Med School Reaches Out to Middle School
MED students judge Weymouth Science Fair
School of Medicine students are taking on new science projects this weekend, from baking soda volcanoes to terrariums. On Saturday, April 10, they are volunteering at the Weymouth Science Fair, judging third through sixth grade science projects.
“Last year I got a lot of interest and the feedback was positive,” says Karim Kabbara, chairman of the Weymouth Science Fair. “The whole point is to get the community to work together.”
This is the second year the fair has recruited MED students as judges. This year, eight of them will help evaluate around 100 projects from students in the Weymouth community.
“I’m not looking for the best project that a parent can do” for a child, says Paul Romesser (MED’11). “I hope to see all the interest in infectious energy transfer from us to them.”
Romesser created a science fair project every year in grade school, ranging from growing crystals to monitoring the sun’s effect on plants. This strong interest in science led him to a career in medicine. Now he’s at work on a more sophisticated project, characterizing different proteins found in cancer.
“Having the opportunity to work on an independent project,” he says, “really showed me the fascinating things that can be done if you understand science and chemistry.”
Self-declared science nerd Scott Mahanty (MED’11) is hoping to spot a few budding scientists or future medical students at the fair.
Julia Manasson (MED’12), who was one of last year’s judges, says the creativity of the participants inspired her to come back this year.
“I’m a strong proponent of teaching science early on to get students’ interest,” she says. “I’m looking forward to seeing the new projects they come up with, and I’m excited to do it again.”
Anna Webster can be reached at annaweb@bu.edu.
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