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Current & Choice New ideas in education, research and patient care Science on Wheels by Barbara A. Gabriel Boston University School of Medicine's MobileLab, a 40-foot mobile science laboratory, visited the Capitol in June. When Carl Franzblau, Ph.D., associate dean for Graduate and Biomedical Science at the Boston University School of Medicine, suggested putting a molecular biology laboratory on a bus, people laughed. But he was determined to make his vision a reality. And with funding from contributors including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, MobileLab - a 40-foot mobile science laboratory outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment necessary for performing biotechnology experiments - was born. MobileLab, which since its inception in 1998 has served as a classroom for more than 3,500 students at 30 high schools, is an extension of CityLab, the highly successful biotechnology learning laboratory housed at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). "CityLab grew out of my efforts to recruit for a joint undergraduate program between BUSM and Metropoli- tan College," explains Connie Phillips, CityLab director and assistant professor at BUSM and Metropolitan College. "We wanted to train lab technicians for both the emerging biotech industry and our own labs. But when I went out to high schools, I found that teachers knew little about biotechnology and that I had to teach them if I wanted to recruit their students." Phillips began running teacher training workshops, intense summer programs that gave high school teachers the opportunity to do hands-on biotechnology labs. "The teachers were very enthusiastic and wanted to expose their students to the labs, but their schools lacked money and resources," Phillips says. In 1991, Phillips and Dr. Franzblau wrote their first CityLab grant, and with seed money from the NIH, launched a biotechnology learning laboratory that middle and high school students in the Boston area could visit free of charge. It wasn't long before the demand for CityLab outgrew the four laboratories that BUSM set aside for the program. "CityLab was very well received by teachers and students," says Don DeRosa, CityLab's director of curriculum and teaching. "We soon found ourselves booked one to two years in advance, so we decided to bring the laboratory to the students." When MobileLab hit the streets in 1998, it was a technological marvel. Charged with both encompassing the needs of a self-contained molecular biology laboratory and ensuring the comfort of the students working in it, MobileLab's designers made ingenious use of the bus's limited space. MobileLab can accommodate up to 24 students and their instructor. A remote-controlled camera, three video monitors, and six internal speakers ensure that each student can see and hear his or her teacher. Other features include a sink with both deionized and fresh water faucets, a -20°C freezer, a 4°C refrigerator, electrical outlets at each workstation, and a wheelchair lift for accommodating disabled students. Four stabilizers automatically level the lab when it is in use. To promote its continued funding, MobileLab sometimes ventures beyond Boston to showcase its capabilities. This past summer, MobileLab parked on Capitol Hill, where it was visited by members of Congress who watched local high school students demonstrate some of the latest techniques in molecular biology. The mobility of MobileLab isn't the only thing that sets it apart from other high school science programs. Like CityLab, MobileLab targets urban students who would not otherwise have access to fully equipped biotechnology labs. To make the science even more accessible, MobileLab instructors use carefully constructed curricula that link laboratory experiments to real-life situations. "We put each lab in the context of a 'mystery' and encourage students to uncover that mystery and in the process construct their own knowledge," DeRosa explains. For example, in a lab session called "The Mystery of the Crooked Cell" students encounter a "patient" who has a mystery disease (sickle cell anemia). "By constructing their own knowledge, students acquire a sense of ownership over what they've done," DeRosa says. "Sometimes they develop such an investment in solving the problem, it's difficult to get them to stop asking questions." For students interested in pursuing scientific study beyond their CityLab or MobileLab experiences, the program offers a number of opportunities for extended study, including independent projects, an after-school biotechnology club, a week-long biotechnology summer camp, and a two-year CityLab Scholars program that apprentices high school students in labs at BUSM. CityLab also offers a nine-month academic program free of charge for high school graduates called CityLab Academy. Students completing the program earn 12 credits from Boston University Metropolitan College and have access to job placement assistance. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, MobileLab has much to boast about. With funding from Glaxo Wellcome Inc., the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently unveiled its own mobile science laboratory, which will bring the latest in biotechnology learning to schools in North Carolina that lack sufficient resources. A product of the Partnership for Minority Advancement in the Biomolecular Sciences, a consortium that includes seven historically minority universities, the North Carolina project explicitly addresses the need for minority representation in the science professions. Two additional buses - the BioBus in Connecticut and the MdBioLab in Maryland - are in the works. Both will be funded by a variety of biotechnology companies and research institutions that have recognized the need for education in the biosciences to fill the rapidly growing scientific work force. "It's in the best interest of biotech firms to fund these programs," Phillips says. "Because we are the ones who will ultimately train their employees." Information: Connie Phillips, (617) 638-5622

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