Campus News

BUMC Donates 50 Lab-Quality Microscopes to Three Boston Secondary Schools

The Medical Campus recently donated 50 lab-quality microscopes to three schools in the Boston Public School (BPS) system. 

The John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, Dearborn STEM Academy in Roxbury, and New Mission High School in Hyde Park received Olympus CH series microscopes that were once used by Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) students. 

“This was a magnificent gift. We had the microscopes and the carrying cases, and the microscopes are in wonderful condition,” says Valeda Britton, BUMC executive director of community relations. 

These 1970s-era Olympus CH series microscopes last a long time, but technology upgrades eclipse even the best performers eventually. Approximately a decade ago, the medical school and campus transitioned to virtual online microscope programs for teaching purposes. Eventually, the microscopes were placed in storage, with space limitations prompting plans to donate them. 

“They were used less and less,” says Lucy Milne, director of education media. “Erita Ikonomi, an educational technologist, maintained the scopes and kept them safe so they can now have a second life.” 

The Medical Campus’s history of supporting Boston Public Schools includes establishing grants and other financial programs, offering the expertise of BUMC students and faculty, and donating excess equipment. BU also has specific initiatives—like the Summer Biomedical Research Internship and the Med-Science Program—that introduce underrepresented youth from Boston and other communities to postsecondary STEM-M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) programs. 

As Medical Campus liaison to the surrounding communities, Britton and her colleagues visited the schools in advance of the donation. 

“We casually brought up that we had these microscopes, and asked if they could use them in their science classes. And all three schools said yes,” she recalls. Within a few days, the 50 microscopes were loaded into a BU truck and driven to the schools, with two receiving 17 instruments and the third 16. 

“The folks at the schools met us and they were really grateful to have these microscopes. I like the idea of those microscopes leading students to be more curious and more willing to explore,” Britton says. 

“We said yes,” says Samuel Baker, an instructional coach at Dearborn STEM Academy focused on STEM and interdisciplinary pathways in health sciences, engineering, and advanced manufacturing and computer science. “The microscopes are of such good quality and very durable. They can take the wear and tear.” 

In 2018, Dearborn moved into a brand-new, $70 million state-of-the-art STEM facility. Baker says the four-story school has microscopes in a lab on the second floor that had to be transported up to the biology lab floor when needed; the 16 Olympus microscopes allows them to have instruments in both labs. 

Baker cites another benefit of institutions of higher learning interacting with BPS students—whether it’s university staff, faculty, or students who come to the high schools, they give students there the opportunity to broaden their everyday experiences by interacting with them. Dearborn’s student population is 90% African American, with many Cape Verdean families. Often, English is their second or even third language. “Students need to hear the college language, whether it’s a four-year or two-year college. We need to expose them to opportunities after high school,” he says.