Members of the University community collaborated with the community at large last summer in the Partners in Science program, through which chemistry professors and graduate students worked with area high school science teachers in a research laboratory setting.
Partners in Science — co-directed by University chemistry professor Andrew Bocarsly and Jay Dubner of Columbia University — is a joint program implemented by Princeton, Columbia, New York University, Rutgers University at Camden, Seton Hall University and Stevens Institute of Technology.
The program's goal is to promote interaction between the research and educational communities of the science world.
For eight weeks during the summer, Louis Gatto of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, James Looney of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School and Paul Lucuski of McCorristin Catholic High School in Hamilton worked alongside Princeton professors and graduate students in Bocarsly's laboratory.
Each teacher was paired with a professor and given a long-term research assignment that will span two summers, Bocarsly said.
The assignments related to research on fuel cells — which are a possible substitute for gasoline power in the future.
The program, according to Bocarsly, was designed to emphasize the dynamic aspect of scientific discovery.
"We want [the teachers] to get excited," he said. "It's not so much that they are returning to the classrooms saying, 'I learned how to titrate this,' but rather, that they're bringing the enthusiasm of science back to their students."
The three high school teachers affirmed that the program influenced their approach to teaching.
"A lot of students like science but don't want to be science teachers, and they ask me about other career opportunities," Gatto said, explaining that working with researchers gave him more insight into the scientific field outside the classroom.
Lucuski, who worked with chemistry professor Robert Cava, was surprised to learn "how much computers and instruments are used in modern chemistry."
Admitting that a substantial amount of time had lapsed since he had last worked in a lab, Lucuski said, "I learned about whole new branches of chemistry that I wasn't familiar with before."
Partners in Science also stressed fundamental teamwork and cooperation skills, essential for conducting long-term research.
"The most important things I learned were patience and problem solving," Gatto said. "You're not going to find an answer to everything immediately."
Princeton chemistry professors involved in the program said they believe the summer was a rewarding and enlightening experience for both parties.
"Even from a technical point of view, it was a successful summer," Cava said. "Everybody made their contribution."
Cava put Partners in Science in a broader context as he described the universal value of recruiting more students into the field of science.
"It's almost an international crisis that there aren't enough young people going into scientific careers," he said. He added that it was therefore crucial for scientists to "reach out and make sure [students] have a positive experience in science" and to "show them that science can be stimulating."
The teachers who participated in the program will meet with the professors frequently throughout the year to discuss how they are applying what they learned.
And next summer, Gatto, Looney and Lucuski will be joined in the laboratory by three more high school teachers from around the community.
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