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Science and Technology Day is bio prof's last

By David J. Craig

David Shepro considers himself "a professor first, a scientist second," which might surprise his peers. He is, after all, considered a pioneer in the field of microvascular research for his work on the way blood cells communicate with blood vessels.

David Shepro coordinated the first Science and Technology Day almost a decade ago to honor graduate-level scientific research because, he says, such work is the "creative life force" of any research university. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

But preparing tomorrow's scientists, in addition to being an important ethical obligation, says Shepro, a CAS biology professor and a MED professor of surgery, is a great trade-off: he credits Ph.D. students for making "tremendous contributions" to his groundbreaking research.

Perhaps the greatest testament to Shepro's appreciation for his students is BU's Science and Technology Day, which he founded nine years ago to showcase the research done by the University's graduate students. This year's event, the last that Shepro will direct, will be held on Tuesday, March 26, at the George Sherman Union's Metcalf Hall from 1 to 5 p.m.

Recognizing the efforts of graduate researchers "is essential," according to Shepro, because their work is the "creative life force" behind a research university. "I've always thought that postdoctoral training is not the most creative part of science, because at that level there tends to be too much emphasis on putting out product," he says. "But graduate students have a lot of freedom, and they have the time to make a lot of mistakes. They also have big egos, which can be a good thing: if you're dealing with cancer, they all have a cure. That's wonderful. In my own work, graduate students often put important dots on the canvas that helped me see the painting come into focus."

Science and Technology Day 2002 will feature the research projects of about 130 students from all the physical and natural science departments at the University. Students design posters that display in summary form their research methods and results and are on hand to answer questions about their work. The event, free and open to the public, concludes with the presentation of 10 cash awards. Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Community Technology Fund, the Photonics Center, individual dean's offices, and many others, the awards go to students determined by a panel of judges to have the most outstanding projects.

Matching cash awards are presented to the winners' laboratories.
Because poster presentation and viewing now is the standard format at most professional scientific and medical conferences, Shepro says, the event itself is an educational experience for the participants, many of whom have never before presented their work.

"People don't give 10-minute verbal presentations at conferences anymore," he says, adding that Science and Technology Day is intended primarily "to honor all students" and not as a competition. "Only the big gurus give papers. Also, when you see undergraduate students come in and talk to the presenters, the electricity in their interaction is amazing, because here they get to see someone barely older than themselves doing real scientific work."

Shepro pitched the idea of a science day in 1993 to BU President Jon Westling, who then was provost; the inaugural event was held the following year. The Provost's Office has funded it every year since. Under Shepro's oversight it has grown into an all-University event, with the participation of students at the School of Medicine, the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the School of Public Health, and from all of the sciences and engineering departments on the Charles River Campus.

"Professor Shepro was instrumental in providing an opportunity for graduate students to display their research in a forum in which the University could acknowledge the excellence of the work and bring it to the attention of potential sponsors," says BU Provost and Dean of Arts and Sciences Dennis Berkey. "This is an important type of experience for our graduate students. Judging from the quality of the presentations and the sheer number of them, the program has proved highly successful."

Next year, Science and Technology Day will be coordinated entirely through the Office of the Provost. Shepro, who closed his laboratory in January, continues to teach Global Ethics and the Practice of Science, vascular physiology, and a freshman writing course at CAS, serves as editor-in-chief of the Microvascular Research Journal, which he founded more than 30 years ago, and acts an advisor to the National Library of Medicine.

For more information about Science and Technology Day 2002, visit www.bu.edu/research/ScienceDay/sciday/2002.html.

22 March 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations