PBL

Microscope Launch

Poorest cities: Brownsville, Texas: A man stands out of the wind during a downpour in downtown Brownsville.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data and economic website 24/7 Wall St., two of the poorest cities in the nation are in Texas.

Data shows that the Brownsville-Harlingen area has overtaken McAllen as the poorest city in the country, putting them in the first and second spots.

Of the Brownsville-Harlingen area's 415,557 residents, 36 percent live below the poverty level. Texas' overall poverty rate is 17 percent. In Brownsville, 22 percent of the population has only a high school diploma or other equivalent certificate. 37 percent do not have a high school diploma.

You have been hired by BASF The Chemical Company which is a global leader in manufacturing products for various industries which include aerospace, agriculture, automotive, packaging, personal care, and pharmaceutical among others. As an employee of BASF, you will be responsible for designing, creating, and testing an economical cell phone accessory that will allow you to examine various types of cells on the go using materials easily attainable by others. The cost of your product should be no higher than $10 dollars. Remember that the product you are developing will be tested in real life applications. Document all activity throughout the project. You are given a deadline of 3 weeks. ALL members are to be involved throughout the development of the project.

Product Name:__________________________________________________

Product Designer:_______________________________________________

Product Engineer:_______________________________________________

Manufacturing:________________________________________________

Product Presenter/Marketer:_____________________________________

A brief look at microscopes from the past...

Content Standards

B.5.B   examine specialized cells, including roots, stems, and leaves

of plants; and animal cells such as blood, muscle, and

epithelium

B.1.A demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations

B.1.B demonstrate an understanding of the use and conservation of resources and the proper disposal or recycling of materials

B.2.H communicate valid conclusions supported by the data through methods such as lab reports, labeled drawings, graphic organizers, journals, summaries, oral reports, and technology‐based reports

B.3.A in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning,

and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student

B.3.B communicate and apply scientific information extracted from various sources such as current events, news reports, published

journal articles, and marketing materials