Summer Camp Raises Crop of Future Einsteins

August 19, 1999

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Summer Camp Raises Crop of Future Einsteins Yauris Ruiz (seated, from left) of Washington Irving Middle School, James Mitchell of Martin Luther King Jr. School, and Luz Mederos of Martin Luther King Jr. School, explore an interactive CD-ROM on the vestibular system as David Gordon and Berinda Malden look on. Photo by Steve Gilbert

A new collaboration between the Medical School and the Boston Public Schools aims to encourage minority students to pursue careers in science. The Summer Math and Science Mentoring Program gives middle school students a chance to do hands-on science, to look at the many career opportunities available, and to gain a head start on academic preparation.

This past spring, 10 eighth-graders selected by their science teachers from three Boston middle schools spent time at Harvard conducting science experiments, visiting the Peabody Museum, and meeting medical student mentors. Many of these students returned to the Medical School this month for a two-week math camp.

The Summer Math and Science Mentoring Program is organized by Maria Furman, program coordinator of the Medical School's Office of Faculty Development and Diversity summer program; David Gordon, a third-year Medical School student who decided to take a year off to focus on science education at Boston middle schools; and Berinda Malden, a science teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Dorchester. Malden attended the Teacher Institute in Neuroscience at the Medical School last summer, a weeklong program that introduces Boston and Cambridge science teachers to problem-based learning and gives them a crash course in neuroscience and hands-on laboratory experience.

The math camp adopted Harvard Medical School’s problem-based approach to learning, which encourages students to investigate real-life medical cases the way a doctor would. On the first day, for example, the students tackled the story of Cecilia, a 39-year-old woman who has dizziness and difficulty with balance. The case, which framed the rest of week’s classes and field trips, introduced the students to the vestibular system and the mathematical concepts of vectors, velocity, acceleration, and speed. In the second week, the students will focus on the story of José, a high schooler who has a sleep disorder, using their own sleep logs to learn appropriate ways to graph data and the fundamentals of statistical analysis.

"I like the stories. You just want to know what the answer is," says Ethiopia Russell, a student at Washington Irving Middle School who signed up for the summer program for the chance to come to Harvard Medical School. "Someone walks in with symptoms. I just want to know what’s wrong."

Her peers agree that the cases, which were developed for middle and high school students by researchers and educators in collaboration with the Medical School's Office for Faculty Development and Diversity, fuel their interest in science and make them want to learn more.

"Did you know the skull has 22 bones?" asks Taneisha Wilson, a student at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School who wants to be a neurologist.

In addition to teaching science, math camp also helps students develop literacy skills. Each day the students write about what they have learned in class, what they found interesting, and their feelings on any issues raised in class discussion. And math camp isn’t confined to the classroom. The middle school students also use the Medical School's computer lab and visit clinical and research laboratories. A trip to the Jenks Vestibular Laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary gave students the chance to meet physicians and researchers and take part in three tests for balance and eye movement. An important goal of the program is introducing students to medical students, physicians, and scientists — potential role models and mentors who can help them get ahead in science.