While pre-poured agar plates work very well in a campus environment, these plates are not optimized for use in kits. The pre-poured plates can be a challenge to ship to both students and bookstores due to a shorter shelf life and high risk of contamination and damage in transit.

In place of pre-poured plates, our curriculum has students pour their own agar plates. Students receive detailed instructions regarding how to pour agar plates. This is an essential skill for students, focusing on learning and practicing aseptic technique, a key objective in Microbiology laboratory courses. In addition to these benefits, the agar we ship has a longer shelf life with lower risk of contamination in transit to students, resulting in a better learning experience.