The Young Scientist Program

Interview with Erica Siebrasse, February Volunteer of the Month

2012-02-23T13:11:00.003-06:00

By Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

As the Director of Summer Focus 2012, Erica Siebrasse certainly has her hands full in the summer months when the high school students arrive at the Washington University campus to conduct research in the lab. However, responsibilities and tasks during the rest of the year are just as demanding. I asked Erica to describe all the behind-the-scenes work that make the summer a success, starting from the evaluation of the previous year's program up to the day the students arrive for research bootcamp.

Erica Siebrasse: The very first thing we do is the evaluation of the year before. In August of 2011 after the 2011 program was done, we met and talked about the program and what we wanted to do differently for 2012. Summer Focus has been running for awhile now; we have a lot of data from our participants and mentors. And we don't want to change too many things. It runs really well. The only things we want to change are in the areas we've identified as being problematic. Or, we can add something new that would be beneficial without taking away from other things. This year, we're really going to try and do a better job of facilitating communication between the tutors and mentors and students because that always comes up. It's definitely something that came up in 2011, that there's always miscommunication, and that's where problems with the students arise. In 2011 we had also added the college prep program, so we talked about continuing that, expanding it a little bit.

The next thing I'm responsible for doing is getting mentors, which we started doing in November. So I've been working on recruiting grad students or post-doc mentors, both new people and some people we've had mentor before. Then also late 2011, we – Jen and I – try to go out to a lot of city high schools and do a pitch. … We try and actually go there because for a lot of the county kids where the schools are really motivated and they have teachers pushing this, we don't need to go out there. For the city schools we definitely get better applications from those schools if we go. For instance, it's been several years since we had an application from Vashon, which is up in north St. Louis, and I went there and we had two applications and one was a really solid application. It's a little thing – it took me 30 min. to go out there – but it helps.

So now when things gear up, I'm trying to get the last couple of mentors. All the applications were due in early January, and so I've read all … 72 this year. One of the things we wanted to do better is increasing the diversity of Summer Focus. The way that DBBS does this and recommended to us is to interview more applicants. We don't want to take applicants that aren't quality applicants, but sometimes people don't do well on paper when they are certainly capable of doing well in the lab. And so we are definitely interviewing more people this year. We're interviewing 40 so that's probably 10 more [from last year]. Luckily for us, I think the applications this year were a little more diverse, and I don't just mean racial diversity, I mean diversity in schools we're getting, … cultural background, socio-economic background.

So you had asked me all the way up to bootcamp? We'll finalize mentors. We'll finalize students by early March. The only important other thing … is the mentor-tutor meetings … to go over what the summer is going to look like. My goal this year is to have the meeting be more structured, whereas before it was a question-and-answer session, expecting the mentors to come up with questions they may not be able to come up with. So I think I'm going to try and structure it more and be very clear about what our expectations are and … what they should expect from the students. People who have mentored before have very reasonable expectations; people who have not mentored before may typically over-estimate, and a couple of times under-estimate, the capabilities of the students.

Peggy Ni: With all the steps in this process, which would you say is the most difficult or arduous?

ES: I think they're separate. It took me a lot of times to read the applications. You can't really sit down and read them all in one entirety. You want to make sure you give every student equal opportunity to impress you. That's probably the most arduous. The most difficult is making sure we have enough mentors, which this year has not been much of a problem.

PN: Alternatively, is there a really fun part of the process?

ES: Same thing – I like reading the applications and what people have to say. One girl wrote about how she likes science writing. Who likes science writing?! It's fun to see all the interest in science from younger students. I really like the interviews too, actually meeting the students.

PN: Could you describe some positive comments and feedback that made you feel really excited about Summer Focus this year?

ES: I think 90% of the feedback is positive. If it's negative, it's very constructive negative feedback as in, "This is good but it could be better." The kids really enjoy doing Summer Focus. Even the kids who decide that science is not what they want to do almost universally say this was a wonderful experience, ie. "It helped me learn more about myself and helped me decide what I wanted to do." I think most the mentors get something out of it, especially the grad students, because they're teaching somebody that has no idea what they're doing. … You have to communicate your project in terms that a lay person can understand. … You really have to think about how best to explain your project, and I think that's a benefit many of the mentors have identified. You only think about the 16 kids that are in the program, but it really touches a lot more people.

January Volunteers of the Month: Brandon Holmes and Dan O'Brien of the Neuroscience Teaching Team

2012-01-13T10:57:00.000-06:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

The Neuroscience Teaching Team has been doing an outstanding job, and Brandon Holmes and Dan O'Brien – the two current Neuro Team heads – deserve to be acknowledged for their roles in maintaining the excellence of this YSP program. The Neuroscience Teaching Team provides hands-on neuroscience demonstrations, either by renting a room on the Washington University campus and inviting students here or by personally making trips to different St. Louis schools to teach in individual classrooms as well as during general after-school sessions. Though the schedule is quite variable, the team usually goes out to schools about two to three times a semester and hosts students at WashU four to five times per semester.

Brandon has been involved with YSP for four years, ever since he attended an extracurricular activities fair and was impressed with the enthusiasm of YSP members and thought that volunteering with YSP would be a worthwhile way to spend his time. His favorite demo is the Neuroanatomy module, in which human or mouse brains are used to explain how the brain is organized, for its highly interactive nature. "There's no set way to teach it; you teach based on the needs of the students that show up that day. It can also be very discussion-based," explains Brandon. Even the younger students, once they recover from the shock factor, learn a lot from this demo and are very excited to find out more about the brain. Dan has been volunteering with YSP almost as long as Brandon – for 2 years ever since his first semester at WashU. He has a vastly different opinion about the Neuroanatomy demo, however. He asserts that knowledge-wise, this demo doesn't allow students to take a lot from it compared to some of the others; instead, Dan praises the Proprioception module, in which the Teaching Team demonstrates how the brain senses the body's position in space, because the students are able to see neuroscience in action. As everyone's teaching style is different, it is great that the Teaching Team has developed lesson plans spanning divergent ends of the spectrum – from impromptu, discussion-based ones to more structured experiments incorporating first-hand scientific experience – for the volunteers.

Dan and Brandon have been teaching with YSP for a number of years and are both examples of how valuable the volunteering experience can be. For instance, Dan says that he has evolved throughout his years of teaching; specifically, he now can better convey science to the lay audience. "It's definitely prepared me to convey my message to a broader audience, and it's also just given me confidence in presenting in general," he shares. Brandon envisions that he will stay in academia for his future career, and he thus anticipates that teaching will be a big aspect of his job. He firmly believes that, along with being a TA for other classes, being involved with YSP's Neuroscience Teaching Team definitely prepares him for his future. And in fact, the Teaching Team is a lot more fun because the students generally want to learn and choose to attend, and they are younger and more excited, making the experience very rewarding.

Looking to the future, Brandon reveals that he'd like to see the Neuro Teaching Team grow by supplying neuroscience teaching kits to teachers, and he and Dan are in the process of deciding what type of demo to include. Also, Brandon agrees with Stephanie Rodriguez's comment in a previous interview that a challenge YSP faces is its growth and whether or not it can maintain the quality of the programs. Brandon believes this would affect the Neuro Teaching Team and, from his experience, adds that an additional facet to this challenge is the limited time of the volunteers. As everyone is extremely busy, it may sometimes be difficult to conduct teaching outings, and perhaps certain requests for the team to visit will just need to be turned down. Dan is optimistic of the Neuro Team's ability to adapt to challenges and suggests that as long as there is strong leadership in YSP, the programs will be able to successfully train new volunteers to meet the demand.

