biotechnology programs<\/a>\u00a0and continue to add to their curriculum. The lab offers an opportunity to interact with students and educators, gauge their comfort level in the lab setting and shore up the effort through several avenues.<\/p>\nTim Pelletier, Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR education and outreach coordinator, organized the event, including the lab time and lunch on the CCRI campus.<\/p>\nStudents follow the detailed steps of a lab experiment that offers a taste of what it is like to work in the biotech industry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cWe provide teacher development and training, answer questions about curriculum and techniques and offer support with supplies and equipment,\u201d Pelletier explained.<\/p>\n
Later, reflecting on the program, Warila said: \u201cWithout the support of EPSCoR, this experience would not have come together, so it is important that these programs continue to receive funding to encourage students to consider careers in the bioscience industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hands gloved and equipment before them, the students carried out the lab step by step, guided by Warila, who lightened the experience with a natural ease. At one point, he instructed the group to place their samples in a deep freeze, but no one moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is college. You can get up. You\u2019re free to move.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, Warila noted that the biotech labs offer students the chance to work with equipment and concepts they normally would not experience in a high school setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost students don’t realize that this type of stuff is out there, and therefore don’t have an opportunity to develop an interest in it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it is important they get exposure to various opportunities while in high school so when they do get to college, they can choose a program of study based on firsthand knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening doors of opportunity<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe college lab setting also provides an idea of what the high schoolers will learn in college, particularly in a biotech program. And, the skills they are exposed to are the same they will be expected to use on a daily basis in the industry.<\/p>\n
During the lab, Warila walked around and offered to inspect the lab journals students had been keeping in Pankowicz\u2019s class.<\/p>\n
He told the students that in addition to the technical skills introduced, they also needed to develop solid writing and documentation habits. No messy journals, he warned.\u00a0 Being aware of safety measures and strong interpersonal skills also mattered, he said.<\/p>\n
For Pankowicz\u2019s students, the experience of handling, measuring and calibrating the varied pieces of lab equipment and materials in a real, college lab environment carried a lasting impression.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy providing the experience of working in the CCRI Bio-Tech lab, EPSCoR has given my high school students the ability to utilize<\/em> many of the materials, equipment and lab techniques that they only learn about in class, and therefore develop concrete understanding of such lab techniques,\u201d Pankowicz said.<\/p>\nShe also said that the students were excited to work with Pelletier and Warila, both of whom shared their enthusiasm and passion for their work: \u201cIt was one of the most meaningful experiences they\u2019ve had in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warila said he, too, gained from the morning\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps to remind me that most college students aren’t far removed from high school themselves, and they still need the engagement and support to be successful at this level,\u201d he said. \u201cEven the non-traditional students need to know you want them do well in the class and are there for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Story and photos by Amy Dunkle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"College lab immerses high schoolers in science (With the 2013-14 school year under way, Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR\u2019s outreach and education program for students in grades 6-12 will provide hands-on experiences in labs and out in the fields for hundreds of Ocean State students.) In a departure from the daily classroom routine, a group of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2972\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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