Working
in conjunction with the Prakash Lab at Stanford University, Broome-Tioga BOCES
was selected as a beta testing site for the foldscopes prototype.
Thompson
and Leip are designing integrated science lessons using the foldscopes in career
and technical education classes at BOCES.
Students
in our integrated science classes have joined thousands of other participants
in a global community of learning to explore the microscopic world around
us. The discoveries students make will be cataloged on the foldscope
website and will have the potential to make tangible advances to the fields of
science, medicine and industry.
BOCES
received 12 of the Origami-based paper devices, and students have been testing
them in the classrooms. Each foldscope costs approximately 50 cents, whereas
regular microscopes would cost many times that amount (and be much heavier). It
is thought that the foldscope could be a game changer in the field of science
by increasing access to those who don’t currently have microscopes. They can be
dropped from a tall building without breaking and can be easily carried, for
example, into villages in developing nations to help identify deadly viruses,
etc.