Science plays a key role in agriculture, and Thursday afternoon the Kansas Department of Agriculture was able to help support science programs in dozens of Kansas high schools by providing them with lab equipment. Schools from across the state — as far away as Hays — came to the agricultural laboratory in Topeka to take advantage of a unique opportunity to acquire science materials for their schools.

The KDA laboratory, which is preparing for a move from Topeka to a brand-new facility in Manhattan, had been looking for a new home for some older lab equipment which was no longer going to be needed in the new facility. They reached out to agricultural education teachers across the state to find out if their schools might have use for the equipment. The response was overwhelming, so the agricultural lab invited them to an open house giveaway.

More than 20 schools sent ag ed teachers, science teachers and administrators to Topeka on Thursday, and they walked away with a wide scope of equipment, from water baths and hot plates to mercury thermometers and microscopes. And don’t forget glassware: flasks, test tubes, and graduated cylinders lined the counters as the educators arrived to make their selections.

“We were thrilled to see this lab equipment going to such a great cause,” said Sarah DeDonder, manager of the KDA agricultural laboratory. “It was really a win-win for us, because it helped us with our preparation for the move, while at the same time providing supplies to Kansas schools for their science and ag ed programs.”

Perhaps the best unexpected result from the event came as the teachers engaged in conversation with the staff of the ag lab, and talked about possible tours for high school students in the new, state-of-the-art lab facility in Manhattan.

“Today has given us an opportunity to develop relationships with these teachers and promote the many science-based careers in agriculture that are available,” said DeDonder. “Ag includes jobs for chemists, microbiologists, engineers, and other scientists, and we’re pleased to support a science-based curriculum which prepares students for these careers.”

For more information about the agricultural laboratory at the Kansas Department of Agriculture, go to www.agriculture.ks.gov/AgLab.