From the Research Lab to the Classroom: A Multi-Faceted High

Chapter 6

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From the Research Lab to the Classroom: A Multi-Faceted High School Chemistry Outreach Program Timothy B. Clark,*,1 David G. Emmerson,2,3 and June Honsberger2 1Department

of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, California 92110, United States 2Science Department, La Costa Canyon High School, 1 Maverick Way, Carlsbad, California 92009, United States 3Science Department, Pacific Ridge School, 6269 El Fuerte St., Carlsbad, California 92009, United States *E-mail: [email protected].

Outreach initiatives in the STEM fields have received significant attention in recent decades in an effort to improve the pipeline of diverse and talented students preparing for these careers. This chapter describes an outreach initiative that utilizes several different successful approaches in an attempt to provide a multi-faceted program that provides high school students with better insights into career and educational pathways in the STEM fields. The outreach was focused on chemistry, but was placed in the larger context of all STEM fields. Four components to the program were implemented with two different high school teachers over four years. Each high school teacher engaged in two six week summer research experiences with the goal of enhancing that teacher’s ability to incorporate research concepts into their courses. After each summer, three distinct outreach activities were done with the teacher’s chemistry classes. The activities involved a classroom visit in which Dr. Clark and four undergraduate students discussed career and educational options within chemistry and other STEM fields. The second event involved a tour of

© 2017 American Chemical Society Waterman and Feig; Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Professional Development ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

the University of San Diego science building, followed by undergraduate research presentations. The final event was an industrial site tour from a chemistry-related company. The outreach activities were assessed, which demonstrated an increased knowledge and interest in STEM-related careers.


1. Introduction The early preparation of students for productive careers in science and technology has received a great deal of attention in recent decades as the connection between the strength of the economy to innovation has been solidified (1). The United States has a long history of providing federal funding at all academic levels to enhance education and outreach in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (1). These initiatives range from targeting elementary students in outreach to training for postdoctoral research associates (2). There have been numerous studies that connect outreach initiatives to particular outcomes that enhance the pipeline of students prepared for and interested in STEM careers (3). There are many factors that must be considered in choosing a robust outreach plan. The age of the target population is of course critical to determining the type of program that would be effective, but the amount of previous exposure to STEM education is also essential to consider. Many outreach programs, such as STEM days hosted by a college or university, are highly effective at attracting large number of students to an event and exposing them to a large array of activities. These events are challenging to assess and more importantly, they cast a large net and cannot provide targeted experiences due to the diversity of ages and STEM backgrounds of student attendees. On the other extreme are programs that are highly focused on a particular group of students such as STEM summer camps. These programs are typically very effective at increasing student interest in STEM fields, but have limited throughput. These latter programs are often focused on high achieving or underrepresented students. Notably, however, many such programs include an isolated outreach event that is unable to provide students with an integration of their academic coursework with the outreach activity. With an interest in increasing the impact of an outreach program while maintaining a focus of a particular group of students with a defined STEM background, an educational initiative was designed that would have immediate and lasting impacts. In considering this lofty goal, a program was designed with a focus in chemistry around two key features: 1) providing authentic experiences for chemistry educators that would impact their long-term ability to enhance connections between their coursework and chemical research topics; and 2) providing a multi-faceted outreach experience to that chemistry teachers’ students that would use several activities to integrate their educational background with the activities.

70 Waterman and Feig; Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Professional Development ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

2. Important Features of the Outreach Program In designing the outreach program, several features were chosen explicitly to address perceived needs to enhance the experience of high school students as they discern appropriate career paths. These details are delineated below.


