 | Joanna E. Price |
Yale has strengthened its commitment to science outreach by appointing
researcher Joanna E. Price to the newly created position of coordinator for
community programs in science.
— By Lori Ann Brass
T H I S
Coordinator of community programs in science
Claudia Merson, director of public school partnerships in Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs, notes: “Yale is in the forefront of so many advances in technology and science,
particularly in the areas of nanotechnology, stem cell research and genomics.
When we opened up our laboratories during Yale’s Tercentennial, we saw how New Haven citizens loved learning about what was
going on behind the scenes at the University. This is a wonderful opportunity
to continue sharing the wonders of science with students and teachers in the
public schools.”
Price will help focus the University’s effort to develop a coordinated and comprehensive array of science education
and enrichment programs. She will work with faculty members to identify what
type of outreach would work well with proposed research; connect scientists to
existing Yale programs and help develop new ones as needed; write and budget
outreach plans; obtain letters of support for projects; coordinate plans and
recruit program participants; and serve as a liaison to the New Haven public
schools. She will also help faculty identify potential partners within the
University, as well as in the public schools, library branches and community
organizations.
A new web page (www.yale.edu/scienceoutreach) detailing the University’s science opportunities went online in mid-August. It is designed to make it
easier for students, teachers and the public to learn what types of programs
they can tap into. Among the programs are Dynamic Education
Marvels of Science (DEMOS), which places Yale student volunteers at local
elementary schools to teach weekly science classes, and
“Science Saturdays,” in which Yale professors and local scientists explain why their fields of
interest fascinate them.
Price came to Yale in 1999 after receiving her doctorate at the University of
Sheffield. As a postdoctoral associate, she studied stem cell plasticity in the
laboratory of Dr. Diane Krause, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology.
In her new position, Price is based in the Office of New Haven and State
Affairs, which partners with the City of New Haven to promote economic and
human development.
Price says her new position combines her interest in science and teaching. “I received a lot of support as a woman in science, and I would like to help
local students participate in science enrichment activities and, where
possible, gain research opportunities,” she notes. “It is exciting to have this opportunity to offer the greater New Haven community
a glimpse of the cutting-edge research going on at Yale.”
She cites biologist Jeffrey Townsend, assistant professor of ecology and
evolutionary biology, as an example of matching scientist to project. Townsend
is interested in the design of evolutionary genomics experiments.
“We realized how much he had to offer students learning about the scientific
process and paired him with the science fair mentorship program,” she says.
The new position is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost; the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Bioscience Grant, directed by Robert
Wyman, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology (MCDB); and
the National Institutes of Health Center for Excellence in Genomics, directed
by Michael Snyder, chair and professor of MCDB.
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Letty Russell: Feminist theologian, leader in ecumenical movement
Brevard S. Childs: Influential Old Testament scholar, beloved teacher
Memorial service to be held for astronomy researcher Dorrit Hoffleit
Campus Notes
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