MiraCosta College is bringing lab kits to thousands of its students after classes were moved online due to the pandemic.
The college sent more than 3,000 lab kits containing everything from blood typing chemicals to animal organs for at-home lab work.
MiraCosta College arranged to get lab kits to students through on-campus distributions and in-home deliveries. For those lacking transportation options, the campus mailed lab kits to students living out of the region. One kit was sent to a student in Belgium and another to a student in Virginia, the college said.
Microscopes were sent to homes of microbiology students. Biotechnology kits included polymerase chain reaction machines used in sophisticated lab analyses, the campus said.
In all, 3,023 students received at-home lab kits to ensure they would receive the same kind of experience as they would in a lab class on campus.
MiraCosta College put together the following kits for students:
- 9,504 components for 288 anatomy dissection lab kits, including 864 animal organs.
- 2,018 primary and supplemental lab kits to support 35 sections of nine chemistry courses.
- 7,500 different items for lab kits distributed to 150 microbiology students.
- 5,500 components in 62 lab kits delivered to students in support of their biotechnology coursework.
- 256 blood-typing lab kits sent to physiology students.
“It shows how much the college really cares about us and it does a lot for our confidence,” said Biotechnology major Daria Sharko said. “I’m thankful for the college to provide us with the opportunity to keep going.”
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Some $350,000 in CARES Act funding helped pay for the effort.
“Being able to replicate a hands-on lab experience is a game changer for a lot of our students,” said Biology Professor Raymond Clark. “This transition to online courses has been really challenging for students for a variety of reasons, but overall MiraCosta College has done an excellent job leveraging our resources in helping students succeed, which is why we’re here.”
