ROCHESTER— Many remember that moment of discovery when they looked through the lens of a microscope in science class and saw a whole new world.

The challenge is that most school districts can afford only a few pricey microscopes, giving kids short views of that new world amid lectures about being careful with the equipment.

What if schools had access to inexpensive, rugged microscopes that every student could take home to experiment with in the woods, by a pond or in their backyard?

That’s the question that led a local science education group and a Rochester business to create a high quality “lunch box” microscope that costs $250 instead of the typical $2,000 to $5,000.

Generating excitement and curiosity in K-12 students is the goal of Integrated Science Education Outreach or InSciEd Out, a Rochester group that has created its own science curriculum. InSciEd Out began in 2009 as a collaboration of Mayo Clinic, Winona State University-Rochester, and Rochester Public Schools. Its curriculum, which launched at the Lincoln K-8 District-Wide School, uses zebra fish for students to study in a variety of experiments.