YSP Endowment for Science Literacy - Challenge

2011-12-20T11:19:00.001-06:00

As the year comes to an end, we hope you will consider making a contribution to the YSP Endowment for Science Literacy. The endowment is an effort for YSP to establish a permanent source of funding to rely on when we are not grant funded or to use for special YSP projects. For more information or to make a contribution visit the YSP website at: http://ysp.wustl.edu/and click on the endowment link. Our next goal is $100,000 and a challenge has been issued to match every dollar given to help us reach this next goal. We would like to do this by the end of the year!

Thank you to all our YSP volunteers and supporters. You have done a great job this semester and we had a busy and successful semester thanks to all of your hard work.

December Volunteer of the Month: Stephanie Rodriguez

2011-12-14T09:59:00.002-06:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

December Volunteer of the Month: Stephanie Rodriguez

Stephanie is a third year Ph.D. student in the Immunology Program. Her contributions to YSP are significant; she was an inspiring tutor for Summer Focus, she was an integral part in launching teaching kits for YSP, and she is also transitioning as the new Student Director.

Peggy Ni: What are the main duties of being the YSP Student Director?

Stephanie Rodriguez: Mostly you're the tying hand between all the different facets of YSP. Since everything is volunteer-based, it would be very easy for things to be really disjointed … and so as the coordinator the main job is to understand what every aspect is doing and how each fits together and make sure that all the parts work.

PN: So, a lot of administrative things?

SR: Yeah, being the go-to person in case faculty have questions about YSP or different organizations are interested in working with YSP. Instead of contacting all the volunteers, it's easier to go through one centralized person.

PN: Why did you decide to accept this position?

SR: YSP was one of the reasons I wanted to come to WashU to begin with, so my first year I just got as involved as I could. The more involved I became, the more I enjoyed it. And I like knowing what's going on with all of the different programs because I think they're all equally wonderful. It seemed like a really awesome way for me to be able to stay involved in all the programs. And, it gives me an opportunity to focus more on some things that are more personal to me but still be able to participate in all of them.

PN: You said all components and programs of YSP are equally wonderful, but could you describe some that you are most excited about?

SR: I think it's easiest to be excited about the Summer Focus Program because that's when you have the most interaction with our target audience – the students. These high school students get so excited about science and you can see them progress from week 1 to week 8. So I think that's the program that gets people the most excited, but I've been working a lot with TRP and the teaching kits. And the more I work with those programs, the more I see just how useful things like that are; you can see how important resources are for the teachers or all the hurdles they have to jump through to get these exciting things to their high school students. It's pretty fun to try to think what would get a high school student excited if you were going to bring in a demo to their classroom.

PN: Could you describe some topics that these teaching kits cover? I feel like it's one of the less publicized aspect of YSP.

SR: It is a new development that we started to initiate. At first it was just a bunch of volunteers brainstorming things we thought would be fun to do, things that would be easily accessible. So we started out with DNA extraction from fruit, and that's a pretty standard experiment. Lots of students have done it. And our challenge was to figure out a way to get the resources in a form that was sustainable so that classrooms that maybe didn't have a refrigerator to keep the strawberries could still do these experiments. We were able to work out using preserved fruit instead of fresh fruit. It's all those little things that we didn't realize would be hurdles! We like to keep them within household items; students really can relate to that. Science you can do in your kitchen is kind of fun because science often seems like one of those things you can't wrap your head around. The DNA extraction and surface tension [using soap and pepper] are two kits that we have and they're working out pretty well. And, they have DVDs in them that explain how the experiments are supposed to work. We're actually getting ready to load them on YouTube so that we can disseminate them more broadly. In the works now are making a battery out of lemons … and there are some volunteers working on kits involving osmosis and also some more physical science (wave motion and pendulum action). And we're also working in collaboration with a TRP Program teacher to develop a kit for environmental science about soil and water purity and the different properties of soil that make it useful for some plants.

And, as a group of volunteers, we're just thinking about what's cool. But what we want to be thinking is what's most useful to the St. Louis Public School system. Something we want to do is try to tailor these kits to Missouri curriculum standards so that it will be easier for teachers to implement these kits in their classrooms. So we try to ask teachers during the summer who participate in TRP, "What are the most difficult concepts you have engaging your students on, what are the most boring or the least fun things you have to do every year?" And then we as creative scientists can figure out a way to address those in a more fun way than a textbook.

PN: Could you talk about what some of the biggest challenges you foresee for YSP in the upcoming year?

SR: Our biggest challenge right now is funding. We were fortunate to have a large grant with HHMI, and now that's running out. We have a lot of applications with private and national organizations, and I think we're a very unique program so we're competitive for these outreach-oriented funding opportunities. We need to start collating all of our evaluation materials and synthesizing how effective we've been, showing we're an organization worthy of their dollars. And then the next biggest hurdle, which I also think is a blessing, is that YSP is growing – more people who want to participate some way in YSP. This is the first year that YSP has participated in the SLPS [St. Louis Public School] Professional Development Day, and that day we were able to talk to every high school science teacher who teaches in St. Louis. So, we've increased the number of teachers who may want teaching teams to visit them, who may want to participate in TRP, who will encourage their students to participate in Summer Focus, and who will be asking to use these teaching kits that we develop for them. I think as our initiatives grow, demand also grows. I think our next big hurdle will be to maintain the quality of our outreach that we've been doing on a small scale as demand is growing. But, that's a great problem to have! The volunteers are excited and passionate, and if any organization can hone in the volunteer base to meet these demands, it's definitely YSP.

YSP 2011 Fall Nano Medical School Features Dr. Ellen Lockhart

2011-12-13T13:38:00.005-06:00

The YSP Fall Nano Medical School on Tuesday, December 6th featured a talk given by Dr. Ellen Lockhart entitled "“Anesthesia During Labor and Delivery”. Dr. Lockhartreceived her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and her medical degree from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School in 1993. She completed a residency in Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine where she served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in Obstetric Anesthesia at Duke University. She is currently an Associate Professor and Vice Chairman in the Department of Anesthesiology. Her clinical activity includes the care of patients on the general and obstetric anesthesia services at Barnes-Jewish and Missouri Baptist Hospitals, and in the center for preoperative assessment and planning. Her research interests include the diagnosis and clinical outcomes obstructive sleep apnea during pregnancy.

Women in Science Day 2011

2011-11-18T10:51:00.002-06:00

Written by Peggy Ni – YSP volunteer

On November 2^nd, 2011, YSP and the St. Louis chapter of the Association for Women in Science hosted the 5^th annual Women in Science Day. This one-day event brings high school girls from the St. Louis Public School District to the Washington University Danforth and Medical School campuses. On this day, the students attend panel discussions to hear from medical school students and scientists in different stages of their careers about why they followed the career paths they are currently on, how they got to where they are right now, and what to expect in medical school or graduate school. Additionally, a series of activities were planned for the students to choose and participate in including demonstrations in chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary science, ecology, evolution, forensics, genetics, neuroscience, physics and tours of the anesthesiology simulator, the neuroimaging lab, and the microbiology lab.

