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Taking initiative: Ryan Rickels Leads a Biology High School "oUTreach" Program
Ryan Rickels, a senior majoring in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, chose the BCMB major because he had become extremely interested in how life operates down at the molecular level. After graduating in December, Rickels plans to carry on his work for Dr. Mariano Labrador and will continue to lead the high school biology outreach program. Next fall, he will be leaving for graduate school.
Words from Rickels:
Calling it “oUTreach” was just kind of a cheeky thing I came up with. I started doing the high school outreach program because I remember my lack of interest in science as a teenager, partly due to misconceptions I had. Part of my mission is to address misunderstandings of science by raising consciousness of what a scientist does at his or her job and why he or she does it. I feel that by speaking about my personal experience in the lab I can convey the good intentions behind scientific research. Hopefully those students will then go home and talk to their parents about it too. I recently had a conversation with my friend’s father who sincerely believed cancer will never be cured. Not because of the relentless nature of the disease, but because too many oncologists would be put out of work and hospitals would lose money. I don’t believe this exact sentiment is shared by the broad public, but I do think there is a lot of suspicion out there due to misunderstandings partly propagated by misinformation in the media. So, one of my goals is to address these concerns indirectly.
The main goal is to get young people excited about science, in hopes they’ll consider furthering their education in a STEM field. Most of my presentations revolve around the molecular mechanisms of cancer. I like presenting on this topic because it is one that interests me greatly, I’ve learned a lot about it, and it’s something every student in every class can relate to in some way or another. At the end of every presentation, I want students to have a “big picture” idea of how cancer works and the challenges associated with treating and curing it. I’m trying to mitigate the gloom and doom of the topic by talking more about what’s happening on the front lines of scientific research aimed at stopping the disease.
I think my favorite part of doing outreach is the challenge associated with teaching advanced topics to younger students using only the foundational concepts the high school students are learning, such as Mendelian inheritance and the central dogma of molecular biology. I really strive to identify with the students through using language they understand, incorporating humor, etc. I want them to be thinking, “Hey, that’s something I could do, or see myself doing.” So, while talking about advanced stuff I’m also simplifying as much as possible.
My hope for the program is that it continues, and grows, once I’ve left Knoxville. That is one reason why I make a point to bring along other undergraduate researchers such as, Caryn Brehm and Danielle Jeong with me to let them see what works, maybe what doesn’t work, and let them get their feet wet. I believe this is the only way this program will be able to continue because very few people will suddenly summon the courage one day to go speak before 30 high school students. It takes a lot of mentoring which is what I’m trying to provide so that the program can live on.
This whole experience has been extremely rewarding. I’ve gotten the opportunity to confront my nervousness about public speaking and develop my communication skills. I’ve also enjoyed the freedom and flexibility to tweak my presentation as my understanding of cancer changes. Through this experience I’ve come to realize that I really enjoy teaching.