Facilities · Labs
Two wet labs and a fume hood that has seen things.
Real benches, real glassware, real ventilation. The difference between a science program and a science demonstration is plumbing.
- Labs
- 2
- Sinks
- 24
- Microscopes
- 18
- Capacity
- 14 each
The Hawthorne lab was a break room in its previous life. We put in 14 benches, 16 sinks, a fume hood, an eyewash, a safety shower, and a chemical storage cabinet that is bolted to the wall. The Cully lab is smaller — 8 benches, 8 sinks, no fume hood, which is why volatile work stays at Hawthorne.
Equipment
| Item | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Student benches | 22 | Epoxy resin tops, acid-resistant, scratched to hell |
| Sinks | 24 | Cold water only, which is period-appropriate for a former break room |
| Fume hood | 1 | Hawthorne only. Ducted, certified annually, loud |
| Binocular microscopes | 18 | Four are good. The rest are teaching microscopes and they teach fine |
| Analytical balance | 2 | 0.001 g. Kids weigh things they should not |
| pH meters | 12 | Recalibrated weekly by a kid whose job that is |
| Glassware | Enough | Beakers, flasks, graduated cylinders. We break about $400 worth a year |
| Safety shower & eyewash | 1 each | Tested monthly, logged in a binder |
What happens here
Water testing, titration, microscopy, indicator chemistry, soap making, soil analysis, and the occasional spectacular failure. The lab is also where the Science Fair projects get built, which means February is loud and smells like vinegar.
Safety
Goggles on the moment you cross the tape line. Gloves for anything with a hazard label. The fume hood for anything volatile. Two staff members are first-aid, CPR, and epinephrine trained at all times, and the chemical inventory is reviewed quarterly by a board committee that includes a pediatric nurse practitioner.
We do not do anything with concentrated acids, mercury, or anything that requires a licensed lab technician. The line is: if it would make a school district's risk manager nervous, it does not happen here.
A kid who has pipetted 40 samples will remember pH forever. A kid who watched a video about pH will remember the video. The lab exists so we can be the first kind of program.
Come see the rooms
Tours run Tuesdays at 4:00 and Saturdays at 11:00. No appointment needed, but call if you want a specific program lead.