Have you ever wondered how the science department has so much tech? Laptops are everywhere, electronic probes are used in labs, and new materials are all over. All of this is due to the work of science teacher Chris Carman. He applies for grants for money and technology, and the grants he’s gotten has transformed the science department.

Carman has applied for many grants, and has won five major ones in the past five years. In 2007, a grant from the Kent Environmental Council was used to buy LabQuest probes and other equipment for Environmental Science classes. In cooperation with fellow science teachers Mitch Lambert and Chris Knopick, a grant through Kent State’s Personalizing Education program in 2009 bought 12 netbooks for use by chemistry classes. In 2011, a grant from Toshiba American Foundation will fund construction of an eco-house, and one from Dominion Foundation was used to purchase LabQuests for elementary school teachers.

The largest and most well known grant was won in a competition held by Samsung. Roosevelt students teamed up with first graders at Davey Elementary for “Creek Day,” a water quality study. Kent landed in the top ten among all applicants in the country, and won $50,000 worth of prizes. Of that money, $23,000 was used to buy new laptops, printers, and monitors for the science department, $22,000 was used to purchase Microsoft software, and $1000 cash was provided to buy materials for Environmental Science. Overall, Carman’s grants have brought in over $77,000 to Kent City Schools.

One class benefiting from these grants is Carman’s Environmental Science class. “With the laptops, it’s possible for my Environmental Science classes to go paperless,” Carman said. Work is done using Google Docs, which gives students experience using online tools for class, much like Blackboard at Kent State. Environmental Science doesn’t use a textbook, so in the past when students needed to read something, packets had to be printed. With online resources, paper is saved and doing work at home becomes more convenient. Outside labs are easier to do because classes don’t have to stay inside because the computer lab is booked for them; they can just use the laptops whenever they need.

Learning also becomes more fun with the laptops. Without a textbook, classes are free to learn what they’re interested in and do more labs. “I think it makes education more interesting,” Carman said. “I want to make the class as hands-on as possible.”

Even if students aren’t in a science class, they still benefit from these grants. When Environmental Science is using the laptops, they aren’t in the computer lab. This frees up space for other teachers to use the computers. One grant was also used to fund a second cart of netbooks for the library, so more classes can use the netbooks instead to booking one of the labs.

Carman was inspired to start applying for grants after being approached by the Kent Environmental Council. The council was interested in giving money, so he decided to use the money to purchase LabQuests. After that first grant, he decided to apply for some more, and the rest is history. However, he doesn’t get every grant he applies for.

“It’s very hit or miss, and I have more misses than hits,” Carman said. For every grant Carman receives money for, there are many more that were rejected. “I’d say my success rate is at 25%.”

Applying for grants is a very challenging process. An application requires a very specific write-up. “They really want to know what you are going to do with it,” Carman said. Follow-ups are required if the grant is considered later in the process, and competition is intense. One grant offered by Siemens in 2010 had over 15,000 applicants. “I’m not an expert in grants, I’m just very lucky,” Carman said.

While grants provide a great opportunity for teachers, they can also be helpful to students. While not technically grants, contests and competitions can offer a good payoff for some creativity. Last year, senior Kevin Heller (now a freshman at Kent State) received $500 for his work in constructing a frog pond here at Roosevelt. $500 was also given to the science department. Essay competitions, like Laws of Life, are available in nearly every topic and can help both students and the school as a whole.

Through new technology and equipment, grants have helped immensely in the science department to make classes better and more high-tech. Chris Carman’s hard work has paid off, and it really shows. Just go to your science class and see.