2-1. High School Teacher Research Experience The central aspect of the outreach plan was focused around summer research experiences for high school chemistry teachers as a unique professional development experience that promotes practical knowledge (4). The rich and rewarding experience of working in a research laboratory was envisioned to provide teachers with a better knowledge of research principles, chemistry content, and examples that they can take back to their classroom (5–9). The particular focus of the research experience in this outreach plan is on catalysis with the goal of providing a foundation to relate the field of chemistry to current, topical societal issues such as polymeric materials and the energy crisis. This program was initiated as a 4-year outreach plan that would include two different high school teachers, each doing two 6-week summer research experiences. During the 6-week summer research experience the high school teacher is given a project in metal-catalyzed organic reactions, works within a group of undergraduate students, and participates in regular group meetings of literature and research presentations. The preparation of high school science teachers typically requires both educational courses and a full complement of science courses to obtain an endorsement in that particular field of science. Balancing this large, diverse course load rarely leaves an opportunity to be involved in an authentic research experience. Integration of research into undergraduate education is central to the student’s ability to obtain a balanced understanding of basic chemistry and applications in research (10, 11). Providing this type of research opportunity for high school teachers allows them to have a deeper understanding of the principles that guide innovation in chemistry. There are numerous direct and indirect benefits of providing a research opportunity for a high school chemistry teacher. The primary beneficiary will be the students that are enrolled in these teachers’ courses throughout the extent of their career. The authentic research experience described above will serve as professional development for these two high school teachers and improve their ability to engage students in the classroom (5–8). The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program through NSF has demonstrated that a partnership between K–12 teachers and higher education institutions that involves intensive professional development results in greater success on math and science assessment exams (8, 12, 13). Furthermore, student performance on these assessment exams continues to improve years after the research experience (8). The teachers chosen for this program were solicited through a list serve of San Diego County high school chemistry teachers. The solicitation stated the time commitment, two summers for 6 weeks each summer, and the stipend, $5000 per summer. The two teachers chosen for the program, David Emmerson 71 Waterman and Feig; Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Professional Development ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


and June Honsberger, had not been involved in chemistry research prior to this experience. Therefore, research projects were chosen that would provide the best experience without requiring an excessive number of new techniques. The initial training process focused on a conceptual understanding of the project goals and basic training for the lab. The teachers engaged in departmental safety training and were trained in the Standard Operating Procedures that are commonly used in the research lab. The teacher was then paired up with an experienced undergraduate research student, who performed the techniques with the teacher, working side-by-side until the teacher had developed a sufficient comfort level with the techniques. Mr. Emmerson’s project (Summers of 2013 and 2014) involved amine-directed C–H borylation (14, 15), followed by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the resulting products (16). This particular project had been initiated by an undergraduate student and had promising results that suggested that the project would be successful. The experiments required the use of an inert atmosphere glovebox, syringe technique, column chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, rotary evaporation, and several other techniques required in a synthetic laboratory. These key tools are not typically part of a high school chemistry curriculum, but the conceptual background of each technique is consistent with classroom topics. The techniques could readily be explained to high school students to connect the lecture content to these techniques. Although these techniques are fairly advanced, the nature of the project required repetitive use of the techniques, allowing for increased comfort as the summer progressed. Ultimately, the project resulted in a publication in which Mr. Emmerson was a co-author (17). The second research experience (summers of 2015 and 2016), for Mrs. Honsberger, also involved amine-directed C–H borylation. In this case, Mrs. Honsberger synthesized a series of substituted benzylic amines and used the products in C–H borylation reactions. The synthesized amines are being used for a mechanistic study in which a Hammett plot will be conducted using the substituted amines. This project has similar characteristics to the first project in which complex techniques were required, including the use of an inert atmosphere glovebox, but was repetitive in nature, increasing familiarity and comfort with the techniques. The effectiveness of the research experience depends heavily on providing the teacher with a sense of comfort and confidence in the techniques they use. Therefore, projects that allow for this repetition are believed to be critical. The fact that the research experience spanned two summers is also an important feature as one summer was not believed to be sufficient to provide the desired comfort in the research lab (8). Both teachers demonstrated an increased confidence in the second summer and they were able to turn their focus from learning new techniques to using those techniques to complete their project. It is also important that the research lab is active. All four summer research experiences were done with 9–11 researchers working in Dr. Clark’s research group. The community of scholars is an important aspect of the experience and provides a wealth of different experiences to assist the high school teachers as they learn new techniques and gain a better understanding of their project. 72

Waterman and Feig; Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Professional Development ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

2-2. Outreach Activities


To complement the research experience for high school teachers a series of outreach activities were designed specifically for the students in the teacher’s classes during the academic year following the summer research experience. The activities took place during the spring semester and were generally spread out over the course of the semester with one activity per month. These outreach activities were chosen to provide successive interactions that provided an in-depth look at education requirements and career options in the sciences. Three specific activities were chosen to meet this goal, listed in chronological order: 1) A visit by Dr. Clark to the high school teacher’s chemistry classes with four undergraduate students to discuss the opportunities for careers in chemistry and related STEM fields and the educational requirements for those careers. 2) Dr. Clark and the four undergraduate students host the high school teacher’s chemistry students at the University of San Diego for a tour of the science building and presentations by the undergraduate students on their research projects. 3) A coordinated visit for the high school teacher’s chemistry students at a local science industrial site. It is important to note that the three activities described above are not unique outreach experiences, but the combination of the activities provides a holistic opportunity for the students to gain insight into careers in the sciences. Each activity has merit on its own, but combined provides a synergistic program to enhance the understanding of students as to the possible career choices in science fields.

