Youths Become Junior Scientists
eiTURQAY. AUGUST 21, 1S32-THE CAT.CUSA T!"IS-13 1
r
By Henry Duvall
.They may not know it,
: but the experience some
3 75 minority high-school
students, are gaining
j from an. intensive science
: program this . summer
.may put them on the
"rroad to" becoming rthe"
next generation's leading
scientists.
: The catalyst for such a
prospect is the Howard.
University-Rockefeller
Foundation ' Program in
! ;Life Sciences Careers for
:High School Minority
Students.
Sixteen black students
aje.- conducting research
in :' the areas '. of
biochemistry, - ;, im
munology', genetics and
microbiology as well as
anatomy . and - ' em
bryology in the zoology
department at Howard
-University '--"--': in
Washington, D.C. where
' the program ; is based.
Some ' students - are
analyzing: chicken - em
bryos, aimed in part at
finding " ' the chemical
mechanisms ' that cause
organs to form.
"The summer ' pro
gram started by the
Rockefeller Foundation
and managed by Howard
University is a most ap-;
predated initiative,"
says Harvard Medical
School's : Dr. . Torsten
Wiesel, 1981 Nobel Prize
t winner in medicine. In a
letter. -commending 'the'i
program, he indicated
that the program is in the
forefront in .; providing
'educational-- oppor-
. (unities which are .greatly
needed in order, to en
courage minority ,
students to enter basic
science."
Four black students
n .'" rfl "A; I . '
t !
- 3 lao. v. I
from North Carolina are
conducting research on
aspects of cell develop
ment at the prestigious
Marine ' Biological
Laboratory in ; Woods
Hole, Mass. Two of the
students : are analyzing
clam eggs while the other
two - are , studying l sand
sharks and squids.', 'f.
They . are designing
projects, collecting and
analyzing original data,
and will write a report
with information of theit'
research to be published
in the laboratory's jour ;
nal, says Dr. George
Langford, associate pro
fessor in the physiology
department at the
A University of North
Carolina School of
Medicine, who is
overseeing their research
at WodfHole.
At thl same time, .
t 5" t t'7 v-
thre American Indians,
five.:; Hispanics and one
black' student are im
mersed in research at the
University of New Mex
ico in Albuquerque. One,
student is studying the
distribution of. antigens
associated with arthritis
while another is working
on a project involving
the autonomic nervous
system.
These students are
working with researchers
"who are among the best
in their fields," says Dr.
Robert Kelley, chairman
of the department of
Bahamas Trip
Winner
Starting with only
three academic and
research institutions in
1978, the Howard
Rockefeller program has
succeeded beyond the ex
pectations of its founder,
Dr. Sheldon J. Segal,
director of the Popula
tion Sciences Program of
the Rockefeller Founda-
Vi V 1 IVMWI tlllVllt VI, ,!. -
anatomv at the Universi- tion. "I would've been
ty of New Mexico School happy if 50 per cent of
of Medicine. the youngsters benefited
Ten black students from the program," he
from four high schools f says, v
in Macon County, Ala., Thus far, about 86 per
are working on research cent of the more than
projects at Tuskegee In
stitute in Alabama. Two
students are trying to.
find the effects of a car-;
cinogenic pollutant on
goats and ducks while
two others are analyzing ?
tissue cultures of the
sweet potato in an effort
to improve the quality or
cliUiyation of sweet
potatoes.
Nine Native American ;
Indian students are par
ticipating in the research
oriented program at . the
200 students who have
trained in the program
are enrolled in college
and are pursuing
biomedical careers, ac
cording to Anderson.
Segal credits Anderson
for most of the success
of the program, which .
Howard . began ad
ministering in 1979.
"'Win' Anderson has
been an evangelist in
presenting the idea to
labs. My only regret is
that we don't have more
money," ne empnasizes.
MICHAEL COX, If), ol Silver spring, na.t conaucw y"."V University of Minnesota
Howard University-Rockefeller Foundation Program In Life Scfences Duuth Qne Qf lhe gram with an $8000
Careers for High School Minority Students. The national progranMid !? stU(jents is working onto' budget. Bernard Ander-
mlnistered by Howard, is Introducing minority youins io oiomeuiwi research nroiect entitled son. responsible for
laboratories at 1 academic institunons arounu ui Hauun.
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The Howard
Rockefeller program is
designed to open doors
to scientific research and
illustrate to bright
minority students that
careers in, the biomedical
and health-related fields
are indeed within their
grasp; according to Dr.
Winston Anderson, pro
gram coordinator and
chairman of the Howard
zoology department.
These youths are being
introduced to biomedical
laboratories at , . 17
academic and research
institutions across the
nation. They are getting
a taste of college life,
and gaining exposure in
programs of experimen
tal veterinary medicine,
dentistry and dental
research, medicine,
marine biology,
reproductive biology,
organic chemistry,
biochemistry and
anatomy.
