Sheldon Laboratory Systems

An A+ for Enhancing Scientific Learning

By Sara Pentz

Imagine how enthralling it must be for an adolescent science student to witness laboratory demonstrations in a classroom setting where his curiosity is constantly nurtured. Then picture that child as he begins to achieve an awareness of the technique of problem–solving that will motivate him toward a lifelong interest in the natural world.

Little does that youngster know he will be confronted increasingly with questions that require scientific information for informed decision–making. Throughout his years––in his elementary, high school and university science schooling––he will gradually grasp that concept and be grateful to those who helped make possible his thinking skills.

In one very important way Sheldon Laboratory Systems (www.sheldonlabs.com), based in Crystal Springs, is responsible for making this child’s science lesson easier, faster––more interactive and inspiring. The 100–employee Mississippi furniture company makes sure that school science labs are no longer filled with drab tables where students must crowd around one small microscope in an effort to catch a glimpse of a scientific demonstration.

Sheldon is a manufacturer of innovative science laboratory and casework equipment for the school, college, industrial, and healthcare markets. The company creates space-saving, multipurpose furnishings that are outfitting school labs from Mississippi to New Jersey to California. In addition, Sheldon has supplied equipment to Canada, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

For our little science student, kid-size tables imprinted with rulers, charts and other useful tools are just the right size to get his first taste of science. Sheldon has designed panels that hang on the wall and give teachers a way to demonstrate science experiments. Clay Thames, Sheldon’s VP/sales and marketing, talks about the growing demand for science classroom equipment for the elementary school market. “There’s a renewed effort to teach math and science at an earlier age,” he says. “Our products are more mobile and much smaller for this market.”

What makes Sheldon the teacher’s pet is the ingenuity applied to the design of its patented products. “I have seen standard designs evolve into innovative plans that meet the specific needs of our students and teachers,” explains James W. Collins, science program coordinator at the University of Texas in Austin.

“Our jobs can range from one science lab for a very small school to a multi-million dollar university project,” explains Sheldon President Eddie Adkins. “Our products have been designed to be an active part of the teaching and learning process. We are doing things to help classrooms utilize their space better. You know that old saying––tell me something and I’ll remember 20%. Show me and I’ll remember 40%. We’re providing the right environment for teachers to be interactive with their students.”

Sheldon’s patented designs are carefully planned to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The company maintains a relationship with the National Science Teachers Association in order to keep up with science teaching methods and standards.

Listening to their clients speak is a first priority because the company is constantly reconfiguring a classroom for a specific school’s needs. Sheldon looks for input from lab consultants, architects, builders, manufacturers and teachers to improve its designs.

Sheldon knows how to impact the equation so that everyone saves a dollar. “It’s clear that Sheldon has spent time communicating with educators and that Sheldon products are the results of extensive research and collaboration with the end user,” explains architect Dan Snead of Beckley, West Virginia. “Sheldon designs products that provide practical solutions to problems other manufacturers don’t even seem to be aware of. The Axis 3 System helped me to reduce the classroom laboratory areas by approximately 1000 square feet. This represented a savings in construction cost of over $100,000.”

Sheldon’s Axis 3 table, for example, is the first lab table to allow for the integration of standard desktop computers, flat-screen monitors or individual laptops. The table’s unique shape allows students to work facing their instructor around the perimeter of the table with access to a built- in sink, computer and all other equipment. The tabletop smoothly transitions from a standing height to a sitting height. Each has chemically resistant tops, a rotating computer monitor well and a wireless keyboard, with two cold water and gas fixtures.

Adkins and his team at Sheldon are about as proud of their company’s accomplishments as they would be if they had earned an A on their latest science exam. “We try to be quiet about what we do,” explains Adkins, who demonstrates his pride with his own modesty. “We let people watch us and see our successes. People in Mississippi probably don’t realize what we’re doing in the research and science business. For the some 6,000 people in Crystal Springs we’re the place where they want to work. Our employees have a lot of pride and passion. We’re supporting other Mississippi businesses––we’re touching as many Mississippi manufacturers as we can.”

Another innovative idea is the multimedia, boomerang shaped teacher desk that allows students to see demonstrations clearly. The desk provides space for a computer, VCR, LaserDisc player, Elmo and flex camera to be routed through an LCD projector onto a screen for classroom viewing and operated by remote control. A ceiling mirror over the desk can be dropped down and tilted at any angle to allow students to see the demonstration from overhead.

Adkins fully expects the multimillion–dollar company to continue growing by at least 15 percent each year. Patents have been obtained and others are pending on Sheldon designs which can nurture that growth. Since Sheldon is branching out into the elementary science classrooms with their products––following a trend throughout education to bring science to younger and younger students––future growth is fully expected.

Understanding science enhances the capability of students to hold meaningful and productive jobs in the future. The business community needs entry-level workers with the ability to learn, reason, think creatively, make decisions and solve problems. In addition, concerns regarding economic competitiveness stress the central importance of science and mathematics education that will allow this country to keep pace with global competitors.

When that little first grader enters his science classroom he will certainly be awed at the gadgets and gizmos that lie before him. It may look to him like a playroom. In fact, Sheldon Laboratory Systems, provides much more than that because it is the company’s intention to create a learning center for a child who will grow up to comprehend the world more clearly.

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