Classroom Visit The first outreach activity was a visit to the teacher’s classroom by Dr. Clark and the four undergraduate outreach assistants. Typically, the outreach activities involved two class periods and spanned 45–60 minutes with each class. Dr. Clark started by discussing the different sub-disciplines of chemistry and connecting that discussion to when those topics will appear in the undergraduate curriculum. The focus then moved on to educational paths, providing insights into the time commitment and nature of obtaining a Masters in Science or a Doctor of Philosophy. The distinction between time spent in the classroom and time spent doing research is made in this discussion along with the fact that most graduate students earn a stipend while attending graduate school, rather than incurring increased debt. Finally, Dr. Clark discussed the career options one has at each educational level, including careers that bridge the sciences with other fields, such as patent law and technical sales positions. The second part of this visit involves the undergraduate students each giving a 5-minute talk on their major, research experience, and career goals. Since students were chosen (see section 2-3 for a 73


full description) with the goal of diversifying both research areas (organic vs. biochemistry, for example) and career goals (physician vs. research scientist), the high school students learned about the evolution of those career goals from entering college up to graduation.


University Campus Visit The second event involved a visit of the high school students to the University of San Diego. This visit started with a tour of the science building (Shiley Center for Science and Technology). The tour highlighted both teaching and research spaces. After the tour, the undergraduate assistants each give 15-minute presentations on their undergraduate research projects. The assistants are instructed to present their projects at a level appropriate for students who have only had high school chemistry. Dr. Clark also does practice presentations with the students and makes suggestions to each presenter on how to explain certain topics and remove unnecessary information.

Industrial Site Visit The final outreach activity each year involves a visit to a chemically-related industrial site. For this program, the visits took place with two companies, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), and Illumina, Inc. These companies generously hosted large groups of students at their research and development sites. Both companies began the visit with a presentation on the company and a non-technical description of the science and technology behind their work (typically 45–60 minutes). After the presentation, there was a tour of the facilities which highlighted the role of scientists within the company (60–90 minutes). At BD, students were given the opportunity to have a hands-on experience of one of their diagnostic tools on the market which had been explained in the presentation. Overall, the site visits were a very powerful way to connect what the students were learning in the classroom to an application. Understanding the science behind the technology was a critical component to making this connection. 2-3. Role of Undergraduate Students in Outreach Activities During each set of outreach activities, a group of four undergraduate students from the University of San Diego was chosen to assist Dr. Clark with the program. These students, who were junior and senior chemistry and biochemistry majors, were intentionally chosen with different interests within chemistry and having had extensive research experience at the University of San Diego. For example, one particular year involved students with interest and research experience in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry. The students also had distinct career paths in which one student was planning to apply to medical school, one to graduate school in biochemistry, one to law school, and one was planning to seek a job in the chemical industry directly after graduation. This 74



diversity in interests and career paths was a critical component to the outreach as it provided the high school students with a better perspective regarding career paths. The diverse research interests were showcased in the student presentations during the second outreach event, in which each undergraduate gave a 15-minute presentation on their undergraduate research project targeted at a level appropriate for the high school students (see discussion in section 2-2). The career discussions in outreach activity 1 and the research presentations were significantly enhanced by the diversity of scientific and career interests of the students. Equally important to the goals of the outreach program was to have undergraduate students that could connect with the high school students more readily. Many high school students are not prepared to envision themselves in a career. Connecting their course interests with students who are at the next academic stage, and who are themselves considering their next step toward a career provides an important link for the high school students.

