SEOP is a successful outreach program that has been in place since 1995.
Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the sciences at Yale carry out projects in genetics in the New Haven Middle Schools. We focus on middle school to capture the spirit of curiosity of young people before they decide whether science is “cool” or not.
- Mission
- Organizational Model
- Importance of Program
- Director
- Teacher Responsibilities
- Testimonials
- History of Program
- Teach students about genetics and DNA
- Enhance students’ curiosity and enthusiasm for science and inspire them to pursue scientific careers
- Provide interactions with scientists to demystify stereotypes and provide alternative views of them as a diverse group of “normal” people
- Provide Yale graduate students and postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to share their love of science with city students, and develop a spirit of community service
The organizational model for SEOP is what makes it sustainable, efficient and meaningful. Below are key elements:
- There is a faculty director, Dr. Paula Kavathas, who is the overall coordinator. Dr. Kavathas recruits two teaching assistants per semester who help run the program.
- The TAs are graduate students who fulfill one semester of their teaching requirement by participating in the program. (the complete description of TA training/responsibilities are listed under TA).
- There are a total of 3 volunteers/class so that we can break the children up into small groups. This creates a more interactive environment for the volunteers and the 7 th graders.
- All materials are brought to the schools and the 3 projects are linked.
- The teachers prepare and reinforce the concepts so we coordinate with the teachers to come in fall or spring depending on their curriculum plan.
- Lessons are organized as follows: after an initial discussion with the whole class for 10-15 minutes, the children go to a workstation. The activities at each workstation engage the students by activities and visuals such as fruit flies, worms, karyotypes, DNA bracelets, electrophoresis gels, DNA models, etc,
With the many recent advances in the life sciences, biomedical issues are becoming a part of every day life. This is apparent in the use of DNA forensics in criminology, genetic screening for heritable disorders, and pharmacogenetics, tailoring drugs for individuals with relevant genetic differences. The great speed at which these issues evolve requires that the general public become more knowledgeable in order to make informed decisions regarding science in their lives. This necessitates that the scientific community participates actively in the education process of nonscientists. Therefore, the program functions to help prepare the leaders and the citizens of the future whom will be living in a world where scientific literacy is increasingly essential.
Yale scientists-in-training benefit from the teaching experience and involvement in the New Haven Community. Individuals with an interest in pursuing a teaching career gain experience working with young people and learn to communicate scientific concepts with individuals that are less sophisticated. This skill is very useful when scientists communicate with reporters, members of Congress, or business executives/venture capitalists.
Letters from the 7th graders, most of whom are from underrepresented minority groups, have consistently indicated that they enjoyed these activities, and some are now aspiring to scientific careers. Wehope that all the students will be motivated to continue their enthusiasm and interest in learning about science.