Release date: July 26, 2004
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark, Assistant Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-712-8780 or bclark2@emory.edu

Showcasing Scientific Discoveries Ignites Interest Among Emory Freshmen

As a scientist, Emory University biochemist David Lynn is used to designing experiments, never knowing quite where they will lead, or what the results will be. One ongoing experiment is a series of freshman seminars he developed to give graduate students the opportunity to share their research experiences and passion for science with undergraduates, while also teaching broad scientific concepts.

The seminars, called "Origins of ORDER," which stands for "On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers," are crucial to Lynn's goal of establishing a new training program for undergraduate students since he was named one of 20 inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute professors.

The HHMI honor includes a $1 million grant to bring scientific research into undergraduate classrooms, and HHMI professors across the country have developed innovative science programs as a result. For example, professors at the University of Texas-Austin and Columbia University have developed interdisciplinary courses similar to Emory's to introduce undergraduates to research. Other professors at Louisiana State and Northwestern universities have developed mentoring programs to attract more minorities into science.

"Here at Emory, the seminars continue to evolve and provide information to us on what works, and what doesn't work in the classroom. Our principal, long-range goal is to build a collaborative science curriculum, characterized by the integration of faculty research into education, and the interdisciplinary linkage of content, theory and practice," says Lynn, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Chemistry and Biology.

The courses are modeled on those goals, and taught in five different sections focusing on a particular project, such as image processing, the physics of foam or molecular evolution. The graduate students explain the origins of their discoveries, and the different elements of order that build the research in their respective disciplines.

The involvement of graduate students is vital to the course, since it helps provide a peer connection to younger students just starting their academic careers, Lynn says. So far graduate students have been very enthusiastic about the program, and Lynn typically receives 10 times more applications from students eager to teach the course than the slots available.

"By teaching undergraduates about their research, graduate students can demonstrate to younger students that research is exciting, and they enjoy what they do. Such mentoring can greatly influence the educational experience of undergraduates, and encourage bright students to pursue careers in science," says Lynn.

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