We at MCB are driven by a passion for discovery and education. We also value the importance of reaching out into the community and inspiring the next generation of researchers in biology. A number of our community members take part in various outreach efforts which act to further strengthen our commitment to discovery and education. Below are programs that some of our members are currently participating in or have participated in the past.
In partnership with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Office of Diversity and Minority Affairs and the Leadership Alliance Consortium, the MCO Graduate Training Program offers a 10-week summer internship to well-qualified undergraduates who are considering Ph.D. careers in the life sciences. Each summer well-qualified interns are placed in MCO faculty labs and take part in current research projects, attend weekly faculty lectures, work with current MCO graduate students as peer mentors, and take part in joint field trips with other Harvard summer programs. Some MCO graduate students serve as peer mentors for the interns.
Life Sciences Outreach invites high school biology classes and their teachers into Harvard’s undergraduate biology teaching laboratories each spring. High school teachers choose one of several possible laboratory topics when they apply for the program. MCB, OEB and Systems Biology graduate students and post-doctoral fellows lead the laboratories in conjunction with the classroom teachers.
Gradwagon is a resource designed to connect high school and middle school science teachers in the greater Boston area with graduate students and postdocs at Harvard University, for educational enrichment services. The program centers around an online database of volunteer grad students and postdocs in the life sciences, who self-select the outreach services they are willing to provide. Teachers can search the database for educational enrichment opportunities for themselves or their students.
SITN is a graduate student group at Harvard University whose mission is to examine the science behind the media reports we hear everyday and to bridge the communication gap between scientists and non-scientists. SITN accomplishes this by providing free seminars, lessons, social events, and written material on varying science topics for the general public. SITN also provides science PhD students the chance to hone their communication skills by hosting these events and by giving feedback on their presentations and articles.
JEI is a non-profit group run and operated by graduate students at Harvard University and supported by the GSAS. It is an open-access journal that publishes original research in the biological and physical sciences written by middle and high school students. JEI provides students, under the guidance of a teacher or advisor, the opportunity to submit and gain feedback on original research and to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. JEI also provides the opportunity for graduate students to participate in the editorial, review, and publication process. Their hope is that JEI will serve as an exciting new forum to engage young students in a novel kind of science education that nurtures the development and achievements of young scientists throughout the country.
The Amgen Biotech Experience (formerly known as the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program) is an educational outreach program that provides equipment, curriculum assistance and supplies to high schools and colleges. The program integrates a hands-on, inquiry-based molecular biology curriculum designed to introduce, with extensive teacher support, the excitement of scientific discovery to students.
The Harvard Allston Education Portal (Ed Portal) is a vibrant space that fosters learning and exploration for Allston-Brighton residents of all ages. The Ed Portal was created to bring Harvard’s greatest strength, world class teaching and research, to the Allston-Brighton community. The Ed Portal is the Allston-Brighton community’s front door to Harvard’s educational, cultural, arts, and recreational resources.
Clubes de Ciencia (Science Clubs) is an organization created by Harvard and MIT graduate students to empower the future generation of scientists and innovators in Latinoamerica. The program uses mentorship and active learning to develop an intensive, one week-long, project-oriented workshops for high school and undergraduate students in a wide array of STEM fields. In January 2016, under the leadership of a group of MCO graduate students, the program expanded to Bolivia.
Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV), an independent non-profit founded in 1966, helps support the academic and personal success of Cambridge public school students. CSV develops programs that match caring and competent volunteers with students of all needs and levels.
Young Chefs, an organization that uses hands-on cooking education to empower the next generation with culinary skills and scientific knowledge. We develop free open-access lesson plans and teaching resources for cooking-science education, and support educators to implement our curriculum in diverse programs across the globe. From afterschool programming and teacher workshops to summer camps and in-school lessons, our innovative approach enables students to succeed in the kitchen, classroom, and beyond.
Jenna Eun (Garner Lab) designed and teaches high school course for LS Outreach (also founded Village Health Project—non profit for community projects in Uganda, but not while at MCB).
LS Outreach: lectures and labs for high school students and teachers, taught by graduate students and postdocs.
Miguel Coelho (Murray lab) mentored student for Systems Bio Summer Internship.
David Cox teaches Popular HarvardX Course
Harvard Bangalore Science Initiative: Venki Murthy
Summer Research Programs in Japan: Takao Hensch
David Cox: HarvardX Learning Labs for Kids
Rob Lue: Harvard Ed Portal
John Dowling: Teaches popular neuroscience course, “The Amazing Brain,” for Teachers As Scholars professional development program for local high school teachers
Alia Qaatarneh (formerly administered through MCB awarded New England Biolabs’ Passion in Science Award for work with Amgen Biotech and LS Outreach
Building Ops: annual gift/food drives