PO BOX 92564
Rochester NY 14692-0564
01 April 2002
Minigrants Awarded From 1997 - 2002
Peter Debes Grades 11-12 Wilson Magnet - - Special filter for telescope eyepieces to block light pollution. The astronomy class is having trouble observing faint objects, such as star clusters, nebulas and galaxies, due to increasing light pollution. This filter will block out many common sources of light pollution, improving the visibility of faint astronomical objects.
Randall Ott Grade 10 Red Jacket High School - - Materials to build twelve bluebird nesting boxes. The class is constructing a bluebird trail as a long-term investigation in their Regents Biology laboratory program. The addition of these nesting boxes will make part of the school property an ideal habitat for Eastern Bluebirds. The class will collect information on the use of these nesting boxes by bluebirds and share their data with the Upstate New York Bluebird Society. The class will build both traditional and experimental design nesting boxes.
Edith Swetsky Grades 3&4 Spec. Ed. #29 School, Rochester City - - Aquarium set-up with six lizards and a mealworm culture kit. The class will study habitats and environments. They will create the habitat for the lizards in the aquarium and raise the mealworms to provide a steady diet for the lizards. The class will improve math skills by tracking the growth of the mealworm population through reproduction and decrease through consumption.
Barbara Gayvert/Robert Eustace Grade 8 Wayne Central Middle School - - Optical Society of America Optics Discovery Kits with lenses, filters, diffraction gratings, and activity booklets. Barbara and Robert will use these kits to enhance the teaching of the Optics and Optical Technology unit.
Carol Goldsmith Grade 9 Sutherland High School - - Kodak single use cameras for use in teaching Regents level Earth Science to academically challenged students. The students will use the cameras over the summer break in a lab/journal writing activity. Carol hopes that this summer activity will keep the students thinking about the science they learned in the fall and spring.
Donna Proietti Grade Kindergarten World of Inquiry (#58 School) - - Levers, Pulleys, Gears, and a Water Mill for a science unit on energy and motion. Donna will use these items to give her class hands on activities with simple machines. She will encourage students to look for things at home and in the classroom that use levers, pulleys and gears.
Veronica Scully Grades 1 & 2 Victor Primary School - - Twelve duck eggs, incubator and other supplies to hatch and feed ducklings. A class of about 12 special education students will observe hatching process and keep journals on it. The project includes related reading and speaking skill activities.
Curtis J. Follman Grades K-1 Ginther School, Brockport - - Materials to build a brooding barn to house young chickens, ducks and pheasants. This barn will extend the life cycle studies of these birds by providing proper conditions for their care beyond hatching.
Allan Lacey Grades 9-12 East High, Rochester City - - Live sea urchin kit from Bio-Pacific Supply. This kit will allow students to directly observe fertilization and early development of sea urchin eggs. The AP Biology class and at least six Regents Biology classes will participate in this activity. Study of sexual reproduction in sea urchins will also open lines of discussion in other areas.
Charles W. Lowe Grade 12 Honeoye Falls-Lima High - - Electronics parts to build an electronic timing device with 10 millisecond resolution. Students will build the timer and use it to study the physics of moving bodies. They will attempt to relate their experimental data to an interpretation of EinsteinÆs theory on the curvature of space near masses. The class can use the timer for other physics experiments and demonstrations.
Rosemary Ramos Grades 6-8 Nathaniel Rochester Middle - - Two pH meters and one pH testing kit. The 120 sixth grade students will use the meters to monitor pH and salinity in fresh and salt-water aquariums. They will also study conditions in Lake Ontario. An after-school science club of 6-8 grade students will also use the meters for more elaborate investigations.
Sara P. Shafer Grade 4 #12 School, Rochester City - - Bird feeders, birdseed and other bird food, binoculars and other observing tools. The students are working with Cornell university in a pilot program û Classroom Feeder Watch. Students will set up feeders and record observations related to the birds visiting the feeders. They will record data on time of day, temperature, the numbers and species of birds. They will regularly report their observations to Cornell through the Internet.
Amy Savoie/Donna J. Sereno Grades 6-8 Nathaniel Rochester Community - - Purchase a kit from the Wonderwise Women in Science Learning Series. The kit includes a videotape and hands on study materials showing women scientists solving problems or doing studies and allowing the classes to participate in the action. The kit will also support activities in WomenÆs History Month.
Lynn Gatto Grade 4/5 Rochester City #39 School - - Buy materials to design and build model covered wagons. Lynn plans to teach an integrated unit on the theme of Westward Ho! Twenty-five students will engage in activities covering all subjects. Groups of students will design and build their model covered wagons from scratch using problem solving concepts learned in class. They will use ideas from the 4th grade curriculum in math, science, technology and social studies.
