Arduino Seeks to Support STEM Students with the New Arduino Science Kit R3, Science Journal App

Arduino has announced the launch of a new kit aimed supporting teachers of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects: the Arduino Science Kit R3.

"Stephen Hawking once said, 'No one undertakes research in physics with the intention of winning a prize. It is the joy of discovering something no one knew before.' That joy is exactly what we hope to ignite with Arduino's Science Kit R3," the Arduino team says of its latest launch, "bridging theory with practical exploration with a complete toolbox that science teachers can use to develop hands-on and engaging STEM experiments in the classroom."

The heart of the Arduino Science Kit R3 is an Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect microcontroller development board, nestled into a custom carrier dubbed the Arduino Science Carrier R3. As well as making the board's features more accessible, the carrier brings with it a range of on-board sensors — including, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, air quality, light, and pressure.

This hardware then connects over Bluetooth to the dedicated Science Journal app, available for Google Android and Chrome OS and Apple iOS smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Designed to align with the requirements of the Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) for K-12 in the US and the National Curriculum of England, the app itself is free — though comes with a subscription service, dubbed Teacher Plan, to integrate with Google Classroom.

"From the relationship between color and temperature to the effects of electrical currents on magnetic fields," the Arduino team claims, "the kit provides a comprehensive learning experience that allows students to interact with the very core of scientific investigations – also through real-time data collection and analysis. By measuring, recording, and interpreting data with the Arduino Science Journal app, the learning process becomes interactive and dynamic."

More information on the Arduino Science Kit R3 is available on the Arduino Education site; applications are being taken now for early access to the bundle.