3. Assessment The program was assessed by a questionnaire to determine the student perspectives and their knowledge of careers in chemistry and related fields. To achieve this goal, a historical cohort control group (18) was required. Prior to each high school teacher’s first summer research experience (within 2–3 weeks of the end of the academic year for control group and study group), a questionnaire was given to that teacher’s classes that were equivalent to those that would be part of the study the following year. For example, for the outreach program involving Mr. Emmerson, the outreach was targeted at AP chemistry students; with Mrs. Honsberger, first year chemistry students were involved in the program. Additional questions were utilized for the groups that had participated in the outreach program to determine the number of activities they participated in, their favorite program, and suggestions for the program. For the purpose of this analysis, all student responses were included in the assessment, regardless of the number of activities they were able to attend. Select results of the questionnaire are provided below. A plot is provided for each question that indicates the percent of students that provided each answer. The data is separated by teacher, in which the left two bars (striped) represent Mr. Emmerson’s students from AP chemistry and the right two bars represent Mrs. Honsbereger’s first year chemistry students. In each case, the lighter bars (for each pair) are from the control group and the darker bars are the students that were involved in the program.



1. How likely are you to pursue a career in a STEM field (Figure 1)?

Figure 1. Plot of responses to likelihood of pursuing a career in a STEM field showing percent of respondents with each answer.

The results of the questionnaire regarding student’s perception of their likelihood of pursuing a career in a STEM field demonstrate an increase in interest in STEM careers. The percent of students who indicated a “Strong Possibility” that they would pursue a career in a STEM field increased from 22.9% to 30.6% for AP chemistry students and 5.4% to 17.0% for first year chemistry students. Equally significant was the decrease in students who “Likely Will Not” pursue a career in a STEM field. The significant difference between students who indicated a “Strong Possibility” of pursuing a STEM career from the AP chemistry students and the first year chemistry students (without the outreach program) is likely the result of student self-selection. AP chemistry students are typically more inclined toward STEM careers and take science courses that are not required for graduation. The first-year chemistry students, on the other hand, are a mixture of students who may be interested in STEM careers and those who are required to take a chemistry course for graduation. This distinction highlights the effectiveness of the outreach program with first-year chemistry students who have had less exposure to careers in the sciences in which the percent of students indicating a “Strong Possibility” of pursuing a STEM career tripled.



2. How familiar are you with different types of careers in the field of chemistry (Figure 2)?

Figure 2. Plot of responses to familiarity with careers in chemistry showing percent of respondents with each answer.

The results of the question that probed student familiarity with careers in the field of chemistry demonstrated a significant decrease in students who were only familiar with 2–3 career types and an increase in students who were familiar with more career types. The most significant increase was with students who were familiar with 4–6 career types in chemistry.



3. What is the highest degree you are most likely to obtain if you pursue a career in a STEM field (Figure 3) (19)?

Figure 3. Plot of responses to highest degree expected in a STEM field based on percent of respondents with each answer.

The results from the question that probes student’s perceived likelihood of pursuing particular degrees in a STEM field is quite polarized based on the level of chemistry. In the case of the AP chemistry students, there are subtle differences between the control group and the students that were involved in the outreach activities. There was a small increase in the percent of students that expected to obtain an M.S. degree (4.6% increase) and a similar decrease in the percent of students that expected to obtain a Ph.D. in a STEM field (5.3% decrease). This change may have resulted from a realization of the typical time required to obtain a Ph.D. versus an M.S. in a STEM field. Alternatively, a significant shift was observed from first-year chemistry students who expected to obtain a post-graduate degree. The percent of students that expected to obtain a B.A. or B.S. changed from 19.2% to 7.9%. The most significant increase was observed for students expecting to obtain an M.S. degree (from 26.9% to 55.3%), followed by an M.D./Ph.D. degree program (15.4% to 26.3%). This distinct difference between AP chemistry students and first year chemistry students likely is a reflection of exposure and pre-existing interest in STEM fields as discussed above. Increased exposure into careers and educational paths for students that would not have self-selected into a chemistry seems to make a significant difference into their likelihood to pursue an advanced degree in a STEM field.



Lessons Learned from the Program Throughout this 4-year program involving two different high school teachers, several aspects of the project were successively changed based on assessment of the program and necessary changes from year to year. The most significant change that was made from the first two years to the second two years was the recognition of when students were most likely to attend the outreach events that required a field trip (events 2 and 3). During the first two years, the outreach events were done on Friday afternoons once students were done with classes. While this approach simplified the paperwork for the field trips, many of the students in the participating classes had significant extracurricular commitments, limiting the number of students that could participate in the outreach activities that were planned. During the second two-year cycle, the field trips were planned to take place in the morning, during classes. Using this model, the percentage of students that participated in the program increased significantly (see Table 1). The increased participation in the program could explain some of the differences between the two sets of data noted in Figure 1 and Figure 3, but does not seem to account for the entire difference.

