Carolina Biological Supply Company


Carolina Biological Supply Company is a supplier of science and math education materials to teachers, college professors, home-school educators, and professionals in health and science-related fields in the United States.

History

Carolina was founded in 1927 by Dr. Thomas E. Powell Jr., a young geology and biology professor at Elon College. During the 1920s, science teachers had to collect most of the materials they used in their classes and laboratories, which took considerable time away from their primary responsibilities. Like other teachers, Dr. Powell was spending much of his own time in the field gathering specimens for his classes. Because he usually got more than he needed, he sold the surplus to his colleagues. This grew into the Carolina Biological Supply Company as Powell foresaw that the coming years would bring a growing need for his collecting abilities.

Products

The company sells thousands of items—from simple one-celled organisms to complex equipment—in an 1,100-page catalog. Carolina publishes its complete catalog online, and its Web site provides free classroom activities and other resources for educators. The company’s main facility is in Burlington, NC.