Encouraging Interest in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the National Level

School of Pharmacy graduate students participate in science and engineering festival designed to encourage science careers for K-12 students

By Geoffrey Heinzl
May 28, 2012

Students from the School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences headed to Washington, DC in late April to participate in the 2nd Annual U.S.A. Science and Engineering Festival (USASEF), a celebration of all things science and engineering that included more than 2,000 activities for K-12 students with interest in the natural sciences. Members of the School’s student chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) represented the School of Pharmacy at the event, where they explained the basics of oral drug delivery and the makeup of a tablet.

In addition to hands-on activities for children, the USASEF also featured several speakers such as TV’s Bill Nye the Science Guy, a book fair, and a meet the scientist/engineer networking area. Students were shuttled into the fair from all across the area in school-sponsored field trips to learn more about the various opportunities available to those who study science and engineering. From probes ready to be launched into space and buckyball models to experiencing life as a lab rat and learning the parts of the brain, each branch of the sciences was represented. The attendees showed their enthusiasm as well, sporting “Bazinga!” shirts from the TV show The Big Bang Theory and proudly displaying their American Chemical Society membership cards.

Brittany Avaritt, chairperson of the School of Pharmacy’s AAPS student chapter, says, “It was amazing to see how many children came to the event and exciting to know that so many are interested in STEM education. USASEF was a wonderful opportunity for us as students to explain to young people what a pharmaceutical scientist does and to show a new generation just how much fun they can have learning about science.”

Priyanka Ghosh, another graduate student who participated in the event, greatly enjoyed her first opportunity to represent AAPS on a national scale. “We got to know all the faces behind the names that organize the student section of the AAPS, and it was a lot of fun,” said Ghosh.

“I’m proud of our student chapter for spearheading the School of Pharmacy’s involvement in the festival,” says Audra Stinchcomb, PhD, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences and advisor to the School’s AAPS chapter. “It’s important to reach out to the community and young people who can benefit from our students’ experience and good fortune. Many people may not have had the mentors or privileged experiences that set our students on their current career paths. Being a well-rounded contributor to society is a noble goal.”