Table 1. Percentage of Student Participation in Outreach Activities Events Attended

AP Chemistry

First Year Chemistry

1

54.9%

35.7%

2

28.2%

41.0%

3

16.9%

23.2%

4. Perspectives from the High School Teachers in the Program The high school teachers involved in this outreach program came from different backgrounds and had different strengths that they used while teaching chemistry. Therefore, the particular experience of each teacher in the research experience and the outreach activities was unique. Below are reflections from Mr. Emmerson and Mrs. Honsberger on their experience in the program. 4-1. David Emmerson was the first teacher to participate in the outreach program from June 2013 to May 2015. He has a B.S. in biology from Cornell University and an M.S. in Science Education from S.U.N.Y. at Brockport. Mr. Emmerson has been teaching science for 38 years, with 33 years focused on chemistry. The first summer in Dr. Clark’s research lab was very challenging. It took me a while to become familiar with the equipment, polish up my rusty organic chemistry and to get used to fitting in with a group of undergraduate students. After a few weeks my skills had dramatically improved on the rotary evaporator, NMR, column chromatography and other apparati that are more involved than 79



I’d been used to. Once I became comfortable with these techniques, the research experience became quite enjoyable, especially the process of synthesizing compounds as yet unknown. While reading the research notebooks, learning new computer applications and getting the timing down on experiments that needed to run for 16 hours provided a bit of a challenge, the biggest adjustment was the daily commute. The second summer, 2014, was spent continuing the progress from the previous year, but also training a high school student from my class to become part of the research group (20). It was a rewarding experience, being able to work closely with her on a daily basis over a six week period. I rarely get to mentor individual students, and never at such a complex level of scientific work or for such an extended period of time. It was very satisfying to see her develop her lab skills and organic chemistry knowledge. It was during this summer that we moved ahead towards the publication of the paper based partially on the work that the two of us had been doing. We learned together about the research process: 1) how to develop the appropriate questions we sought to answer, 2) how a laboratory functions differently as a research facility rather than in a teaching/learning situation, 3) how to function in a group, collaborating and communicating/presenting our work, 4) how to then prepare the information for publication and later 5) the process of attending a conference to communicate the results. While I was involved in the program, I taught hundreds of students over the two academic years. I was able to feel more in tune with the experience of a university student majoring in chemistry and have many more examples and insights at my disposal when explaining chemistry concepts or laboratory procedures. This program also stimulated me to continue learning and exploring other avenues of instruction. I felt that I was not only a better teacher after this opportunity, but also probably continued to teach longer than I may have without it. While one student in particular was able to go into great depth into chemistry research, the majority of the students were impacted by my connection with the program. Many of my students talked about how impressive it was to them that a college professor and his students would take time out of their day to come to our school to talk to them. They felt like they were on a par with star athletes being recruited by a college coach. It made them feel important and caused them to think differently about the fact that they were taking chemistry as a class. It elevated the significance of chemistry as an experience in their lives. The presentations showed them what the different possibilities were if they did choose to study chemistry or other science fields in college. Those that were able to attend the trip to USD to tour the labs and see presentations by students on the research teams got a more in-depth understanding of the role of undergraduate research in science education. My students all commented on how much enthusiasm was displayed by the presenters. They all saw that there was a passion for involvement in the research. The final piece, visiting an industrial site, put together the big picture for them. They were very excited about seeing the immediate relevance of the concepts they were learning in their science courses. They were especially interested in the ability to use a product provided by the company which they now understood the 80


science behind it and knew that it was a commercial product. I feel this experience gave them meaningful recognition of the value of their coursework, especially in my class.


