The OpenScience Laboratory

An initiative of The Open University and The Wolfson Foundation

This online laboratory brings interactive practical science to students anywhere and anytime the internet is available. The laboratory features investigations based on on-screen instruments, remote access experiments and virtual scenarios using real data. Several activities are available to all, while others are available only to registered users.

Come in and look around.

Lab tour

If you close this box, you can still see it at any time by clicking About from the main header above.

Close this box

Popular experiments

  • Sorting out soils

    Subject Env Bio Chem

    Examine the physical and chemical characteristics of soil.

    Time required 2.5 hours
    Open to the public

  • A-level: virtual microscope

    Subject Bio

    A collection of slides covering animal and plant tissues in the school curriculum.

    Time required 1-2 hours or more
    Open to the public

  • Pesticide analysis with GC-MS

    Subject Chem Env Health

    Finding environmental pesticides by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

    Time required 2.5 hours
    Open to the public

All experiments (filtered; page 1 of 5)

  • VM for Earth sciences

    Subject Earth Env

    Examine 3D specimens and microscope images of rocks, meteorites & moon rocks.

    Time required 1 hour or more
    Open to the public

  • Light and strain experiments (T212)

    Subject Elec Eng

    This consists of two experiments: one where you will control a set of light sensors, and in the second take measurements on an experiment where a strain gauge forms one part of a wheatstone bridge.

    Time required 55 minutes
    Open to the public

  • Virtual petrographic microscope

    Subject Earth Env

    Thin rock sections viewed under a polarising microscope.

    Time required 1-2 hours
    Open to the public

  • Adipose tissue: virtual microscope

    Subject Bio Health

    A collection of annotated slides covering adipose tissue.

    Time required 1-2 hours or more
    Open to the public

  • Compton scattering

    Subject Phys

    Remotely controlled Compton scattering: relativistic dynamics and the electron mass.

    Time required 4-5 hours
    Open to the public

  • Blue Planet II labcasts

    Subject Earth Env

    Catch-up recordings of live interactive broadcasts

    Time required
    Open to the public

  • Quantitative PCR analysis

    Subject Bio Chem

    Real time PCR, human CYP2D6 gene variants, gene copy number, controls, population analysis.

    Time required 1 hour
    Open to the public

  • Virtual Ocean Dives

    Subject Env Earth

    A VR opportunity to experience a series of dives in a submersible at key locations around the world

    Time required 3 - 4 hours
    Open to the public

  • Histology & histopathology

    Subject Bio Health

    A collection of 320 annotated slides covering basic histology and histopathology.

    Time required 1-15 hours
    Open to the public
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 

Key

Open to the publicOpen to the publicAvailable to youAvailable to you