Facilitators: Suzanne Fetherling, Natalie Bueno, Ashley Walter, & Emily Ferrin

Application: https://northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rsGHllMsnhsmy1

Jump to: Schedule | Weekly Schedule | Baxter Box @ Home Activities | Q&A

The Baxter Center is excited to announce our new Baxter Box @ Home pilot program. We are looking for 10 teachers to work with us this summer to figure out the best ways for students to experience authentic science in their classrooms this fall, whether virtual or in person. This is an application based program; participants will receive a $500 stipend.  

Participants will:

• Get the materials and equipment delivered to you to try out at home. Participants will be able to select three of the outlined Baxter Box @ Home activities. Training and support around these labs will be provided from the Baxter Center team.
• Create classroom materials (videos, worksheets, powerpoints, etc.) to help bring back the selected activity of the week to your students. These artifacts you create will be shared on Baxter Center platforms for other teachers to access. 
• Plan with a community of educators and Baxter Center staff to reflect on how activities can be brought back to their virtually and/or in-person classroom.
• Receive CEUs and $500 stipend for participating. 

Please complete the Baxter Box @ Home Application by July 1st at 11:59pm. Participants will receive their acceptance letters by July 3rd. Applicants are welcome to apply with a friend or a course team! 

Schedule

Note: Date for Baxter Box Drop-off & Curbside Pick-up Day Part 2 still TBD.

Weekly Schedule

• Monday Meet-up (required): Two hour check-in to introduce the activity of the week, review questions and comments, share out work from the previous week. Note: Time will be determined once participants are accepted. 
• Tuesday Tech Hour (optional): Time for teachers to work with Baxter Center teacher leaders and staff to review any technical questions about the lab. (ex. How do I use a pipette? How do I make agarose gels?)
• Thursday Office Hour (optional): Time to touch base with Baxter Center teacher leaders and staff to talk through any questions and/or comments. 

Baxter Box @ Home Activities

Note: Participants will be able to test out up to 3 of the following activities. More details about each lab will be discussed at orientation. 

• Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration 
• p51 DNA Glow Lab (DNA structure, pipetting)
• BioBits (gene expression, central dogma, pipetting)
• HNPCC: Detecting Inherited Forms of Cancer (pipetting, gel electrophoresis)
• DNA Damage & Repair (pipetting, gel electrophoresis)
• Sickle Cell Gene Detection (pipetting, gel electrophoresis)
• Crime Scene Investigator (pipetting, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, PCR)
• Genotype to Phenotype: PTC Taster (pipetting, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, PCR)
• GMO Investigator (pipetting, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, PCR)

Q&A

• What will I receive? Participants will receive a Baxter Box that is equivalent to a demo science kit. We will do our best to provide everything you need to run this experiment at home.
• What am I expected to do? We hope to brainstorm together on how to make the kits you receive meaningful for your students, whether it's in-person or virtual. We ask that you help create materials (such as worksheets, videos, Powerpoints, etc) for your students to accomplish this goal.  
• What kinds of labs can I work on?  Participants will receive a Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration activity + 3 Baxter Box @ Home activities of their choosing. Activities include DNA analysis, gel electrophoresis, restriction digest, and PCR. The list of activities can be found on our website. 
• How much time per week do I have to commit to? We estimate that this will be a 5 hour commitment per week. There will be a two hour weekly check-in on Mondays + time spent working individually on labs (estimated three hours). 
• What do I need? We will do our best to provide everything you need (equipment, consumables, and training) to be able to participate in the program and complete experiments at home.
• How will I receive the Baxter Box? We will have curbside pick up available at Northwestern. If you are unable to meet us, we'd be happy to drop off the materials directly to you

Note: This is a pilot program. Program structure and requirements can be changed accordingly. Please email any questions and/or comments at bcse@northestern.edu