The panel sessions presented an incredibly unique opportunity for the students to learn about careers in medicine or research directly from the people in these fields. In the Med School 101 Panel that I observed, a group of 4 medical students representing the range of different options one could pursue in this career path (for instance, one panelist was doing a research year, another was applying for residency positions), introduced themselves and answered questions. Some of the issues the high school students were very interested in and asked about included whether it would be a good idea to take time off between college and medical school, what the hardest part of medical school was, and what an MD/PhD program is. In turn, the panelists gave great advice to the students, suggesting that getting a job in the years between college and medical school would be a great way to experience real life after roughly 16 years of being a student. Additionally, one panelist talked about her experiences shadowing people to see what being in medicine is like and explained that doing this after college would be beneficial for knowing whether to even pursue medical school. If the girls interested in medicine were hoping to escape taking tests in their futures, they were disappointed as the panelists agreed that exams were probably the hardest part about medical school. Another difficult aspect that was brought up that I never thought about is figuring out what to do after medical school and which area to specialize in. Luckily, these girls have the rest of high school and plenty of time and life experiences before needing to make that decision!

Likewise, the Career Panel invited women in science from diverse specialties and different stages in their lives. For instance, the panel had experience and could offer words of wisdom in physical therapy to nursing to market research. Additionally, we got to hear from people in established jobs versus someone still at school. What I thought was a helpful part of the session was when the panelists talked about the details that high school students could relate to – such as what they liked and disliked about their jobs, the hours of work that were expected, and even general life advice (make good friends who will study with you and push you yet support you). All in all, Women in Science Day was a successful event that offered a glimpse of what science would be like for high school girls contemplating their futures after graduation.

November Volunteers of the Month: Molly Gibson and Jamie Kwasnieski

2011-11-09T15:25:00.004-06:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

Recently, YSP launched its new website, prompted mainly by feedback received at the 20^th Anniversary celebration, including insightful comments from many of the day's renowned speakers. Both conceptually and technologically different, the current version now has a greater focus on the student-run aspect of YSP to better promote the group – as suggested by Dr. Bruce Alberts – and has become easier to run and more compatible with Internet browsers. Molly Gibson and Jamie Kwasnieski are two YSP volunteers who rose to the challenge of designing and launching the new website. It seems Molly and Jamie were perfect for this task, as both have experience with computer science and were excited by the creative outlet this web design project would provide.

From their initial ideas to the actual launch date, approximately 3 months were invested in the website. Jamie credits Albert Mao, who created YSP's previous website, for the original structure and content that made her and Molly's lives much easier since it provided a foundation to build on. That being said, significant time and effort were put in to thoroughly consider the direction to take in order to make the site better. For instance, a priority of the new version was to make it easy for all target audiences of YSP – namely students, teachers, and volunteers – to access information. Thus, Molly and Jamie decided to integrate sliding pictures on the main page for visitors to find the information they need. Ease of access was also increased by building the website from a web template found at OSTemplates.com that allows all browsers to support the site. Additionally, the website has become a lot more interactive, with pictures of volunteers and quotes featured on the sides of the pages as well as links to Facebook and YouTube on the top. These features allow viewers to read what the student director has to say or listen to the history of YSP from one of its founders and thus truly understand and appreciate that YSP is a volunteer-run group. This emphasis on the student-run aspect is Molly's favorite part of the new website. "The passion of the volunteers is truly what makes an organization like YSP so successful," she says.

Moving forward, Jamie reveals that she and Molly are working on an additional feature of the website that specifically targets teachers in the St. Louis Public Schools system. "I am excited about this idea, because I think it will help YSP engage new teachers, thus becoming a more effective organization," Molly says. Currently, both Jamie and Molly maintain the website. They have cleverly designed it so that updating it is easy and effortless. For instance, the News and Events page is actually a feed from the blog. When other people in the future take on the responsibilities of site maintenance, Jamie and Molly have set up an efficient system for a seamless transition!

Interview with Dr. Matthew Ndonwi - YSP's October Volunteer of the Month

2011-10-10T10:35:00.003-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

Peggy Ni: How did you get involved with YSP in the first place?

Matthew Ndonwi: The very first time I got involved was when Jen Mosher sent out some sort of notice for volunteers for the TRP program, and that was way back in 2007 or so.

PN: And could you talk about what you do for the TRP program as well as Winning Young Hearts and Minds?

MN: For the TRP program, initially I started as a mentor for one of the teachers when I first joined TRP – and actually I did that twice. And then subsequently I joined the Organizing Committee. And since then, I have been part of that committee helping with recruiting teachers, interviewing them, placing them in labs, taking part in all the programs throughout the summer while they are here. Sometimes I also help with the Summer Focus program, like part of the Boot Camp. On the other side is Winning Young Hearts and Minds, a program that I started. I think what really inspired me to initiate that program was the fact that I realized most of our YSP programs are hands-on, trying to bring in these students by hands-on work. But I also felt the need to kind of engage them in dialogue. It's a 1 hour interactive PowerPoint, and I've also adapted it to 30 min. Initially it was meant as 1 hour for high school students but when I started presenting it, then it became so popular that I felt like 30 min. [would be good] for 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders. It's kind of a 3-part presentation. The first part of the presentation is trying to get the students introduced to science – demystify science from what, at the time I meet them, they think science is, trying to get them to see practical aspects rather than just what they see in movies which is not an accurate presentation. So I walk them through a series of different careers and then somewhere in the middle of the talk I engage them into what the call of science really is, … the different subjects they study in school – math, biology, and physics. And I kind of give them tips on how they can become any of the scientists in those various careers. And finally, I use myself as an example … of what I'm trying to encourage them to do. Despite every obstacle that they might have ahead of them in starting science, it's something that's doable. So I kind of just tell them my personal story of how I became a scientist.

PN: How often do you do this presentation?

MN: So, I wouldn't say it's very regular. Sometimes we'll have high seasons or low seasons. What I would say is for every year I do about maybe 10 to 20 outings since I started. So I present to students who come here for field trips, I go to classrooms, and there is collaboration with the Science Center. … And most recently I was contacted by Harris-Stowe to go present to them, and that was just last week. It's interesting – it started as a high school thing that has gone down to middle-school and now freshmen in college.

PN: Well, clearly the message is broadly applicable.

MN: Exactly

PN: Can you tell me about your most memorable experience while volunteering?

MN: I would say every year my most memorable experience with the program is when the Summer Focus students present their research. I think that's outstanding – to see them come in kind of naïve and see them go out like almost polished scientists when you listen to them present their talk. I don't think there's anything stronger than that.

PN: You've been volunteering for 4 years. Throughout the years, how do you find the time to still remain committed year after year?

MN: Initially, the main thing that attracted me to the program is the interest in the program. I don't think that interest can be taken away. I'm a full time researcher as well – and I do teach one course in the fall and one course in the summer – but … research is one of those things that are really flexible.

PN: Is there anything new you want to incorporate with the TRP Organizing Committee or with your presentation in the upcoming future?

MN: With the Presentation … I think over the past 4 years I've kind of improved it every year but the main thing that I really want to do is to see how I can capture more people … so what I was thinking of is to set up a website where I could incorporate maybe resources for students … [and] a video streaming of the presentation

YSP Summer Focus Program - Applications Now Available

2011-10-05T16:00:00.001-05:00

Applications for the YSP Summer Focus Program are now available to download on our YSP website through this link: http://ysp.wustl.edu/Programs/SummerFocus.html

Summer Focus provides outstanding high school students with funded research internships at the Washington University Medical Center. Each student works directly with two graduate students, the mentor and the tutor. The mentor works one-on-one with the student in the lab on a specific project, while the tutor prepares the student for their research experience. In order to be eligible a student must currently be a junior in High School and attend a St. Louis City/County/Metro area school.