- Not only are they
meeting other.. high
school students with in-
- terest and potential in
the sciences but they also
interact extensively with
college students and
faculty. MWe emphasize
the importance of peers
and role models' both
male and female," says
Anderson.
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equal opportunity pro
grams for the
Rockefeller Foundation,
was instrumental in ex
panding the budget to its
current level of $150,000
a year.
Under conditions of
awards of, the past four
years, participating in
stitutions receive $2,000,
a trainee to cover student
stipends and other costs.;
The students receive
stipends from $400 to
$1,000 depending on
need during the period of
training, which lasts'
from eight to ten weeks,
says Howard's Winston
Anderson.
Students must have in-;
terest and potential to.
participate in the pro
gram. Acceptance is bas
ed on information in ap
plications, personal in
terviews and recommen
dations from science
counselors at the high
schools. '
According to 1980 Na
tional Science Fouunda
tion statistics, of the
383,600 Americans in
life-science professions
only 7,300 are black,
9,200 I are Asian
Americans and 1 .800 arc
classified as other
minorities.
The racial mix of
students in the Howard
University-Rockefeller
Foundation program
primarily reflects the
communities in which
the program is located.
Hence, black American
students are prominent
at institutions in the nor
theast and the South;
Asian-American : and
Hispanic,students, in the
California institutions;
Hispanics, in institutions
in. the southwest; and
Native American Indians
are prominent in institu
tions in north-central
and southwest regions;
Three schools joined
the Howard-Rockefeller
program for the first
time this summer.1 The
Umversity of Michigan
at Ann Arbor is training
minority highschool
students from the
Detroit area; the Univerv
sity of Louisville is train-;
ing youths from the Ap
palachian region; ' and
the University of Texas
Joseph Burt (right) was winner of the Bahamas trip prize being
presented by Pemell Cannady, director of the Zafa Youth Group (left)
and Ms. Chris Brown, president of the Zafa Parent Club. The Bahamas
trip was the result of a fund raising effort by the Zafa Parent Club to
support the Youth Group of Zafa Temple No. 176.
branch in
is training
from high
in southern
medical
Galveston
students
schools
Texas.
Other participating in
stitutions include the
Harvard Dental School,'
Chicago State University .
and University of
California-San Diego.
The operation of the
program varies from
school to school.
At Howard Universi
ty, there is a blend of
students from disadvan
taged and moderately af
fluent backgrounds,
from both private and
public schools. "Based
.upon our experience, the
mix of disadvantaged
and moderately affluent
(youths) seems to work
better than purely a
group of disadvantaged
students," says Ander-
son.
Roderic Swiner, 16, a
young, gifted and
black'."
Michael Cox, 16, of
Sprmgbrook High
School in Silver Spring,
Md. is trying to decide
whether to pursue a
career in engineering or
medicine. He says he is
now leaning more and
more toward medicine
after meeting students in
the Howard medical
school. . -
Giving the high school
students personal insight
on what to expect in col
lege is Ms. Colette
Foster, 21, a 1982
zoology graduate of
Howard who will start
medical school this fall.
A mother of one of the
PtotobyStlMMaiftcM
youths in the program,
Carole DeCosta of Silver
Spring, Md., stresses
that her 16-year-old
daughter Lisa "loves the
program." She enjoys
research so much that
she wants "to go on
Saturdays and Sundays.
She's so turned on. No
exaggeration!"
"The more you
challenge them, the more
they respond," says Dr.
Theodore Bremner, a
faculty member in
Howard's zoology
department working
with the youths.
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HUD Secretary Pierce To
Discuss Housing With Rowan
NNPASecretary of
senior at H.D. Woodson ; Housing and Urban
High School in Development, Samuel K.
Washington, says the ' Pierce in' commenting on
program is- a recently televised
"influencing" him to report by columnist Carl
tmnk-aDQUt tne possj.DUi,-
ty of a career in
for a one-on-one housing
discussion ,with Mr.
. Rowan on a program to
be telecast in September.
This format, he states.
"will give me the chance
medicine.
Susan McConnell,
also 16, of Regina High
School in suburban
Maryland, points out'
that she aspires to be a
neurosurgeon. She em
phasizes that the pro
gram exposes her to peo
ple who have succeeded
in the sciences and who
"remind you that you're
Rowan; on 4he Nation's to ma ke a more balanced
housing problem viewed presentation and ' to
the presentation as
"slanted and unfor
tunate." Having declined an in
vitation to appear on the
original program
because of its format and
anticipated biased
report the initiatives this
administration has taken
on behalf of the housing
industry."
A fluorescent tube that
presentation. Secretary y 7
Pierce announced he has need replacing. Reversing the
accepted an invitation T brighten it at its
dark end.
W3B
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