High School Students Soak Up the Summer Learning With Stevens Pre-College Programs

This summer marked a significant milestone for the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Pre-College Program and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Together, the two groups added programs in Medicinal Chemistry and Exploring the Human Brain with Virtual Reality to the two sessions of last year’s successful Biology: Genetics & Medicine program. More than 110 students participated in this summer’s classes, completing a research project that allows them to take home tangible proof of their learning, and receiving a certificate of completion.

"Our program provides high school students with insights into life as a college student at Stevens and possible future careers," said Joel Rolon, director of Pre-College Programs. "During our fully residential one- or two-week offerings, students explore a potential college major, learn from our expert faculty in a college-like classroom environment, live on campus with a roommate, and meet other students in an academic and social environment. Students leave the program with greater confidence in their academic and social abilities."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has seen a stronger trend toward students interested in studying medicine, and this year’s program offered these students an outlet to grow their interest in a practical learning environment.

Sesha Sridevi Alluri, senior department lecturer, taught the inaugural Medicinal Chemistry: Discovering Molecules That Cure course for the Stevens Pre-College Program this year.

Hands-on learning with real-world relevance 

Sesha Sridevi Alluri, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and chair of the department’s inaugural High School Outreach Committee, led the course in Medicinal Chemistry: Discovering Molecules That Cure. The students became familiar with the discovery and design of therapeutic molecules and their development into useful medicines.

In the program, they learned basic organic chemistry techniques, performed literature searches and worked with modern molecular modeling visualization and drawing tools. They used green chemistry methods to synthesize aspirin and then shared their results in closing presentations about lab techniques and molecular modeling in front of the other students, department faculty and parents.

"We want to give the students a flavor of medicinal chemistry research and generate curiosity," Alluri said. "One of the important aspects of research is ensuring they can communicate their findings to a broader audience and scientific community. It was wonderful to see their excellent presentations from their one week of learning experience in the program."

Students in the new Exploring the Human Brain with Virtual Reality: An Introduction to Neuroscience course took a deep dive into the brain and nervous system using immersive 3D anatomy software. Paola DiMarzio, teaching associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, led them through hands-on lab experiences as they explored molecular techniques for investigating the genetic factors that influence the brain’s reward system and drive human behavior.

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology instructors Brunella Taddeo, senior lecturer, and Denver Baptiste, lecturer, brought the Biology: Genetics & Medicine course back for its second year in the program. Students learned to use the revolutionary CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) system, virtual reality and bioinformatics to edit a gene in E. coli bacteria. They also discussed the ethics of using this transformational tool.

Teaching assistants (TAs) from the department helped ensure safe, fun laboratory experiences, and ran and participated in the undergraduate, graduate and alumni panels for the students.

"The TAs were passionate about being involved and sharing their college experiences," Alluri said.

The students were excited about their Pre-College Program participation. They praised the class with adjectives such as amazing, engaging, interesting, easy-to-understand and fun. They appreciated Alluri and the TAs for being, as one participant noted, "clearly passionate about what they taught and conveying the content very well." They also enjoyed the lab and the software tools, describing them as state-of-the-art, invaluable and truly inspiring.

The program also included college prep workshops, including sessions on writing college essays and navigating the application process. Students visited companies in the field they were studying, and enjoyed evening social activities hosted by Stevens students and an end-of-program dinner cruise. This holistic approach helped set the students up for success as they continue their academic journeys to become tomorrow’s leaders in scientific pursuits.

"I am so excited about the success of our Pre-College Program courses in providing cutting-edge experiential learning opportunities to high school students," said Woo Lee, professor and department chair for Chemistry and Chemical Biology. "I look forward to growing my department’s collaboration with the Pre-College Program, especially to serve and motivate underrepresented high school students for diverse career opportunities and pathways in healthcare sectors."