A lab on wheels is setting young minds in motion. The BioBus is a 1974 Fishbowl-model bus kitted out as a self-sustaining microscopy lab that shuttles between New York City schools to provide students with an unusal and mobile environment for learning.

Ben Dubin-Thaler recently earned a PhD in cell biology at Columbia University. The BioBus was his inspiration, and now his full-time job. He used his connections in the scientific community to convert the bus into a microscopy lab - Columbia donated a fluorescent microscope, and Olympus provided both a phase contrast microscope and a stereomicroscope — and he applied for education grants to help fund local school visits. He joins us on the line from New York City.

The Scientist: Drive-thru lab

(Photo courtesy Ben Dubin-Thaler)