Welcome to LEAP's website! The Lab Equipment Access Program, or the LEAP project, aims to address the social issue that many public high schools lack resources like lab equipment, which are critical to students' hands-on science education. This is particularly a pressing problem for Title I schools in rural areas that serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds. To help address this issue, Peiwei, Frank, Jingjing and Suchitra co-founded the LEAP project in early 2022 to help public school teachers get lab equipment they need from labs at Caltech. After the initial success, we have now expanded the program to also support community colleges in Central Valley. By lifting the constraints posed by limited resources like lab equipment, the LEAP project hopes to make a lasting impact that will enable students from underserved communities to make that leap they've been wanting to make towards their own goals, whatever those goals might be.

LEAP became a Caltech Y program in 2023. Founded by students in 1916, Caltech Y is an independent 501c3 organization formally affiliated with Caltech, seeking to broaden students' worldviews, to raise social, ethical, and cultural awareness through teamwork, community engagement, activism, and leadership. Under Caltech Y, LEAP continues to help teachers and students create hands-on learning experiences with donated scientific equipment and supplies while providing opportunities for Caltech students and postdocs to make a difference through their own hands.

This Fall, we are working with SOAR High School (Lancaster, CA) and Van Nuys Magnet School (Van Nuys, CA). Previously, we supported Stockdale High School (Bakersfield, CA), Wasco Union High School (Wasco, CA) and College of Sequoias (Visalia, CA)

If you want to help, check out how you can get involved!

Any questions? Contact us!