Robin Hill Grade 4/5 Rochester City #35 School - - Buy two aquarium set-ups, gold fish and fishing equipment. Robin will build on the students' high level of interest in fishing. The class will study the resources that support fishing, including aquatic ecology. The class will gain a greater appreciation and sense of responsibility for New York's diverse aquatic resources. Students will study the fish in the classroom. They will also collect and study pond water specimens to learn about the many macro-invertebrates found in fresh water. The project finishes with a student/parent fishing trip. This project will continue in future years.
Marjorie E. Lewis Grade 1 Greece Central Paddy Hill School - - Buy a giant prism, solar print kit, Jumbo Bean and Plant Puzzle, spring scales and platform scale. All 175 first grade students will celebrate math and science days using these materials for hands-on, integrated lessons developed by the eight grade one teachers, including a co-teaching special education team.
Alex J. Johnson Grade 5-6 Rochester City #2 School - - Buy a 33.6 kbaud fax/modem for the classroom computer to access the Internet. Students will visit the NASA web sites and other space related pages to gather data on the final frontier. They could also correspond via e-mail with former Pittsford, NY resident Major Pamela Melroy. MAJ Melroy is an astronaut who visited Alex's class last year.
Carole L. Smith Grade 1 Rush-Henrietta û Ethel K. Fife - - Buy materials for long term observations of organisms. Students will be able to observe, handle, and care for plants and animals for longer than the current two-month period. Students will compare needs, behavior and changes in the plants and animals. The materials would offer small group observation and responsibility throughout the school year.
Joan Flint Grade 10-12 Science Olympiad - - Edit about two hours of video coverage of the 1998 regional Science Olympiad events to about 25 minutes, make copies of the edited tape, and mail copies to prospective schools. The Regional Science Olympiad Committee wants to expand the Regional Competition to 20 or more schools. The proposed videotape will help promote regional Science Olympiad competition.
Marjorie E. Lewis Grade 1 Greece û Paddy Hill - - Buy materials to create various plant habitats, including desert, rain forest/exotic plant and terrarium. All 150 grade one students would work with these habitats in a subject integrated plant exploration. The teachers will maintain these habitats for use by future classes.
Patricia Massa Grade 5 Rochester #54 School - - Buy owl pellets and bone sorting charts for a joint science unit between regular and special education classes. Each student will dissect their own owl pellet, using the bone chart to identify rodents the owl ate. Students will classify bones and create skeletons on paper. Students will also write short reports of their experiences and display their skeleton diagrams and reports for other students to see.
Amy McCabe Grade 10-11 Greece Athena Sr. High - - Buy an Analysis of Drugs and Poisons kit for use in two General Chemistry classes. Amy and another teacher will use this kit and other materials to add a forensics unit to the General Chemistry curriculum. This new unit will show students some of the many uses for chemistry in forensics and police work.
Gregory Sahm Grade 8 & 12 Bolivar, Bolivar-Richburg SD - - Buy a Planetview Camera and CU-SeeMe software for use by 8th grade and Physics students to digitally document their work. This purchase will help students to provide the required documentation of their lab work. In addition, students will be able to share their work with students from other schools. This equipment will benefit students for years to come.
Barbara Barker Grades 9,10 Nazareth Academy - - Buy ten ground water model kits from the Denver Earth Science Project. Students will use these kits to simulate groundwater contamination. They will apply their findings to their studies of non-point source pollution of the Lower Genesee River Gorge. Students will analyze and present their findings in both written and group presentations.
Pearl Wostl/Cher Marrett Grade 1 & 2 Penfield Harris Hill School - - Buy two Fisher Scientific Academic ESM microscopes to study plant materials and soil samples. The students in two 1st and 2nd grade classes are learning about life cycles by creating and maintaining flower gardens, vegetable gardens and a compost heap.
Theresa Gerchman Grade K-11 Spencerport High School - - Buy materials and chemicals for AP Chemistry students to teach science concepts to elementary school students. The AP class will visit 52 elementary classrooms to show students the "magic of chemistry." The goal is to motivate as many elementary science students as possible.
Joyce Donsky Grade 6 Durand Eastman School - - Buy materials for hydroponics, soilless gardening. This will allow students to experiment with hydroponics technology. The planned unit links with concepts from the Jason XI project and a 6th Grade BOSAT plant unit the school uses.
Nicole Allen-Hickey Grade 7 Merton Williams Middle School - - Buy four kits for hydroponic gardening experiments. Students will compare the effectiveness of hydroponic methods vs. growth in soil. Students will apply scientific methods to develop this experiment. Students can use these kits again in future years.
Jessica Kimmel Grade 10 East Rochester High School - - Buy three compact flash cards for digital cameras. These cards will expand the usefulness of the schoolÆs digital cameras to take digital images during laboratory activities. One specific project requires students to develop a digital portfolio of genetic traits.
