Probeware replacing
traditional science laboratory techniques
March 2007
With the introduction of a new laboratory technique for data
collection and analysis, called Probeware, Monticello High
School students are experiencing what it is like to be real-life
scientists, while learning practical skills for their future.
 Probeware
is the name given to electronic sensors that can measure
different aspects of the physical world. They may have a
built-in readout or be connected to a calculator or computer.
They extend our senses and allow for more precise measurements
and more accurate timing of collected information.
For example, in high school science teacher Hal Grunenwald’s
Living Environment class, students recently used the Probeware
technology to determine the relationship between the surface
area and volume of a cell. Students began with cubes of a
gelatin-type substance, called agar, which also contains salt.
They cut the cubes into a variety of different sizes and then
immersed each batch of cubes into a beaker filled with distilled
water. One end of the conductivity probe was inserted into the
beaker, while the other end was connected to a computer.
Students then timed and charted the rate at which the salt
diffused into the water and analyzed the data.
Besides learning to use this new technology, the lesson helped
students understand what goes on in the cells of the
human body. “If a cell gets too big it can’t function and it
dies,” explained Grunenwald. “If absorption and excretion is too
slow, you won’t be able to get nutrients in, or waste out - the
survival of our cells is dependent on this process working at
just the right rate.”
Our world has become a digital place blanketed with technology.
We use remote sensors every day in our automobiles, television
sets, and even for certain functions in our power plants. While
all students may not pursue a career in the sciences, learning
this technology can help them better understand their every day
lives.
Being able to use, read and understand remote sensing and
control is not only a requirement of the NY State Math, Science,
and Technology Standards, it is a necessary skill for the 21st
Century.
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