Fostering diversity in science and public science literacy

2011-10-03T13:56:00.003-05:00

Our YSP student director, Kate Chiappinelli, wrote an article on YSP for ASBMB Today (AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY). It appears in the October edition of this publication and also on their website.

http://www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/asbmbtoday.aspx?id=14604

YSP and St. Louis Science Center Offer 5th Installment of Family Med School Basics

2011-08-30T14:03:00.006-05:00

Back by popular demand, YSP and the St. Louis Science Center have partnered once again to present Family Med School Basics. In its fifth year, Family Med School Basics offers 4 hands-on medical training sessions for children, 5^th grade and older and their families. Participants learn about human anatomy and physiology as well as disease through demonstrations provided by the YSP Anatomy teaching team. To coincide with the Body World and the Brain exhibit currently featured at the Science Center our first session focused on the brain and nervous system. YSP volunteers consisting of graduate/medical students, postdocs, and undergraduate students presented demonstrations to a full capacity group on Brain Anatomy, Visual Distortion, Proprioception, and Tactile Sensation. Additional sessions of Family Med School Basics will be held at the Science Center from 1:30-3:30 pm on September 24^th (heart and cardiovascular system), October 29^th (lungs and respiratory system), and November 19^th (digestive system).

Spotlight on the Chemistry Teaching Team

2011-08-29T08:15:00.003-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

I recently sat down with Carl Franz, who is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Molecular Microbiology Department and head of the Young Scientist Program's Chemistry Teaching Team, to learn more about the kinds of demos he and his fellow volunteers put on and why he dedicates his spare time doing this. In general, the demos can be split into two types. One is metaphorical, in which non-chemical items are used to represent a chemical reaction. For instance, there is a demo, "Toothpick-ase," that teaches the students how enzymes find their substrates. The students' hands are the enzyme, and the toothpicks are the substrate. The enzyme "catalyzes" its substrate when the students use their hands to break the toothpicks. Decreased temperature slows down catalysis, which is symbolized when the students must break the toothpicks in cold water. The second type of demos involves actual chemical reactions, but these experiments utilize common items that can be found around the house. "That way, students can relate to these things, as opposed to having something like sodium dodecyl sulfate," Carl explains. One example Carl says is particularly popular among the students is using hard boiled eggs to tarnish silver, a process that occurs as a result of the sulfur in the eggs which is similar to the atmospheric sulfur that convert silver to a dull, dark color over time. Carl says that the students get really excited by this demo because the results are so visual, allowing them to truly appreciate why, for instance, Grandma polishes the silver every year. Carl has some ideas for future experiments that could possibly be implemented in future outings. One that he's done in the past with a different organization involves collecting french fries from different fast food places and then extracting saturated fat from them. The amount of fat can then be quantitated and compared amongst the various restaurants. This demo goes along perfectly with the other chemistry demos since it is similarly easy for the kids to relate to, as I am sure we all go to fast food places every now and then.

So, why is it so important that there are volunteers willing to be a part of teaching teams like the chemistry one to go on these outings and explain how science works to students? Carl provides some of his reasons that may also resonate with other volunteers. He genuinely likes working with young students and thinks it is a worthwhile goal to perform demos so that students can take away a tidbit of knowledge from them. He admits that he (and, I am sure, most scientists) does hope to convert students into becoming future scientists. But, he believes that it is not the most important thing. Rather, it is crucial to teach students the scientific method and critical thinking skills so that they can intelligently tackle controversial topics such as vaccination, global warming, and evolution. With such a huge divide between people who believe that vaccination is necessary and that global warming and evolution occur versus those who maintain that it is not important or that they do not exist, it's important for these kids – many who will be leaders of the next generation – to sort out what is true and then implement sound science policy. Even if the kids don't have careers directly related to science in their futures, Carl maintains that what the teaching team teaches is still applicable. "You don't have to be a scientist by career to put the scientific method in your life," Carl says. The hard work and efforts of YSP teaching teams play a huge role in allowing students to navigate the media intelligently and think critically about scientific topics as well as other subjects in general, imparting an invaluable life lesson to these students.

A Chat with Reece Goiffon, YSP's September Volunteer of the Month

2011-08-29T08:06:00.005-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

Peggy Ni: Can you tell us what you do for YSP?Reece Goiffon: My title role is the Anatomy Teaching Team Chair. So primarily the role there is … getting the medical students to volunteer for things [effective since Reece is an MSTP and Anatomy TA].
PN: Just curious, is the Anatomy Teaching Team mostly medical students?
RG: It is by default just because medical students, especially the first years when they're in Anatomy are more interested in honing their skills and they have that more bright-eyed enthusiasm that first year medical students always have. But we don't make any requirements though. I actually encourage a lot of graduate students to join in because most of the stuff we're teaching is basic enough where they've learned it in college biology classes – how does the heart work, understand the heart has two pumps, things like that.
So, going back to what I actually do with that, I kind of coordinate – well, Jen [Mosher] does most of the coordination let's not kid ourselves – but I make sure that the volunteers are doing their jobs smoothly, handle any questions or problems that actually occur on the day of.
PN: And how often do you go out on teaching outings?
RG: It depends on the time of year. The really busy time is coming up soon, late Sept. though Oct. It's generally pretty packed. We have, I would say, on average an event every week or two. But it kind of slows down into the winter break season and then picks up a little bit in the spring. So I would say if you did the whole year average maybe about 1 to 2 events a month. But it's definitely concentrated in certain times of the year. Especially the events we have at the [St. Louis] Science Center. Those are August through November I believe. Every month we have a Saturday excursion called Family Medical School, which is not through any school in particular; it's just a community event for families with kids or sometimes without kids. We get some retired couples who come every once in a while. They're able to come see human organs and experience that in person for the first time in their lives.
PN: Could you talk about what has been your most memorable experience while volunteering?
RG: I would say the first time I did the Family Medical School and saw … this retired couple that came in. They had so many questions, and the husband would come with a little notepad out of his pocket, and he'd say, "I thought of these questions!" and he came every month the whole year, so all four sessions I saw him, and he'd think of questions and come up to me after. And sometimes, he was just overflowing with words. He was so enthusiastic about all these things ("I saw on the news that taking this vitamin will help me live longer, is there anything to that?"). It showed me that enthusiasm for science doesn't fade with age.
PN: Moving on to challenges, have you encountered any while teaching or organizing teams, and could you talk about anything you've learned from your experiences?
RG: Just general organizational challenges that are inherent to any organization, esp. one that is run by people who do other things most of the time. Getting volunteers can be really tough, esp. around key points when the grad and medical students have tests coming up, it's harder. Since the Family Medical School is on the last Saturday of each month, that falls on Halloween weekend every year. So getting that October Saturday is very difficult to get volunteers I need every year. But we do. We never have to cancel. But difficulty with the students is more unique with YSP. A lot of the students that we see, their teacher is trying to get them interested or to foster the interest that exists in a subgroup of the class. A lot of the kids, they don't care, they don't want to be there. So a big challenge with every teaching team event is getting people who think they have better things to do, getting them to get at least anything out of it. Even if it's just "Oh, I didn't know that!" or "Oh, my uncle had a heart problem, that's what a heart looks like when it has heart problems." The solution that I learned is that you have to go there and read your audience, like you’re a comedian or actor on stage. Some of the more diverse classes where they have some kids who are really interested and a lot of kids who just aren't, you have to try to put it in the context they understand and that they care about. And that is tough. That certainly is a great thing to learn through YSP; I've applied that elsewhere too. I teach statistics to people on my floor or in lab, and nobody likes to hear about that. So I've learned how to apply context that people actually care about in order to teach them something they don’t realize is useful yet.
PN: So what about your career plans post graduation? Could you talk a little bit about what your thoughts for that might be?
RG: Since I'm in the MD/PhD Program I have to [decide] to be doing both or emphasize in one or the other. And I think I'm going to do the research/clinician - splitting my time between medicine and research. Which means I'll go into residency, but there are special research residencies where I do my normal residency in medicine or radiology or whatever it is but have extra time allotted to do research –basic research or clinical research. And I want to make sure I'm in a city, an urban environment because I do like to have something outside of just working all the time. YSP is one of those things. I want to be able to do something where I feel like I'm paying back the society that brought me up. A big academic center where I can have a little bit of time to, maybe not run or be in a leadership position, but when I have time, just something there to get me out of the hospital or get me out of the lab.
PN: Regarding volunteering, do you see yourself doing something very similar to what you're doing now with YSP or would you like to branch out and do something different?
RG: I think I'm actually going to stick with science advocacy. Science education and science literacy and science awareness, not just here in St. Louis but everywhere, is falling so dramatically. They have those shocker headline surveys where one out of three people can't tell you how long it takes the earth to go around the sun. It's just depressing. It doesn't take much to get people to do the smallest things to learn something about the world they live in. There's a Science Center in every large city so you can always find something there. YSP is a great example. I hear there are YSP [organizations] happening in other schools from alums that have moved on. So, I'm sure there will always be something I can do. But sticking with science education and science advocacy is my third calling. Medicine, research, and then that. Those are the 3 things that I'll do!

