these donations are already spoken for, with requests from teachers at schools in Sri Lanka, Honduras, India, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Trinidad-Tobago, Mexico, Ethiopia and Turkmenistan.
“We always need more microscopes,” Nguyen said. “We ask people to check their garage and talk with their local high school science teachers to see if there is equipment they can contribute.”
Hope ‘Scopes is always accepting used microscopes or monetary donations to offset shipping costs, and they are always looking for needy schools to receive the microscopes, Nguyen said. Donated microscopes must work but don’t have to be in perfect condition.
“Even the most basic microscope will make a huge difference,” she said. “These students have amazing potential.”
Heath said it was clear on that first trip from Minnesota to Honduras that microscopes – so often taken for granted in the United States, and discarded when even the slightest defect or accident occurs – make a huge difference for students in poor countries.
“Can you imagine learning science only from old textbooks or through the words of your teacher?” asked Nguyen. “To students in developing countries, the world of science is little more than fiction.”
The microscopes are powerful teaching tools because students can see and interact with the scientific concepts they are learning, Heath said. A better understanding of science can motivate students and translate into a better future, more career opportunity and the means to escape poverty, he said.
As an example, Heath cites the story of Marcos, a 16-year-old Honduran orphan. After using microscopes donated to Escuela El Alba, Marcos decided to pursue a degree in engineering and is currently working towards that goal.
“If we send 500 microscopes around the world and reach one student with each, then we are successful,” Heath said.
In order to receive a microscope, schools must have one teacher that knows how to use the equipment and request it through a letter or e-mail, Heath said. The group tries to disperse the microscopes equally around the world, he said.
While the effort to equip these schools with microscopes is still very grassroots in nature, Hope ‘Scopes is gaining momentum. Additional chapters have been established at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash. and Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
To learn more or donate to the project, contact Nguyen at nguyenpt@plu.edu or 253-219-3883, or Daniel Heath at heathdj@plu.edu or 253-535-7401.