Past projects 25
Books That Inspire
Funded Oct 26, 2021Thank you for the generous donation of books. My students are competing in a health club competition where they must read the books and answer questions about them. The students have started reading the books and making small study groups to discuss the topics in each. The current favorite is "Why we get Sick." The book is very applicable to the current events and the students are trying to use some of the techniques to keep healthy during this flu season.
The other favorite is the Poisoner's handbook. The students like that the book reads as a case study and takes them into the details of different crimes.
In the future, I hope to continue to incorporate the texts into my classes as we continue reading groups.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
Antibiotics for Science Fair
Funded Oct 26, 2021The students were very excited to get the materials just in time for science fair experimentation. The students used the disks of different antibiotics to test against their own samples. Some students used honey, probiotics, and samples from the beaches to test against the antibiotic disks. They are currently competing in the district science fair and hope to continue on to the state fair.
In the future, I hope to use the extra disks for other student research. With registration happening, my future students are starting to discuss topics with me and having extra supplies has allowed me to suggest topics to them. There are a few students interested in working with antibiotics and will be using up the rest of the supplies in the upcoming weeks.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
Chemistry Models
Funded Nov 1, 2021Thank you for your generous donation. The chemistry models have really helped my students grasp the arrangements of the atoms. The bonding pieces allow them to manipulate the models and turn them around or upside down to see that there are similarities. They enjoyed being able to do a hands-on activity and not just one where they are drawing the models or viewing a simulation. The models are also very sturdy and the kits can be used by many tables. The donation has helped to make learning about isomers so much easier.
I hope to share with my neighboring classes so they can also model bonding with the pieces and have students create short videos with the models explaining their new insights.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by LOFT.Sports Medicine Science Fair Experiments
Funded Oct 16, 2021The galvanic skin sensors have proven to be useful in sensing the minute changes in electrical activity in the skin. The students have set it up as a temporary lie detector to see how the electrical changes happen when a person is lying. Some students are also using the sensor to measure movement in the arms when a student is performing certain motions. They are still in the data collection stages but are very thankful to be able to start working right away.
The force sensor is also fun to work with. Students enjoy trying to see who can generate the most force while jumping on the plate. They are currently designing their experiments to control variables, but the joy on their faces as they test the materials out is obvious. They hope to compare different ways of jumping to see if it makes a difference in the forces generated.
Thank you for helping fund their curiosity and being a part of our science fair journey.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and 3 other donors.Cameras in a Classroom Are a Valuable Tool
Funded May 28, 2021The camera has been a blessing - we are using it to create small class videos of various small science demonstrations. In the first weeks of school I had students record themselves explaining a little about a science topic of their choice to help them get used to the equipment.
In the upcoming weeks I hope to record a few more videos on different data collection techniques and give students a better look at some dissections for human physiology. The detail obtained with the camera is much better than my elmo or smart phone.
A few of the students have voiced interest in filming their science fair videos using the camera. So far both my volleyball science fair project groups would like to use the camera to capture students jump techniques and serving techniques so they can make improvements to the athlete's abilities. Another group would like to use the camera to record participant reactions in their psychology project.
We are all excited to continue using the camera to gather data, share our love for science and document our experiences. Thank you again for allowing my students this opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and 3 other donors.Physics Sensors for Science Fair
Funded May 25, 2021My students usually think of biology or medical based science fair projects, but the physics based sensors were so easy to use that it gives me hope that students will continue to be interested in this field. They enjoyed the ease of use of the devices and quickly started coming up with ways to apply the devices to their projects.
When testing the devices, the group with the light meter immediately decided to test their phones and test the limits of the measurement. It was nice to see students asking questions, working in groups, and getting excited about doing science.
One of my groups is hoping to use the digital multimeter to test electrolytes from various solutions and possibly design their own sports drink. Another group is interested in the air quality of the classrooms (we just had AC installed) and possibly testing homemade filters. The decibel meter was immediately used to compare the sound level inside the classroom versus the outside. The group hopes to expand the project and look at the decibel output from the various air purifiers on campus and possible ways to dampen the sound to make it easier to hear lectures.