September 22nd - Informational Meeting on The Young Scientist Program

2011-08-26T15:18:00.001-05:00

The Young Scientist Program invites Students, Post Docs, Technicians, and PIs along with past and current volunteers to an informational lunch and activity fair on Thursday, September 22nd at 12pm in Holden Auditorium, FLTC. Please RSVP if you can to Jennifer Mosher at 362-4841 or by email at mosherj@wusm.wustl.edu. If you are not able to RSVP, still come anyway!

The Young Scientist Program is designed to attract high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds into scientific careers through activities emphasizing hands-on research and individualized contact between young people and active scientists. In addition, it targets St. Louis City Public High School teachers with resources that facilitate inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Each year the program reaches hundreds of high school students and teachers in the St. Louis City Public Schools. The program components work in concert with one another to foster high school students' and teachers' interest in science.

The components are:
>Teaching Teams – Volunteers visit St. Louis City High Schools and present units in Anatomy, Chemistry, Ecology, Evolution, Forensics, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, Neuroscience, and Physics.

>Summer Focus – 8 week summer internship for high school juniors. Volunteers serve as program organizers, mentors, and tutors.

>Teacher and Researcher Partnership– 8 week summer internship for high school science teachers. Volunteers serve as program organizers and mentors.

>Lab Equipment/Supply Recycling Program – This program recycles used equipment and computers into the local city schools.

>Other programming includes: Family Med Program, Nano Medical School, Women in Science Day, and Family Science Experience.

If you are interested in The Young Scientist Program, but will not be able to attend, please let us know and someone will contact you about your interest.

Jennifer Mosher
Young Scientist Program Coordinator
Washington University School of Medicine
Box 8213, 4566 Scott Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: 314-362-4841
Fax: 314-362-8359
Email: mosherj@wusm.wustl.edu

YSP Summer Focus Symposium and Banquet

2011-08-12T10:00:00.006-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

On August 5th, 2011 YSP held its annual symposium and banquet for its Summer Focus participants. Wasn't it just yesterday that the students were learning the tricks of the trade at the Research Bootcamp, which aimed to build up good lab techniques? Now, after a mere 8 weeks, participants have successfully given talks about the research they conducted this summer in front of a large crowd – an experience that can still be intimidating and terrifying to many of us who have done this numerous times. Members of the audience had nothing but praise for the speakers. Tom Woolsey, YSP Faculty Advisor, was impressed that so many students knew the important questions their research was addressing and didn't get caught up in the scientific jargon. Beth Tuck, as co-instructor for the Summer Focus Writing Course, would be an expert on the students' performance and progress, and she remarked that the students exhibited considerable poise for their talks. What must have contributed to the students' success were the daily practices during the week leading up to the symposium. Many involved with Summer Focus agree with this and say the presentations were significantly cut during these practices in order to be within the 5 minute limit. Clearly, the YSP volunteers who attend the practice talks armed with timers and beepers must be commended! In addition to the symposium, another important component of the Summer Focus program the students must complete is the paper detailing their research. The Writing Course as well as the YSP volunteers who tutor the students throughout the summer have definitely done a great job teaching the students how to write a scientific paper as well as fundamental skills such as organization. In fact, the parents of Henry Chappell, one of the Summer Focus students, were the ones who noticed and praised the course's structure as instrumental in encouraging organization and finishing segments of the paper well in advance of the final deadline. Now that the Summer Focus program is over, what's next for the students? Visiting and applying to colleges were on the minds of some, as these topics dominated conversations overheard during the banquet. Parents, students, and YSP volunteers discussed the merits of including the research papers in the college application as well as which college representatives left a positive impression during college information sessions YSP organized. Whatever the future plans of the students are, everyone was pretty confident that they would strive to stay in touch with each other. From the camaraderie they exhibited during the symposium and banquet, it is clear they've developed a special bond from their experience this summer.

Symposium and Awards Ceremony for The Young Scientist Program

2011-08-05T04:08:00.000-05:00

August 5, 2011

Presentations - 5:30 p.m.

Connor Auditorium, Farrell Learning and Teaching Center

Dinner and Awards Ceremony - 7:30 p.m.

Kenton King Center, Bernard Becker Medical Library

Getting to know Jen Lynch – YSP's August Volunteer of the Month

2011-08-02T17:47:00.001-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

Peggy Ni: How long have you been volunteering with the Young Scientist Program?

Jen Lynch: I have been volunteering with YSP since I entered DBBS in 2005.

PN: Why did you get involved with YSP in the first place?

JL: I initially became involved in YSP as a way to do outreach to the St Louis community. I've participated in several science outreach programs from high school through college and this was a great way to do even more and in a more formalized and advanced way. It was also an opportunity to inspire new scientists, giving them opportunities that I participated in as a high school student.

PN: Could you describe some of the YSP activities you have participated in or spearheaded?

JL: I became involved in YSP my first year by creating and leading the forensics teaching team. I was in charge of that team for 3 years. I have participated in Summer Focus, starting by teaching the boot camp for two years and then as a tutor and a mentor. I have been co-coordinator of the lab recycling efforts and chaired the 20th Anniversary Celebration. I think that was my final gift to YSP and a great way to end my years of volunteering.

PN: What has been your most memorable experience with YSP so far?

JL: I love interacting with the students we reach. Teaching team outings have always brightened my day. The students we teach get this look of excitement on their faces half way through the demos and by the end have an insatiable thirst to explore science. It's very rewarding!

