Not your grandma’s high school

Connections are a big part of the Nano*High message as well, although its lessons dwell more on interactions at the nanoscale. (The asterisk refers to an interesting bit of information: “the human hair is 50,000 nanometers across.”) Nano*High at LBNL was started as a mechanism to get high school students more interested in science, according to organizer Mark Alper, the Deputy Director of the Materials Sciences Division at LBNL. “We thought that their hearing, live and in person, some of the world’s top scientists talk about their own exciting results in new fields of science might convince a few to become scientists themselves and others to at least realize that science is interesting.”

The organizers work with teachers and administrators in local schools to bring classes of students to the LBNL campus. The program is advertised in all local schools, with a specific focus on schools in disadvantaged areas.

Now in its second year, Nano*High at LBNL has 600 students enrolled this year; almost 200 students attend any given talk. Many of the program’s speakers have been from the College of Chemistry, including Carlos Bustamante and Jean Fréchet. Chemistry professor Carolyn Bertozzi has also been a frequent speaker and noted, “The students were engaged and enthusiastic, and there has been excellent attendance throughout the year. Several students approached me after my talk to ask about getting involved in summer research projects, even though they are still in high school.”

The program has proven extremely popular. “The best measure is that we fill our auditorium to overflowing—the kids vote with their feet and come here repeatedly,” said Alper. It’s a pretty simple assignment: just come, listen and be amazed.

Undergraduate Scholars

Local elementary students get an eyeful—and a mouthful—when chemistry graduate students volunteer in the classroom.

Listening to and absorbing information is a major part of what outreach participants do, especially when dealing with programs organized by the college undergraduate office. The undergraduate office is a natural home for outreach programs, since it serves as the front door for students looking to start their studies here. And there is a lot of enthusiasm among the undergraduates to talk with and mentor younger students; because they are nearly the same age as their audience, they can make an effective impression. Numerous undergraduate students have participated in the outreach component of the College Scholars Program, which was initiated in 1991 by chemistry professor William Lester, Jr., who at that time was the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. To date, the College Scholars Program has provided support to more than one hundred undergraduate students, including Ugonna Ihenacho, who has been on both sides of the outreach table. A third-year student in chemical biology, Ihenacho participated in an outreach program in her last two years of high school, followed by two years in the College Scholars Program, which offers an intensive discussion session for three hours each week in addition to regular lectures and laboratories. The program, funded in part by the Ford Motor Co., provides a support mechanism for students from diverse social, cultural and economic backgrounds to help them succeed in chemistry and engineering. Ihenacho remembers the weekend “academy” sessions in high school as being a time to learn more about books and math, as well as preparing for college and learning more about the college-life experience. “It was definitely worthwhile.

I learned a lot about how to learn and was inspired to take A.P. courses.” Ihenacho is now giving back to younger students, serving as a mentor through the Berkeley Scholars to Cal program at Stiles Hall. (Stiles Hall is a private, nonprofit agency that aims to help low income, inner city youth stay in school and to connect UC students with meaningful community service.) She spends her spare time tutoring elementary school students, serving as the successful role model that she has now become.

Monica Jackson-Tribble, an undergraduate advisor in the college, has been the outreach coordinator for the College Scholars Program since its inception. “I coordinate all outreach activities as they relate to increasing the number of underrepresented students that make up our undergraduate student body,” noted Jackson-Tribble. She is also the college liaison to the Center for Educational Outreach, the umbrella organization for all the outreach programs on campus.

Much of her outreach activity takes place in April, when Jackson-Tribble helps newly admitted students who are in the process of deciding whether or not they should come to Cal and more specifically the College of Chemistry. She personally calls students and, with the rest of the undergraduate office, participates in Cal Day, the campus’s annual open house, where prospective students and the community can tour the campus and learn in depth about the various programs.

For the past four summers, she has been the point-person for the college’s participation in “Experience Berkeley” (EB), an outreach project for underrepresented students funded by the Office of Admissions. Last summer 120 public high school students from the Los Angeles area visited the campus and learned more about on-campus life. “They lived in the dorms and attended writing classes and various workshops that included information on the UC application process,” noted Jackson-Tribble. EB participants also visited the College of Chemistry for lab tours and faculty lectures.

Additionally, if time permits, she holds an event for National Chemistry Week in October. “Usually I invite elementary school groups to the college to do fun laboratory experiments, hear lively talks and see demonstrations. Graduate students in various research labs usually host this event,” she said. “One year we did a very special outreach project entitled ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun with Chemistry’ for 80 high school women. Encouraging young women scholars to come to Cal is a very important part of our outreach component.” next page >>>