The Bugscope project is an educational outreach program for kindergarten to grade 12 (K–12) classrooms. The project provides a resource to classrooms so that they may remotely operate a scanning electron microscope to image insects at high magnification. The microscope is remotely controlled in real time from a classroom computer over the Internet using a Web browser. Bugscope provides a state-of-the-art microscope resource for teachers that can be readily integrated into classroom activities. The Bugscope project provides a low-cost, sustainable model for research groups to support K–12 education outreach projects.

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Bugscope is a second generation educational project in the World Wide Laboratory that provides web browser based control of scientific imaging instrumentation using the Internet. We had previously demonstrated web based remote access to sophisticated scientific imaging systems several years ago in the Chickscope project. The primary goal of the Bugscope project is to demonstrate that relatively low cost, sustainable access to an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) can be made available to K-12 classrooms.Methods: To participate in the project, a classroom submits a web based application that describes how they plan to use the microscope. If the application is accepted, a one hour session on the ESEM is scheduled and the classroom mails in their chosen specimen. During their access time, classrooms use a standard web browser over the Internet to control and acquire images from the ESEM (Philips/FEI XL-30FEG).

are automatically collected to provide an overall merit value for the proposed project. This information is then used to set up and schedule a session for the classrooms. During the session the acquired images are also automatically stored and can be later retrieved by the classroom (or any other interested group) though the Web. Without this automation, sustaining this project in the long term would be overwhelming and would require the assistance of a full time project administrator.Results and Conclusions: As of February 2000, we have supported over 30 classrooms (approximately 1000 students) from all over the country. We have had enthusiastic response from the students and teachers that have participated in the project and over 100 applications have been submitted. We currently routinely support two classrooms a week and we expect to support approximately 100 sessions a year. The project requires minimal staff resources and less than 3 hours of instrument time a week.The most obvious benefit of the Bugscope project is that is provides students with access to scientific instrumentation and expertise that would not otherwise be available to them. More importantly the project engages students in the scientific process and gives them some experience of the realities of conducting scientific research. In planning the experiment and providing the specimens, students have a sense of ownership of the project that would be very difficult to duplicate using a simulator or a virtual machine. This benefit was pointed out numerous times in the final evaluations submitted by the participating teachers.Addendum: As of 9/20/00 44 schools have participated in the project. • 1. http://buqscope.beckman.uiuc.edu 2.