PN: I understand that you've been involved with the YSP-MIDSCI partnership. Could you tell us how this got started as well as what this partnership is planning to accomplish?

JL: This is a brand new and exciting new partnership! We were approached by Graziella Mendonsa, a former student and post doc at Wash U, who now works for MIDSCI. As a local company, MIDSCI wanted to give back to the community and Grazie suggested partnering with YSP. Initially, we're using this partnership to provide supplies to our teachers and programs (teaching teams, teaching kits). We're hoping that MIDSCI will increase their support of YSP in the future. We're discussing many opportunities, including how to give our Summer Focus students the opportunity to get supplies for their schools/classes and maybe sponsorship of some of our activities or students in the future.

PN: Finally, do you have ideas on what you'd like to do after graduating and, when it comes to volunteering, whether you'd like to continue doing similar things as YSP or if you'd like to pursue something different?

JL: I am looking into ways that I can combine my Immunology focus with science outreach. I plan on getting a Masters of Public Health or Policy degree and pursuing a career in global health. My goal is to translate science research for non-scientists so the public can make better informed decisions on their personal health. In a way, it's taking YSP's goals to a global level.

The Family Science Experience

2011-07-26T11:04:00.003-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

On July 14^th and 15^th, the Young Scientist Program hosted the first ever Family Science Experience at Washington University. This camp-like event came about from a grant aimed to bring science to families, especially of middle-school students, in an outreach program. It came to fruition recently when 15 middle-school students from the Youth Learning Center in the Central West End neighborhood came to perform hands-on science experiments with volunteers in small, interactive groups. The parents and guardians were brought in to participate in an activity, "Dinner Theatre CSI," and did experiments like fingerprinting and blood typing with the kids to identify the culprit of a crime. Other activities covered a multitude of topics such as nutrition, physics, and environmental sciences. The organizers, Erica Siebrasse and Elizabeth Danka, were very happy with how the Family Science Experience turned out and believe that the volunteers, parents, and especially the kids all had fun and gained a lot from this experience. "We just wanted to get the kids interested in science and show them that science is very variable," Erica says. Elizabeth adds that it was important to her to show the kids that science "can be fun and hands-on," and both agree that the kids ought to know there's another side to it than memorizing facts in the classroom. Although the "controlled chaos" atmosphere was perhaps a bit unexpected for Elizabeth, it is this exact environment consisting of 100% hands-on activities and constant interaction with volunteers and other students that leaves a lasting and positive impression on the kids. In fact, surveys were conducted that asked the kids whether they hate, like, or love science before and after the event. Students who indicated they hated or only liked science before participating all wrote afterwards that their opinions of science increased to liking or loving it. Perhaps it was the unfamiliarity with the event or that it was on the Danforth campus, but one of the most difficult things the organizers faced was recruiting volunteers. However, the approximately 50 volunteers that came through were wonderful, had a great time, and most definitely made an impact on the students in attendance.

A Chat with YSP Student Director, Kate Chiappinelli

2011-07-08T15:16:00.004-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP volunteer

Kate Chiappinelli graduated from Haverford College in 2007 and is currently a fourth year student in the Developmental Biology Program here at Washington University. Kate has also taken on the duties of YSP Student Director since August 2010 and recently spoke with us about what she does for YSP and about volunteering in general.

Peggy Ni: As the YSP student director, could you describe what you do?

Kate Chiappinelli: I run the monthly Steering Committee Meetings and the Community Advisory Board Meetings, which we hold twice a year. The Steering Committee is made up of Washington University student volunteers involved in YSP and each month we review changes, suggestions, and feedback from specific programs and events. The Community Advisory Board is made up of YSP volunteers as well as Washington University faculty, St. Louis Public School teachers and administrators, and other community members. I present a "semester-in-review" to this group and we receive helpful advice and feedback.

I also oversee the various YSP Programs and am involved directly in several. This year I started a Funding Committee to explore both federal and corporate support for YSP. In addition, I am working on a publication on assessment of YSP's Summer Focus program with two other YSP volunteers and our faculty advisor, Dr. Tom Woolsey. Lastly, I am the Co-Head of our Summer Focus program for 2011.

PN: Why did you become involved with YSP in the first place?

KC: I became involved with YSP the summer after my first year of graduate school. I volunteered to help with the Writing Course and spoke to groups of students about their Summer Focus projects every week. I was very impressed by the positive attitude and talent of the students and realized that this was a program that could get students excited about doing real scientific research. I then co-taught the Writing Course in 2009 and 2010 and really enjoyed interacting with students and teaching them how to communicate science and craft their research papers. I have been involved with Teaching Teams, interviewing SF students, science fairs, and now administration of the program. I love teaching students about science, whether in a long-term interaction such as a summer project or a shorter one-hour Teaching Team Demo. It is gratifying to see the students' enthusiasm and confidence in themselves grow after they have done scientific experiments themselves.

PN: What is the top goal you hope YSP will achieve while you are here?

KC: My main focus this year is on funding. Our five-year HHMI grant that covers 80% of our operating budget ends in 2012, so we are researching new avenues of funding. We have doubled the Endowment for Science Literacy, Benefiting the Young Scientist Program this year and look forward to seeing it grow more. In addition, the Funding Committee will be applying for NIH grants and exploring opportunities with corporations in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

PN: Do you think that enough students volunteer to promote science in the community? I would assume that for students, being able to commit to a volunteering opportunity is a challenge given our busy and often unpredictable lab schedules. How do you think students can still be involved despite this difficulty?

KC: I am very grateful for our fabulous YSP volunteers, but on the whole I do not think enough students volunteer for YSP activities. I believe that a crucial part of doing a Ph. D. in science is being able to explain difficult scientific concepts to others who may not have the same scientific background. I also believe that, as "experts" in our chosen fields, Ph. D. and M.D. students have an obligation to show younger students how fun and exciting science can be. Many of the schools we work with are under-resourced and do not have the time or money to do involved biology laboratories. Thus, we as graduate students can supplement the high school science curriculum with hands-on science experiences. For high school students, reading about biology in a textbook and memorizing vocabulary words is much more boring than actually isolating DNA from bananas with our Genetics Teaching Team.

While we all have difficult and busy schedules, YSP has many activities during the evenings or weekends that students can participate in if they are busy during the day. In addition, many of our activities are two hours or less. It is time very well spent.

2011 Summer Focus Research Bootcamp

2011-06-14T08:05:00.002-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

On June 9^th and 10^th, YSP conducted its Research Bootcamp for the Summer Focus students to learn basic laboratory techniques and develop good habits with their lab notebooks before starting in their research labs. I helped out with the June 9^th afternoon session on microbiology, and here is a summary of the lessons that were covered.

One thing the students learned is why bacteria are an important scientific tool ubiquitously used in laboratory research across multiple disciplines. In a lively discussion led by the instructors, Drew Schwartz and Sarah Greene, the students came up with a few main reasons for using bacteria. These include the single genome copy in bacteria, which allows researchers to easily knock-out or express genes of interest, as well as fast doubling time, which permits researchers to quickly perform manipulations and observe the resulting phenotypes. After this discussion, the students learned the technique of bacterial transformation and plated their cultures for analysis the next day.