4-2. June Honsberger was the second teacher to participate in the outreach program from June 2015 to May 2017. She has a B.S. and an M.S. in Geological Sciences from San Diego State University. Mrs. Honsberger has been teaching chemistry and earth science for 17 years in the San Dieguito Union High School District. The program included two summer research experiences in Dr. Clark’s organic chemistry lab. During the experience I was exposed to a variety of chemistry techniques and instruments that broadened my understanding and confidence as a chemist. Since my educational background is in geological sciences, my ability to teach chemistry at a high level has always been somewhat limited. This experience has led to a new level of confidence in my ability to work with my high school students in the laboratory. It also enhanced my understanding of chemistry that has been incorporated into my daily instruction. Prior to the outreach program my high school students were unaware of the variety of chemistry majors and career possibilities available with a chemistry degree because my background was not strong enough to provide this information. The first outreach activity provided an opportunity for high school students to meet and interact with undergraduate chemistry majors. The undergraduate students discussed the paths that led them to major in chemistry, as well as their plans after graduation. The high school students were excited by the visit and it led to many discussions about majoring in science or chemistry both during the visit and for several months after. The experience provided an opportunity to discuss educational and career goals with many students and to help them think through their possible career paths. The next activity was a tour of the chemistry labs at the University of San Diego, followed by undergraduate research presentations. This trip had a significant impact on the high school students; they were intrigued and fascinated by the different types of research conducted by the undergraduates. They were also impressed by the variety of chemistry labs and equipment at the university. The industrial site tour to Illumina, Inc. was the final activity. The tour started with an overview of the companies work followed by a tour of the facilities, which focused on the role of scientists at the company. This third outreach activity seemed to have the greatest impact on the students. They were captivated by the variety of careers available in the STEM fields. In addition to the immediate impact the outreach had on my students, I expect to infuse my new knowledge in educational and career paths in the STEM fields into my teaching in future years. I also hope to be able to identify students that will benefit from being advised and mentored in these possible career paths and to be a resource to them.


5. Adaptability of the Program This multi-faceted outreach program will work well for a number of settings, but would require appropriate adjustments to allow implementation for some common settings. A description of adjustments that would be appropriate for these settings is offered below:


Proximity of High School Teacher In some cases, high school teachers will not live and work near a university that can provide a summer research experience that would contribute to their professional growth. When this is the case, an opportunity for the high school teacher to live in on-campus housing is recommended. In the program described above, both high school teachers lived approximately 40 miles from the university campus. This distance is approaching the upper limit of what should be deemed acceptable for someone to commute daily when conducting an authentic research experience. For further distances, the program administrator should seek opportunities to provide affordable temporary housing for the high school teachers. Further distances could also create some complications in how the outreach activities are conducted. Most of the activities could still be achieved if the travel time allows for a field trip to occur all in one day (about two hours travel time each way seems to be the maximum). Further distances would require significant modifications to the program. Graduate Programs Some significant changes may be required to optimize this outreach program if the research opportunity will take place at a research intensive university where the majority of the researchers are graduate students. In this situation, the role of undergraduates in the outreach activities is still deemed critical as a way to help high school students see the connections between their career goals and the next potential step in their education. Choosing two undergraduate students and two graduate students, however, may provide a clearer sense of the long-term steps required in the process as well. Additionally, the presence of graduate students in the research lab provides the potential for alternative approaches to the research experience. The high school teacher could be paired up with a graduate student, for example, to allow for more complex techniques to be employed without overwhelming the high school teacher.

6. Summary The combined efforts of high school teacher research experiences with multiple, scaffolded outreach events proved to be a successful way to engage high school students in considering careers in STEM fields. The role of undergraduate outreach assistants was critical to the success of the program, providing important connections to career paths and research topics. The final outreach event, an 82 Waterman and Feig; Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Professional Development ... ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

industrial site visit, was the most popular among students and was highly effective at providing perspective on the diversity of career options in STEM fields.


Acknowledgments This educational initiative was funded by a National Science Foundation early CAREER award (CHE-1259406). The commitment and involvement from the University of San Diego, La Costa Canyon High School, and Pacific Ridge Schools is gratefully acknowledged. Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and Illumina, Inc. are acknowledged for generously hosting large groups of high school students for outreach events. All of the undergraduate outreach assistants participating in the project are also acknowledged: David Peters, Michelle Powelson, Alexander Jackson, Allison Linehan, Alexa McGee, Barbara Ivos, Kristina Zivkovich, Nathalie Jimenez, Arman Sidiqui, W. Taylor Cottle, Taylor Thane, Claire Tolan, and Praveen Wickremasinghe.

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From the Research Lab to the Classroom: A Multi-Faceted High

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