Fall 1998 CONFCHEM Switching Students on to Science

Successfully Mentoring Minority High School Students at an Urban Graduate Research University
Patricia Ann Mabrouk
Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
ph: (617)373-2845; fax: (617)373-8795
pmabrouk@lynx.neu.edu

Abstract:
Over the last five years, I have been privileged to share my research lab in the summer with six bright, hard working, enthusiastic economically disadvantaged high school students. Together we have explored heme peptides, prepared bioconjugates, learned perfusion chromatography, cyclic voltammetry, and resonance Raman spectroscopy. My students have presented their work at science fair competitions, regional and national American Chemical Society conferences, and published papers. In the process, we have had a lot of great fun together! Most importantly, my students have graduated from high school and are enrolled on scholarship at local colleges and universities. My purpose in writing this paper is two-fold. First, I seek to challenge you to become involved as a mentor to deserving minority students in your local area. Secondly, I intend to provide you with specific information on methods I have found to be valuable in inspiring, challenging, and teaching my high school students the joys and rigors involved in doing chemical research.