The students learned another important lesson that is critical for a successful summer research project: sterility. The instructors emphasized the distinction between laboratory bacteria that we manipulate for our research and the environmental bacteria that can fall on our plates or tips and contaminate our work. The students learned good habits to maintain sterility, from keeping tip boxes closed when not in use to flaming ethanol-soaked loops that are used to spread cultures on plates. Additionally, this topic is great because it allowed the students to learn the scientific method. Specifically, LB plates were left uncovered at various places in the room for different time points to see the amount and types of bacteria that would grow. For this lesson, the students asked a scientific question of their choosing and then tested it. For example, some hypothesized that leaving the plate under a vent or in the sink would yield the most growth. In a related lesson, the students smeared their fingers on LB plates before and after a certain manipulation. I thought this experiment was fantastic because, again, *they* asked the question. Also, there were a lot of good discussions on how to best test these questions. One question that was tested by quite a few students was whether washing our fingers would result in less bacterial growth.

For all of these activities, the instructors emphasized writing down the steps (and any changes) in the lab notebook. And, I thought the instructors did an especially great job in stressing the science and why we are doing certain steps, not just the steps themselves. I asked one of the students, WahWah San, what were the most important things the bootcamp taught her. "How to use materials and write a good scientist [scientific] method in our notebook," she said. Thus, it appears that the knowledge of how to use basic laboratory reagents and how to think and write like a scientist was successfully communicated. I asked WahWah if she felt adequately prepared to start her summer research after the bootcamp, and in what must feel very encouraging and gratifying for the instructors, she replied, "Yes I do."

2011 YSP Summer Programs Begin

2011-06-13T19:47:00.006-05:00

This summer The Young Scientist Program welcomes 16 high school students and 4 science teachers as participants in our 2011 Summer Programs:

Summer Focus Participants
Lori Burns - Soldan High School

Henry Chappell - Crossroads High School

Paige Duncan - Soldan High School

Ashley Franks - Gateway High School

Alisa Frye - Beaumont High School

Ava Hughes - Rosati-Kain High School

Kim Le - Gateway High School

Emily Luepker - Metro High School

Michelle Nguyen - Soldan High School

Geralle Powell - Metro High School

WahWah San - Ladue High School

Jasmine Scott - East St. Louis High School

Joel Sher - Parkway Central High School

Vy Trinh - Gateway High School

Misra Yassin - Roosevelt High School

Marcela Zegarra-Ballon

Teacher and Researcher Partnership Program
Omayma Deeba - Roosevelth High School

Ismaila Maigyara - Fanning Middle School

Allen Niedermann - McKinley Classical Leadership Academy

Jeanne Norris - Gateway High School

Recap of the YSP 20th Anniversary Celebration: Science education in the past, present, and future

2011-06-10T11:18:00.006-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

The Past:

Amongst all the great morning talks, one that stood out was Dr. James McCarter's, which gave us insight into how YSP got started. As one of the founders of YSP, McCarter is the best person to tell us about science education 20 years ago. He says that like today, the city was struggling economically, with many living in poverty just blocks away from campus. But unlike today, 20 years ago there were very few options for sharing scientific research with people off-campus, and importantly, little opportunity for high school students around St. Louis to enhance their education and directly participate in research here. Because of this, James McCarter and Matt Schreiber created YSP to bring bright young students to WashU during the summer to conduct cutting-edge science at the bench. Known as the Summer Focus Program, it brought in 2 students in the first year. The numbers have steadily increased throughout the years, with the pool and number of applicants becoming so outstanding that it has become quite difficult to select participants among all the amazing students. Indeed, YSP has expanded significantly in the past 20 years. Kate Chiappinelli, the current Student Director, gave a great summary during the morning session. It now includes teaching teams that conduct science demos at surrounding schools, a Teacher/Researcher Partnership component to allow high school and middle school teachers to learn science in a WashU lab and incorporate that knowledge into the lesson plans, and many more excellent programs.

The Present:

"We are, at Washington University, as proud of this program, the Young Scientist Program, as we are of almost anything we've accomplished in the past couple of decades," says Dr. Larry Shapiro, Vice Chancellor and Dean for Medical Affairs, in his welcome address. 20 years after the start of YSP, the program is at its strongest. How has YSP thrived throughout the years? McCarter's answer is "adaptation and reinvention." The reinvention aspect is key. Since it is an organization run by students, it is able to grow and improve as new people with diverse backgrounds and teaching experiences come to WashU and have the chance to make an impact on YSP. The program has developed so much that many, including Dr. John Russell, Associate Dean of Graduate Education, believe YSP has become an influential factor for prospective WashU students. Russell states in his address that "half of the applicants indicate they're interested in YSP." Furthermore, Russell is "confident that the opportunities offered by YSP play a role in convincing some of the best students to choose DBBS (Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences)."

The Future:

Although YSP definitely has a lot to be proud of, our work regarding science education is not done. The afternoon keynote addresses, delivered by Yolanda George from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Dr. Barbara Schaal of WashU, and Dr. Bruce Alberts from the University of California, San Francisco, all emphasize this point. George illustrates this particularly well with her slides taken from a talk given by Dr. Charles Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering, during the 2011 AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy. George warns us that the United States no longer measures number one in many categories critical to the future of our country. Comparing the U.S. with the rest of the world, we are number 6 in global innovation, 16 in college completion rate, 22 in broadband internet access, and 48 in the quality of K-12 math and science education. And, George warns us that the numbers are rising. So, what can we do about this? Many insightful ideas were raised during the roundtable discussion titled "Connecting Teachers, Volunteers, and Students to Influence the Next Generation of Scientists," with the consensus being to teach science less as a memorization of facts and more as a process. Dr. Matthew George, who is Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Howard University, suggests making teaching kits more informative. He fears that many of them don't adequately explain what red or blue tubes contain, and that students are blindly following protocols and going through the motions without understanding the science. He also brings up the excellent point that often, the ability to easily look up answers through Wikipedia and Google search may not be doing students any favors. Rather, genuinely doing the research and actively learning may allow students to appreciate science more, especially the discovery aspect of it. Rochelle Smith, Director of Diversity, Summer Research Programs and Community Outreach for DBBS at WashU, was another participant in the roundtable discussion. Her suggestion is an interesting one. She advises us to recruit volunteers from less obvious places. For example, getting the parents of high school students involved can encourage and enhance science education both at home and at school.

Although there is still work to do, seeing the passionate science educators gathering here today to celebrate YSP's success and to discuss ways to improve teaching has allowed me to feel optimistic that we can make a positive impact on the future of science education.

Reflections on YSP's impact these past 20 years and its exciting future.

2011-05-31T05:38:00.002-05:00

Written by Peggy Ni - YSP Volunteer

As we are approaching the 20^th Anniversary celebration of YSP, it seems like a great time to reflect on the impact YSP has and why it is so important to be involved in promoting science. For me, the reason why I've been involved stems from high school. The one I attended was very small; though the learning environment there was wonderfully supportive, it unfortunately meant that science courses I wanted to take weren't available. From that, I became determined in college and grad school to bring science opportunities directly to students who wanted to learn more. Luckily, here at WashU, YSP's teaching teams do just that by going to classrooms and directly engaging students with hands-on demonstrations. While talking to Carl Franz, a teaching team head for chemistry, I discovered his reasons for being a part of YSP. "I enjoy being around young people and feel privileged to have the opportunity to help shape their curious minds," he says. Kasey Wagoner, a teaching team head for physics, cites the positive interactions obtained while working with students as the driving force for his involvement with YSP. "When I was an undergrad I went into a couple of schools to do demonstrations. Every time I put on demos the students seemed to have a great time and to get really excited about physics," he reminisces. It's clear that our reasons for becoming involved in promoting science are diverse, but whatever they are, the benefits of doing so are numerous.

