The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UT Health San Antonio is proud to announce the creation of our new coloring book, the Pipette Kids Science Coloring and Activity Book. The book is available on Amazon.com for $12.99.  

The book will be on sale on Amazon for $9.49 for the month of December only. Take advantage of the sale! It is geared towards elementary aged children but is fun for all ages.

The book follows the story of Taq and Poly as they meet scientists of the past, present, and future. A few scientists of the past that they meet include Alexander Fleming, Gregor Mendel, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, and many more. The book features current scientists and alumni from UT Health San Antonio including Dr. Alison Clark, Dr. Rama Sharma, Ngoni Madungwe, Sabrina Martinez, Roma Kaul, Brian Iskra, Mustafa Mithaiwala, Lily Espinoza, Sadiya Ahmad, Cassidy Daw, Alex Kirkpatrick,  and many many more.

Topics include: DNA, Nutrition, Anatomy, Microbiology, Careers in Science, Women in Science, and over seventeen different activities to try at home. Over 100 pages of fun science coloring and activity pages!

“The cool thing about Pipette Kids Coloring book is the fact that it features both prominent scientists that we read about in books AND living, breathing scientists. Growing up, I thought you needed to be 1) old and 2) have made some sort of discovery that revolutionized and changed the world to be considered a scientist,” said Dr. Alison Clark, an alumna of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and writer of the Pipette Kids Science Coloring and Activity Book. “I’ve found in my own journey as a scientist that that’s not the case at all. The coloring book features seemingly “normal” folks who are actually scientists, and I think that’s encouraging, empowering, and reinforces the idea that science is for everyone. And it’s important for people to know that.”

Clark explained that she wanted to show that science is fun and for everyone.

“Sometimes kids think that science is boring because it’s big on following directions or on memorizing facts, but it’s much bigger than that. It’s about making observations about how things work, and speculating on why they work. It’s about testing those speculations and doing something, whether it’s a simple activity or a complicated experiment. My hope is that the activities in this book would inspire kids to be more inquisitive with what’s going on around them, and be excited to seek answers for themselves. ”

Book proceeds support science outreach educational programs for K-12 students conducted by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio including our recent Stem Scholars Program.

The Stem Scholars program brought together an interprofessional team of dental, graduate, health professions, medical and nursing students to interact and collaboratively design and present health-related topics at local K-12 schools. The pilot run was in October/November at Basis Primary School where 4th and 5th graders were provided information on diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease using playful activities and demonstrations.

The book was created by Charlotte Anthony, marketing specialist at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and edited by Ramaswamy Sharma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor/Research of Cell Systems and Anatomy. It was written by Charlotte Anthony, Armando Murillo and Alison Doyungan Clark, Ph.D., with layout & design by Chase Fordtran. Illustrators included Rebecca Osborne & Angela Gao; and medical illustrations designed by Sue Simon.

Funding for this book was made possible by the President’s Translational and Entrepreneurial Research Fund (a partnership between the Office of the President,Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC).

John Fritz, Associate Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization, explained that the rationale for funding the book.

“We supported this project for multiple reasons including the importance of early STEM education, and particularly focused on getting young girls involved in STEM with a company to be led by a young aspiring female entrepreneur. In addition, when the project was reviewed by an external review committee made of medical experts, entrepreneurs and investors, it was extremely well-received. This is exactly what we want to see–the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of our faculty and staff turn into meaningful products that have a positive impact on society.”

Special thanks to Dr. David Weiss, Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Dr. Andrea Giuffrida, Vice President of Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for all the support.