Thank you for providing the opportunity for my students to get a head-start on science fair and to start our year with hands-on science.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and 2 other donors.Designing Experiments: UVA/UVB Sensor, Accelerometer, and Otoscope
Funded May 17, 2021The students are always excited to use hands-on materials. The ear scope sets were a big hit and easy to use. They enjoyed looking at eachother's eardrums and one student even found a peer with a perforated eardrum. It was a nice moment to discuss with students the dangers of high levels on their earphones and headsets as well as a discussion on healing.
This led into students testing their hearing using the tuning forks. I taught them Rinne and Webber tests so they could see if one ear was worse than others or if they had experienced hearing loss. Students enjoyed being able to socially distance but still conduct a lab. It was entertaining to see students standing still with utmost concentration, trying to see if they could hear or feel the vibrations from the tuning forks.
The students also started to test the usability of the accelerometer. They were able to download the app, attach the device to their leg and test its graphing abilities as they ran and walked around the room. The sports medicine and athletic science fair groups are excited because they can now test serves in volleyball, swings in softball and range of motion. They are in the design process for their procedures.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and one other donor.Monitoring Brain Waves and EKG for Science Fair
Funded May 27, 2021The brain wave monitor was the item that most students gravitated towards. It looks new age and interesting. We started by downloading the application onto our phones and testing out various students to see if hair would interfere with the device picking up the brain waves. The students also started to slow down and try meditating to see if they could alter their brain waves. In a busy classroom with several science fair projects running at the same time; it quickly became apparent that environment had a major impact on their mental health.
So far students have been able to receive results and several groups have started designing experiments. One group is interested in testing how road rage and coping techniques is received differently from different genders. They hope to use the heart rate monitors and the brain wave monitor to gather data on their participants.
After science fair dies down I would like to use the device to help some of my stressed students to calm down and use the feedback from the device and its phone app to help them monitor their well-being.
Thank you for helping my students with science fair and their mental health.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and one other donor.Blue Light, Skin Moisture and EMF : Designing Science Experiments
Funded May 27, 2021The solarmeter is used to measure blue light and the students who had mentioned wanting to look at how blue light impacts their eyes and how to limit the exposure are very thankful that they have a device that can help quantify the amounts. They have started testing the equipment by looking at blue light emission from various sources on campus. The general survey of devices will help them to set up procedures for their science fair testing.
Many of my girls have been working on topics with skin health and are excited that the skin moisture monitor has come in. When they tested the device, they were happy to find that it measures water and oil content. They are working on creating procedures to isolate variables and selecting their experimental topic. They are leaning towards creating their own organic skincare products with native plants that have been used by Native Hawaiians and testing the effectiveness of the skin protectants.
Students started testing the EMF radiation from devices within our classroom and are surprised that the numbers are much lower than their predictions. One group hopes to design a project and compare classrooms that are closer to the new rail system going up by the school and those that are farther from the main road. They are still trying to decide what other large sources of EMF they may find.
Thank you for helping my students get a head start on science fair. It was a nice change of pace to start the year with hands-on testing of equipment and discussions on how to design experiments.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and one other donor.Exploring Physical Therapy and Creating Experiments
Funded May 27, 2021Sports medicine is a popular topic for science fair and this year is no different. Students gravitated to the dynamometer since it was easy to use and gave data quickly. It quickly turned into a competition to see who in the class had a better grip and comparing left and right hands (while sanitizing in between each trial). Some students are looking at how breathing techniques alters the amount of force between movements and possibly linking this as evidence for breathing while in labor.
The pulse oximeters and EKG sensors were a nice way to take data while not being attached to a lot of heavy equipment. Students did some test runs with the pulse oximeters by running in place and seeing the change in their oxygen consumption and heart rate. My students who are working on athletic science fair projects have voiced that they would like to use them to monitor the athletes for their data collection.
The gait belts have been useful in teaching students the proper technique to lift a patient from a wheelchair or transporting them from a bed. This has helped them to practice proper ergonomics and avoid injuring themselves. Many of my students are small females and they have voiced that it is much easier to transport patients with the gait belt - it feels much more secure.
Thank you for helping my students get a jump start on science fair and health care topics.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cobbin
This classroom project was brought to life by Marc & Lynne Benioff and one other donor.