If you know that some work of English literature or drama will be discussed in a class coming up, you can go to the Library and read it (unless you already have it), to PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CLASS. If you know that some historical event or period will be discussed in your History Class, you can go to the Library and read about it TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CLASS. You can do this for most of your classes.

BUT YOU CANNOT DO IT FOR SCIENCE LABORATORY CLASSES! I learned that, as a Physics Major at Columbia University. (And the "lesson" was re-emphasized when I became a Physics Instructor.) If reading about an experiment in a manual (or whatever) were sufficient, Laboratory would be unnecessary! To use a cliché, AN EXPERIMENT IS A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE. Certain equipment must be employed to invoke the "scientific experience". But the expensive equipment in Lab is needed ONLY FOR IN-DEPTH PRESENTATION and (at least for the Physical Sciences) TO OBTAIN GOOD MEASUREMENTS. Simple paraphenalia, often found in most "middle-class" homes, or easy obtained "at The Mall", can provide for that STRANGE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST KIND. Hence, science kits with this kind of equipment, checked out of the Library.

For I'd discovered that, often, by the time I'd learned what HANDS-ON could tell me, the Lab Period was almost over. Just enough time to take some measurements, clean up, and depart. Gradually, I began to hate Physics Lab, for its frustrations. And, as I note elsewhere, it was an extremely frustrating experiment in a Graduate Physics Lab Course (but taken as an undergraduate) that helped to drive me out of Physics, and into Math.

In 1957, I discovered a marvelous book, Demonstration Experiments in Physics, by Ralph Sutton, McGraw-Hill, 1938, now out of print. In many cases, Sutton suggested simple equipment which could be found about almost any "middle class" home. (The emphasis is taken up in another file on this website.) In 1961, I returned to my notes on this and formulated a grant request to The National Science Foundation.

Prepare, in a cardboard box, the simple equipment for discovering an important physical phenomenon, along with instructions for proceeding in the experiment. Let dozens of these KITS be available in the Library, to be checked out by a student before going into the Laboratory. Having seen the phenomenon under relaxed conditions, the student could then concentrate on good lab procedure and good measurements, motivating better Lab Reports.

I realized, of course, that this might be done for any science course -- Chemistry, Biology, etc. -- but Sutton's book would show how to set up a PROTOTYPE in Physics for other types of science kits.

When the NSF did not acknowledge my letter, I wrote to many famous physicists, hoping that I might get an approving letter from one of them to support my case. Nothing in writing -- but an amusing oral communication followed.

I had begun to teach Math by "Programmed Material", discussed elsewhere. I was invited to a Conference of The American Association of Science Teachers, held at X High School, in Hollywood, Florida. One of the speakers was Jerrold Zacharias, an eminent MIT physicist, whom I'd written, without response. After his talk, I briefly sketched my idea to him.

"Oh", he said. "Yes, that's a good idea. In fact, there's a man down in Puerto Rico who's working on this ---." Zacharias stopped short, noticing that my Name Tag read, "John Hays, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán, Puerto Rico".

"Oh. You must be that guy."

I nodded and again asked for a written statement from him supporting my proposal. "Well, write me about this", and he rushed off. I wrote Zacharias again, with no response.

And, in this, as in so many other cases, the NSF treated me as a NONPERSON.

We still don't have, in 1997, a Library of Science Kits.

I CHALLENGE you to promote this effort!

And there is a COROLLARY PROJECT for this.