Oh my Foldscope! Today, my sister Keerthi and I represented the DC Micronauts and conducted an amazing Foldscope Workshop in a rural school called CREA Children Academy Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), India. Over forty high school students, along with four teachers and a mentor participated in the workshop. The students participated in pairs, with two students working with a foldscope.

We started off the morning by introducing the Foldscope and briefly going over our goal of the workshop. Essentially, we planned to introduce the Foldscope foldscope, build the Foldscope, and understand its various applications, and effect on the users, school, and online community.

Next, we tackled the assembly of the Foldscopes, as my sister helped demonstrate the individual steps for folding while I went around and helped ensure everyone was following the process correctly. It went very smoothly and before long, we got started with the viewing and exploration!

For the viewing and exploration, we kept things simple by having two stations. For the first station, we had 30 students (15 Foldscopes) view pre-prepared slides, while in the second station, 10 students (5 Foldscopes) made their own slides. Earlier this morning, my sister and I picked and collected some fresh samples from the front yard (flower petals, pollen, leaves, whatever we could find) and used that in the freshly made slides station.

While I ran the freshly made slide station, Keerthi ran the pre-prepared slide station. Here’s what she had to say…

I helped out with premade slides. Immediately I saw crowds of people before me.  I was amazed at the interest in others about the Foldscope. I paired my phone with a magnetic coupler and used my phone to show everyone what different slides looked like under the Foldscope. I explained many things such as where the nucleus in the onion cells were, parts of a honey bee’s mouth, various plant cells, etc. We observed cross sections of stems and parts of plants and animals. In the process, one of the students observed something that they learned in science class. The science teacher was so happy and the observation led the other students to grasp a better idea of the concept. Everyone was so thrilled and it was a great experience

We also found success in the freshly made slides station, where the students were eager to see the flower petals and leaves under the Foldscope. They felt like real scientists as they learned how to find samples, put them on a slide, and view them under a Foldscope to discover amazing things!

Following the viewing/exploration, all the students completed reports on what they experienced from including drawings, observations, ideas, and reactions to what was viewed. (These will be uploaded later)

As the workshop came to a close, many students volunteered to give their feedback on their experience in the Foldscope workshop. Their feedback included comments such as

What I saw was very beautiful. I was able to see things not normally seen by the naked eye. Thank you so much for this experience!

Wow! This was incredible – I saw the inside of a honeybee’s mouth and a flower petal and was able to apply science knowledge to identify different parts.

The school  correspondent and the school administrator was so happy to see the active engagement from  the students and was thrilled about the outcome! In fact one of the science teacher mentioned that when he heard about the foldscope he was not sure what to expect, but when saw the foldscope in action, he was elated.

This is how science should be taught! Not simply by saying “Open to page 42 and read about this concept”, but rather with a hands-on learning experience like the Foldscope where these kids truly are inspired and excited about exploring the world around them. Thanks so much!

For these kids who had never before had the opportunity to view things under a microscope, this was an incredible experience. I personally felt very fulfilled to see their excited reactions, and grateful that I had the chance to inspire them to see the world in a whole new light.

I know for sure this workshop could not have been made possible without the help of several important people. First of all, thanks to Dr. Manu Prakash for encouraging and providing us with all the necessary Foldscope materials for the students. Also, thanks so much to Dr. Laks Iyer, mentor of the DC Micronauts,  for guiding me and my sister throughout this workshop from providing any additional materials to giving advice on how to go about conducting the workshop. The tips and tricks you told us really came in handy and we would have been lost without your help!

Within CREA, thanks to Correspondent Christy, School Administrator John Peters, Science Teacher Mercy, and Mentor Anthony for their warm reception providing us with the opportunity to spread the curiosity of science via Foldscope to these students!