According to a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) report, over 4,500 high schools in the Philippines have no access to a designated and working science laboratory. 

Even Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary and Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio admitted that the lack of resources to support access to STEM education is one of the most pressing issues affecting Philippine basic education.

To address the problem, this year's Philippine James Dyson Award (JDA) winner from the Philippines, Jeremy de Leon, created Make-roscope, an affordable, portable keychain microscope that works with smartphones and tablets, giving students easy access to the microscopic world.

Jeremy was a fresh graduate of Manufacturing Engineering from Mapua University when he invented the Make-roscope. As a child, he dreamt of becoming a scientist, until he realized how expensive laboratory equipment is. 

“I really loved building things when I was a kid,” he tells members of the press during the JDA media conference. “I wanted to become a scientist wearing those long white lab coats, mixing different chemicals, I think that looks really cool. But to find out that laboratory equipment is really expensive, that became a reality check, so I became an engineer.” 

The Invention 

His research experience and data inspired him to invent Make-roscope, a single-lens microscope that can magnify objects up to 400 times when used with a smartphone. The Make-roscope is made of food-grade silicone and is waterproof. It can be used hundreds of times if well taken care of.

“What I have today is the first keychain microscope. It is very small, very light, it has no moving parts, only bending parts, and it is not made out of metal, this one is high-quality silicone,” he explains. “To make it work, just place it on top of the front camera of your smartphone or tablet then place the specimen on top using a slide and that’s it.” 

This invention was already honored by the DOST. In fact, in partnership with the said government agency and other private companies and institutions, over 3,000 Filipino students and teachers are now using the Make-roscope.

“Usually, in a school laboratory, a microscope is shared by around 10 students. With Make-roscope, it's possible to have one for each student,” Jeremy says. “The child has the freedom to explore and to be curious both inside and outside the classroom.”

In addition to the Make-roscope, Jeremy also introduced an all-in-one laboratory kit that includes specimen slides, pipettes, tweezers, and tubes, so users can quickly obtain samples.

Winning the national leg of the JDA, Jeremy will receive P330,000, which he can use to develop his invention further. He will also progress to the international leg of the competition, where he will compete with other national winners from their respective countries. 

Jeremy has several ongoing partnerships with different organizations to reach more students nationwide, especially those in far-flung areas. Apart from classroom set-up, he’s also eyeing to introduce this to professional fields, including veterinary, food, and agriculture. 

“Alam ko po hindi lang sa Pilipinas may mga mahihirap na students (I know that it's not only the Philippines who have poor students), schools lacking with equipment so we will try to reach to them, we will not limit it to us. We want to extend our vision to other parts of the world,” Jeremy tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. 

Due to the success of Make-roscope, Jeremy has turned it into a start-up company that sells the product online. The product has received good feedback from both students and professionals.

JDA is an annual student competition that is part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The competition has supported over 300 inventions with prize money. It is run by the James Dyson Foundation, an engineering education charity funded by Dyson profits. For this year’s local leg, the foundation received 47 entries from 12 universities across the Philippines.