Helping Your Child With Their First Science Project: Ever wonder how to help your kid have a successful science fair project? We have all the tips and examples you will need here!

Community Science Fair Guide: Moving on to the next stage of organizing a community science fair? We have the steps to throw and effective one based off recent experience here!

De-CODEX a Cell: is an interactive, hands-on outreach game that introduces students to how we use DNA, proteins, antibodies, and fluorescence to identify different cell types with spatial-omics technologies. Through gameplay, students match molecular components and fluorescent signals to “decode” cell identity while learning key concepts in molecular specificity and cell phenotyping. The game is modular, 3D-printable, and adaptable for different class sizes, grade levels, and learning goals. All materials needed to build and use the game are available for download.

Cell Commander: is a browser-based strategy game developed by the Hickey Lab to introduce students and the public to agent-based modeling of cancer immunotherapy. Players build and deploy an immune-cell army against a simulated tumor, using game mechanics inspired by the same kinds of biologically based agent models used in our research. The game is designed for education and demonstration rather than full biological fidelity. Cell Commander is free to play online, and the source code, simulation framework, and additional design materials are also available for download.

Barcode Hunters: is a hands-on outreach game that introduces students to how scientists analyze microscopy images to track molecular barcodes. Students “become the computer,” using rules based on a signal’s location, size, and intensity to distinguish real barcode signals from noise and artifacts. Through the activity, students learn how image-analysis pipelines work—and why scientists must carefully test and validate the rules used to interpret biological data.  

Gut Explorer is an interactive browser-based tool that lets everyone explore real multiplexed CODEX microscopy images from eight locations along the human intestine, from the duodenum to the sigmoid colon. Visitors can choose from three levels of exploration: a kid-friendly, a student mode, or an expert mode. By moving between regions and turning molecular markers on and off, users can see how scientists use spatial imaging to visualize the organization of epithelial cells, immune cells, blood vessels, muscle, and other structures within human tissue.

We also use Foldscope which is a low-cost, portable paper microscope, to give students a hands-on opportunity to collect samples, make observations, and explore the microscopic world for themselves. 

Learn more about Foldscope and support their mission to make science accessible: Visit Foldscope