Materials Management

For issues with missing kits or broken/missing materials please email isikits@istemnetwork.org

Kit Shipment

For information on when your kit will ship and which kit you will receive the rotation schedule is here: https://www.indianascience.org/resources/
Inventory your kit when you first receive it: Kit Inventory Video
For more information on how kits are managed see here: PowerPoint Slide Show about Kit Delivery and Return

When it’s time to return your kit use this form to schedule kit returns

Life of a Kit Video: Watch how kits are managed in ISI

FOSS Resources on Materials Management and Living Materials

FOSS Resources for Teachers

Here are some important points to remember when returning your ISI totes.

First, please complete the Kit Return Form. If you add to the count that you listed on the kit return form after you have received the email confirmation, please reply directly to me. I will make any adjustments needed to get additional totes picked up. If possible, please coordinate kit returns, so that one pickup can be made for several tote returns from several grades or teachers at the same time. This will save on shipping costs.
An email notification is sent to whomever completed the kit return form. This email notification is our way of letting you know that a pickup has been scheduled and what carrier will be picking up at your school. We currently use either UPS or Old Dominion Freight. If there is an additional person that you would like to have added to the confirmation email, please let me know.
Make sure that totes are at the designated area for pickup prior to UPS or Old Dominion Freight arrival. This may be your receiving point in your school or it may be the front office area. Having the totes staged and ready helps the pickup goes smoothly.
Totes counts of 10 or more are considered freight shipments and will be picked up by Old Dominion Freight. If at all possible, please have the totes palletized and ready for pickup. Most tote shipments are sent to the schools on pallets, so if possible, try to save some of the empty pallets for re-use in returning the totes. This will save on shipping costs. Also, please remember to stack only 16 totes per pallet.
A copy of the Bill of Lading is attached to the confirmation email that is sent to the person who did the kit return form. It is very important that a copy of that Bill of Lading is attached to the pallet prior to the pickup. It can be taped to the top tote on the pallet or one on the side. This is our way of tracking the totes being returned. If there is someone at your receiving dock that needs to be copied in on the confirmation email so that he or she can print out a copy of the Bill of Lading and tape it to the pallet, please let me know.
Tote counts of 9 or less are scheduled for pickup with UPS. Shipping labels are created and sent to UPS, one for each tote. If the kit return referenced 4 totes to be picked up that will be the number of shipping labels that UPS driver will present. The UPS driver will only take the number of totes that he has shipping labels for. These labels have unique tracking numbers, so please do not photocopy them.

If for any reason the totes are not ready to be picked up when the UPS driver arrives, the driver will leave the shipping labels at the school. If this happens, please email me. Then once the totes are ready for pickup, someone should put the shipping labels on totes and I can re-schedule the UPS pickup. There is a charge to re-schedule the pickup. So please try to have the totes ready and waiting for the UPS driver.

If at any time you have a question concerning your pickup, please feel free to contact me at the following email address or phone number.

Patty Turner
mmdcshipping@purdue.edu
Shipping/Receiving
MMDC/Purdue University
765-494-7103