Laxco: Raising the Bar in Science Education
Fostering the Next Generation of Scientists
Laxco has started a nationwide buyback and donation program that supplies refurbished microscopes to elementary schools and promotes science education. Instead of discarding old models, colleges and universities can donate or trade in their microscopes for credit that never expires. For each microscope, Laxco offers $100 of credit that can be applied to up to 10% of an individual order. The donated microscopes are then cleaned, repaired, and donated to elementary schools, which typically do not have funds for microscopes in their budgets.
Through the program, Laxco hopes to connect resources with schools that really need them, stimulate science education for young students, and support educators, STEM schools, school districts, and science teachers’ associations. But this is just one of Laxco’s education initiatives — they’re designing new programs to stimulate science education in all grade levels.
Want to trade in an old microscope and support the next generation of scientists? Contact your Fisher Scientific representative to get started.
Bringing Innovative Technology to the Classroom
Laxco SeBa Microscopes feature a fully integrated tablet that uses the same touchscreen technology students are used to using on phones and tablets. This helps create a connection between everyday life and science that makes it easy for students to dive into their work. At the Diversity for Science Conference in June 2019, 21 high school students were able to use the Laxco SeBa2 Microscope to search for live algae. The students were captivated with what they saw, and they were easily able to send images directly to their phones with the built-in Bluetooth connectivity.
For second grade students in Maine, the Laxco SeBa2 Microscope brought to life a whole world that’s invisible to the naked eye. From seemingly nothing, living organisms swam across a projector screen connected with the microscope’s built-in Bluetooth. Plus, the students were able to get hands-on experience at 10 different stations where they could take pictures, record videos, and author their personal findings by typing their names on the screen.
But Laxco microscopes aren’t just easy for students to use — they’re also convenient for instructors. The new Laxco SeBa Pro4C System allows teachers to remotely see what a student is viewing in real time, completely wirelessly, and with no lag. The SeBa Pro4C can connect with up to 29 microscopes, and it can display images from a single device or all 29 at once.
