Lesson 4 Creative Ideas for a Better World
Science for All
Microscopes have been an essential tool for ____ for over 400 years.
If ____ had not been invented, we might not have discovered bacteria or the microscopic structures of living organisms.
In certain areas of the world, however, even ____ light microscopes are not accessible due to their cost.
It was the Foldscope that Manu Prakash and Jim Cybulski ____ as a solution to the problem.
The Foldscope, a paper microscope they invented, achieved ____ magnification, and cost less than a dollar in parts.
“The idea has been to make ____ accessible to everybody,” said Prakash.
While researching methods for identifying infectious diseases in ____ in 2011, Prakash came across an expensive microscope that was meant for malaria testing but was unused.
____ takes over half a million lives annually, so early diagnosis is crucial in preventing its spread.
But ____, why was the microscope sitting unused?
Prakash found that there were ____ reasons.
The microscope was bulky and awkward to ____, required training to operate, and was difficult to maintain.
As it was a delicate and expensive instrument, even trained lab workers felt ____ about using it.
Prakash began wondering.
A cheap, strong microscope ____ save thousands of lives.
After he returned to Stanford University, where he was a professor, he started to reflect on the ____.
It was not until he ____ Jim Cybulski that his idea of an affordable and accessible microscope began to take shape.
A graduate student at Stanford, Cybulski was looking for ____ to apply his engineering background to make a difference in the real world.
After hearing Prakash’s vision, Cybulski quickly recognized its ____ and was eager to contribute.
For a microscope to function properly, it must ____ certain minimum requirements.
These include an eyepiece, a tube through which the ____ looks, and a lens for magnification.
The microscope must also have a component that can hold a specimen and move from side to side to ____ different areas of the specimen.
Furthermore, a mechanism to bring the specimen into focus, usually accomplished by moving it closer to or farther from the lens, is ____.
Finally, a light ____ is required to illuminate the specimen.
An ideal microscope
An ideal microscope would be made with the best performing materials and mechanisms for each ____.
However, such a microscope would likely be ____ expensive.
On the other hand, a cheap microscope may not be ____ to deliver high performance.
Prakash and Cybulski experimented with various designs and materials in order to find a ____ compromise.
While many manufacturers might have settled for a middle ground between these two extremes, Prakash and Cybulski were ____ to create a microscope that was both inexpensive and high-performing, while remaining accessible to all.
After drawing various designs on paper, Prakash and Cybulski realized that paper could be an ____ medium for their microscope.
It was cheap, easy to cut and fold with precision, and ____ available.
They faced many challenges ____ their attempts to develop the perfect design.
Ultimately, they settled on waterproof cardboard paper with a small glass ____ lens and named their invention the Foldscope.
The Foldscope provides a magnification of 140 times, making it capable of ____ blood cells, bacteria, and single-celled organisms.
It is incredibly portable, weighs ____ 8 grams, fits easily in a pocket, and requires no external power source.
Moreover,
Moreover, the Foldscope is built to last, capable of surviving a ____ fall.
Its usefulness is further enhanced by its compatibility with phone cameras, ____ users to take pictures and record images of the specimen.
It is also possible to project a ____ image on a wall using the phone light.
It is no surprise that over 1.8 million Foldscopes have been distributed in over 160 ____, making it an invaluable tool for scientists worldwide.
The Foldscope ____ been utilized for various purposes beyond malaria diagnosis.
In Nigeria, it has also ____ instrumental in detecting fake antimalarial drugs.
The drugs are responsible for ____ 100,000 deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly among children under five.
When crushed into powder and examined under a Foldscope, ____ drugs appear as uniform particles, while fake drugs appear as mere powder.
____, over 400 scientific papers have been published using Foldscope data, and around 1,200 projects are currently in progress in India.
In the United States, Foldscope programs in ____ libraries have introduced many children to the wonders of science.
If Prakash and ____ had given up on their idea of the Foldscope, these achievements could not have occurred.
As billions of people lack access to health care and thousands of preventable deaths occur, science is playing a ____ role in finding solutions to these challenges.
Tools like the Foldscope, which make science accessible to everyone, are becoming increasingly ____.