Camille Perlo Grade 4 H. B. Montgomery School - - Pay for a Create-A-Bird program by a naturalist-storyteller. This presentation will enhance the life science curriculum for the advanced students in the class.
Nadia Cromwell Grade K Rochester City School #58 - - Buy sets of gears and building wheels to supplement a unit on wheels, gears and axles. Students will discover how wheels and gears work by building their own structures.
Christopher Dolgos Grade 3 Mary McLeod Bethune, #45 - - Purchase materials to introduce students to the science and technology of radio astronomy. The class will use prisms to explore the optical spectrum. They will then examine the effects of electrical discharges and light energy on radio reception. This will lead to discussion of how radio astronomers can "hear" solar flares, sunspots and pulsars. Finally, students will use a simple AM transmitter kit to send and receive signals. They will also learn about the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) through the Planetary SocietyÆs SETI @ Home project on the Internet.
Roben Findlay/Carolyn Weishaar Grade 3-6 Francis Parker School, #23 - - Buy additional compasses for an Orienteering program. This program reaches 350 students from four city schools. The program teaches map reading and compass reading skills through the competitive sport of Orienteering. In addition to the valuable map and compass skills, students benefit from physical activity while practicing problem solving and decision making.
Melissa Frost Grade K-6 Andrew J. Townson School, #39 - - Buy new science materials and a measurement activity kit for the school Media Center. These purchases will provide a current slide set and manual on the universe, a NatureÆs Fury video from the National Geographic Society and an Inch by Inch activity kit with additional Inchworms.
Edith Marion Grade 4-5 Mary McLeod Bethune, #45 - - Buy STAR MATH software to accurately assess studentsÆ math achievement levels. This software uses adaptive branching technology to adjust the difficulty of the questions to each studentÆs ability. It also tracks each studentÆs progress throughout the year. It also helps the teacher guide the student to material that challenges them without frustrating them.
George L. Smith Grade 9 - 12 Brighton High School - - Purchase a Vernier Turbidity Sensor for use in Regents ("Living Environment") Biology, AP Biology, Environmental Science and Envirothon Club. Turbidity sensors are extremely useful in water quality studies and other applications where the observer needs to measure the clarity of a solution quickly and accurately. The Biology classes are focusing on the Allens Creek û Irondequoit Creek watershed. They are regularly monitoring Buckland Creek, which flows across the school grounds, in a long-term project with benefits to the 400+ students involved and to the surrounding community.
Elizabeth Spike Grade 10 Sutherland High School - - Purchase immunological reagents for an Immunology unit. This purchase will supplement $7,000.00 of donated equipment from laboratory suppliers. The class will use the reagents to learn how the ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) technique detects prostate cancer. Course material on human immunology and ethics of costs and benefits in prostate cancer treatment will accompany this simulation of the PSA test for prostate cancer. This Immunology lab will enrich the minimum program and support educational creativity since it has never been taught anywhere before. This lab will also benefit another district school through a guest teaching program.
Janet Siegel Grade 9 - 12 Young Mothers Program - - Buy a "Pangaea Continental Drift Globe" to help demonstrate the concept of lithospheric plate movements. This steel globe has 15 plastic continent pieces and accessories to attach them to the globe while allowing students to move them around on the globe. The movement of lithospheric plates is a core concept in Earth Science and Biology and Environmental Science also cover the concept. This will benefit about 120 students in the Young Mothers program, giving them a better understanding of the abstract concept of plate tectonics.
Lynn Gatto Grade 2 Henry Hudson School, #28 - - Buy materials for the students to construct a "Land of the Dinosaurs Museum" designed by them. They will create a large papier-mache T-Rex model, fossil replicas, time lines, mobiles of flying dinosaurs, rock collections and other informative displays related to dinosaurs. They also will turn a hallway type coat closet into a walk through volcano. The students will develop process skills in developing and carrying out their plans. They will practice communications skills by creating "museum like" display signs for everything they exhibit. These second grade experts will then guide over 500 children and teachers through their museum.
Donna Proietti Grade K World of Inquiry - School #58 - - Purchase materials so the students can explore the concepts of color and light. These non-consumable materials will supplement consumable materials, such as paint and food coloring to enhance the color unit. Students will be able to manipulate them, make hypotheses, observe and form conclusions. The items will benefit 20 students in this yearÆs kindergarten class and many other students in the years to come.
Amy Peterson Grade 9 Gananda High School - - Purchase three power supplies for running gel electrophoresis experiments and a poster detailing the process. This equipment will give about 110 students in AP Biology and Living Environment courses hands-on experience with current genetic techniques. This will better prepare them to understand the genetic science concepts now receiving greater emphasis in Regents Living Environment. In addition, this equipment can provide demonstrations for the rest of the school science teachers at monthly K-12 Science Department meetings.