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Equipment Lending Library


Equipment Lending Library

Thanks to the generous support of the Cornell University Biotechnology Program, CIBT has over 30 kits and models that have been developed for use in classrooms. Teachers who have participated in our summer institutes and in regional workshops can borrow kits FREE of CHARGE! The kits are shipped from our Ithaca location to the school and back. Local teachers are encouraged to contact us for pickup before or after school.

  • Only active CIBT alumni may request kits via the new on-line system. Active alumni are alumni that have participated in a CIBT workshop or Return to Campus event within the last three years.
  • All kits must be reserved two weeks in advance of when you will need them.
  • You need to have specific training to borrow the DNA Electrophoresis, Protein Gel Electrophoresis, PCR, and Wolbachia kits. We offer workshops for equipment training several times a year.
  • You can still reserve multiple kits, but each individual kit must be reserved separately.
  • You are taking responsibility for the contents of the kits. Failure to return to the kit in good condition, late or without a survey may result in loss of privileges.
  • You must fill out the survey and content lists included with the kits.

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Whales - Elementary/Middle School

The Whale Kit provides a full teachers' manual with background information, handouts, games, and laboratory exercises related to all aspects of whale biology– from the massive blue whale to the smallest harbor porpoise.

15 hands-on activities take students on an undersea tour of whale anatomy, evolution, feeding strategies, migration, communication, behavior, conservation, and cultural tales.

This extensive kit contains:

  • Whale Kit Manual
  • Whale Kit Reference CD
  • Humpback Whale Fluke Matching Game Binder
  • DVD: "Whales in the Wild II"
  • Dichotomous Key Activity Folder (12 laminated sheets)
  • 2 sets Whale Behavior Cards (17 laminated cards in each)
  • 6 pairs felt flippers
  • 1 felt fluke
  • Blue fabric
  • Killer whale tooth
  • Sperm whale tooth
  • Land to Sea: A Whale Evolution Game
  • 12 thermometers
  • 6 mirrors
  • Bag of flat marbles
  • 6 combs
  • 6 brushes
  • 6 metal tongs
  • 6 plastic trays
  • 9 length-comparison cords
  • Books:
    • Whales by Gallimard Jeunesse
    • Ibis: A True Whale Story by John Himmelman
    • Great Migrations: Whales, National Geographic Readers (4 copies)
    • Do Narwhals Have Blowholes? by Gilson Holub
    • Whales by Jen Green (3 copies)
    • Whales! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle (2 copies)
    • The Life Cycle of a Whale by Bobbie Kalman
    • Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Janet Halfmann (includes audiobook CD)
    • Zoobook Whales by John Wexo (2 copies)
    • Secrets of the Sleepless Whales...And More! by Ana Maria Rodriguez

Teachers must supply:

  • Paper towels
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Pencils, pens, markers
  • Graph paper
  • Water
  • 3 large balloons
  • Per group:
    • 1-quart yogurt container
    • 2 small yogurt containers
    • Buckets of ice
    • 2 cups shortening
    • 1 small handful of carrot slices (pieces of pasta also work)
    • 2 tsp parsley flakes
    • 1 tsp ground pepper
Whales - Elementary/Middle School

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