I have had many positive experiences volunteering with YSP. For example, as a tutor last year for the Summer Focus program, I helped a high school student who was working on a research project in our lab understand the biology behind the experiments he was conducting as well as improve his scientific writing skills on lab reports. This experience was so gratifying because I felt that I was making a positive impact on someone's scientific career. Regarding the beneficial effect volunteering with YSP has on us, Kasey sums it up the best. "Every time I work with students they get very excited about the things science has to offer and the cool things that scientists do whether it's in the lab or in the field. This excitement is contagious, I always leave these interactions excited about the world of science," he observes. Dr. Barbara Schaal, a professor at Washington University studying evolutionary plant genetics who is delivering one of the keynote addresses for the 20^th Anniversary Celebration, offers a different perspective on the benefits for involvement with YSP. "The [Summer Focus high school] students are wonderful and add to the overall atmosphere of the lab," she says. "And, they have helped generate data, often on projects that might not have gotten done."

I think we can definitely say that in the past 20 years, YSP has positively influenced both the graduate students and post-docs who volunteer as well as the schools it visits and the young, budding scientists that the program mentors. As I'm reflecting on YSP's success, I am also wondering how YSP can grow and evolve to continue its impact on the next generation of scientists. Carl thinks it would be great for YSP to show these students the diverse environments in which scientists could learn and work. "Teaming up with other educational institutions in the area would expose students to alternative learning environments, such as community colleges and Liberal Arts colleges," he says. "The students involved in YSP come from diverse backgrounds and could benefit by encountering the full educational gamut." I asked Dr. Schaal if she had any suggestions. "Perhaps add a school year component," she advises. Kasey's thoughts are on the same line. "I think that prolonged involvement with students is important," he states. Indeed, most of the Summer Focus participants are so incredibly bright and talented that they would have no problem being involved in a year-long project that would really allow them to move beyond learning lab techniques and start honing their scientific thinking and problem-solving skills. And in fact, how great would it be if after a year, they would be the ones tutoring the new students or helping out with demos. With YSP's 20^th Anniversary symposium coming up, I am so excited to discuss these science education issues and share mentoring experiences with the day's speakers and participants!

YSP 20 Year Celebration - June 6, 2011

2011-05-09T16:07:00.003-05:00

YSP celebrates its 20th year in 2011. To commemorate this occasion, we are inviting all students, volunteers, alumni, teachers, PIs, and supporters of YSP to join us at a day-long symposium on June 6th, 2011 at Washington University. We hope to encourage connections and discussion among those that have helped YSP become the success it is today.

For additional information and to register, please visit the YSP website: http://ysp.wustl.edu

Schedule:

MORNING SESSION - 8:30-11:30
Farrell Learning and Teaching Center

Coffee and breakfast available in FLTC lobby

Welcome - Dean Larry Shapiro

Presentations by:

Dr Jim Mc Carter, Dr Lynn Bry, Dr Matt Schreiber - Founders of YSP

Dr Bart Bartlett - YSP Summer Focus Participant (1995)

Lesley Rankin - YSP Summer Focus Participant (2008)

Rona Robinson-Hill - YSP Teacher and Researcher Partnership

Dr Andrew Grillo-Hill - Former YSP Graduate Student Director

AFTERNOON SESSION 12:30-5:30

12:30-3:00 Farrell Learning and Teaching Center

Roundtable Discussion
Connecting Teachers, Volunteers, and Students to Influence the Next Generation of Scientists

Lunch Break
YSP Product Fair and Posters in the Farrell Lobby

3:30-5:30 Eric P. Newman Education Center, Main Auditorium

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES:
Yolanda George - AAAS
Dr Barbara Schaal
Dr Bruce Alberts

Closing Remarks and Acknowledgements

CELEBRATORY BBQ DINNER - 6:30
The Ellen S. Clark Hope Plaza at BJCIH

Speaker profiles:

Keynote speaker: Dr Bruce Alberts, University of California San Francisco
Dr Alberts has been widely involved in science education nationally and internationally. As a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr Alberts helped develop the National Science Education standards with a focus on hands-on problem solving and inquery based learning. He has worked with the InterAcademy Council to promote scientific thought worldwide. In addition to the many accolades and honors he has received as a molecular biologist and biochemist, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of Science magazine and has written the textbook The Molecular Biology of the Cell.

Featured speaker: Dr Barbara Schaal, Washington University in St Louis
Dr Schaal is distinguished both as a scientist and a mentor. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences, Dr Schaal’s service reaches from local to international societies. She has received the Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University for her scientific and mentoring excellence. Dr Schaal has a strong connection to science education at all levels, including serving as a mentor for YSP’s Summer Focus program.

Yolanda George, American Association for the Advancement of Science
As Deputy Director and Program Director of the AAAS Education Programs, Ms. George works to increase the participation of minorities, women and disabled persons in science and engineering. She has developed and directed numerous programs reaching students of all ages from pre-college through graduate school. In addition to promoting formal science education, Ms. George is heavily involved in scientific outreach, directing programs such as Science Linkages in the Community and Science Education Reform for All. She has authored or co-authored papers, pamphlets, and science manuals to encourage parental involvement in promoting science and math and on the use of inquiry based learning in youth organizations. She has received several awards because of her service and support of these efforts.

Dr Bart Bartlett, University of Michigan
In 1995, as a budding scientist, Bart Bartlett participated in the Young Scientist Program. The research he conducted that summer at Washington University convinced him to pursue a degree in chemistry after graduating from Metro High School in St Louis. While pursuing a BS in Chemistry at Washington University, Dr Bartlett was an American Chemical Society scholar. Since his years at Washington University, Dr Bartlett has developed a successful career in chemistry, becoming an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan in 2008. He continues to support the development of young scientists as a professor and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr Matthew George, Jr, Howard University
Dr George serves as the Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Howard University in Washington, DC. He received his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and has gone on to study a wide range of research topics related to gene evolution, expression and interaction in various biological processes. He is highly involved in the education of graduate students at Howard University in mentoring, administration and teaching. Dr George is featured in the “Science in American Life” exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Dr Andrew Grillo-Hill, Science & Health Education Partnership at the University of California San Francisco
Andrew received his PhD in Neuroscience in 2004 and was a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Inquiry in Science Teaching and Learning, both at Washington University in St. Louis. During his graduate training, Andrew was student coordinator of YSP. He is currently an academic coordinator for the University of California-San Francisco’s Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP), a program founded by Drs Bruce Alberts and David Ramsay. SEP reaches out to classrooms in the San Francisco area providing teachers and underrepresented students with hands on science learning experiences in the classroom and in the laboratory.

Academy of Science St. Louis honors The Young Scientist Program

2011-04-14T15:22:00.003-05:00

On April 13, 2011, The Young Scientist Program was presented the Science Educator Award given by the Academy of Science of St. Louis at their 17th Annual Outstanding St. Louis Scientists Awards. The Science Educator Award recognizes a distinguished individual or organization on the basis of outstanding contributions to science education or to the public understanding of science, engineering, or technology.

http://academyofsciencestl.org/initiatives/outstanding_scientists.php

Congratulations and thank you to our YSP Volunteers, Participants, Faculty, Alumni, and Supporters!