Coming soon to a school near you: cutting-edge science inside a 70-foot tractor-trailer.

Thanks to a series of fortunate events, the University of Pittsburgh capped off a three-year effort Monday by unveiling a new mobile science laboratory for use by middle and high school students.

"This really is a dream come true," said Alison Slinskey Legg, director of outreach programs for Pitt's Department of Biological Sciences.

Pitt's outreach programs, which aim to educate students and teachers about the most current scientific research, reach about 4,000 students per year, she said, but had been geographically limited in recent years by the lack of a larger vehicle.

The trailer, which is decorated with the phrase "Science Rocks!" and pictures of local students, is fully outfitted with scientific equipment and is ready for programs exploring genetics, molecular biology and natural selection.

There are about 20 similar mobile laboratories in the United States, said Tony Beck of the National Institutes of Health.

Inside Pitt's brand-new trailer, 15-year-olds Aliya Taylor and Diatrah Stott, who both participated in Pitt's summer GeneTeam program, were gushing over the equipment.

The girls, who have their pictures on the side of the trailer, said they hope the mobile lab will infuse other students with the same excitement that they've experienced working in a genetics lab.

"It definitely gives you a better idea of science," said Diatrah, a junior at Upper St. Clair High School.

"It shows how cool science really is," said Aliya. "You learn it's not just a bunch of yes or no questions."

Dawn Mostowy, a biology teacher at Upper St. Clair High School, couldn't wait for her students to be able to use the mobile laboratory.

"It's so novel," she said. "It's like no other science experiment that they've ever had."

Planning for the lab started three years ago when the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, a public-private partnership that assists local biotechnology companies, became interested in the subject. Along the way, the group joined with the University of Pittsburgh and received donations of money and equipment from private companies Lyceum Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Medrad.

The final push for the lab came when Dorseyville Middle School gifted programs coordinator Mimi Loeffler contacted Steven Reis, Pitt's associate vice chancellor for clinical research, for assistance in putting together a "DNA Day" event for gifted middle school students.

Dr. Reis arranged for Boston University's mobile lab to visit Dorseyville and then worked with Dr. Legg to put the final pieces in place for Pitt's lab. Funded by federal grants, the university bought the trailer for $120,000 and will spend $25,000 annually to run the trailer and its scientific programs.

"Part of our mission is to develop a pipeline of students starting before college but going to graduate schools and the faculty level," said Dr. Reis, who also is the founding director of Pitt's Clinical and Translational Science Institute. "These are the students, some of whom are going to make the major discoveries of the future that will change all of our lives."