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Taking Research to the Next Level
In this installment of #GirlTalk blog, Tracie Durham, Science Department Chair, shares her connection with UTC's research department.
Twice a week for most of the school year, I have the pleasure of traveling with GPS students to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga’s campus after school, where the girls perform lab analysis under the direction of chemistry professor Manuel Santiago, PhD. A little over two years ago, GPS began a partnership with the university that allows our students to gain hands-on lab and research experience at the university level.
Currently, seniors Sophie Veys, Daphne Thomas, and Mary Catherine Marsden work with science lab instruments— such as a fluorescence spectroscopy and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy—not typically available to high school students. Their most recent project? Discerning compounds in ladybird beetle (ladybug) eggs—one native, the other invasive and a pest.
The girls collect data and learn how to input findings for a research study to determine if changing ladybird beetles’ diets will affect development rates. If the insects lay fewer eggs or if their eggs are less viable, their numbers will drop. The work of our girls is being used to determine if the insects’ diets could be changed to work as pest control without adding pesticides to the environment, which is a growing problem worldwide.
Dr. Santiago is particularly good with the girls and is vocal about giving them credit for their work. In fact, last year he was quick to commend our students for identifying something in a sample that caused him to shift his focus with regards to the study. He has such a great rapport with our students. He loves research, but teaching small groups of students is clearly his passion. Dr. Santiago has stated that our coming to campus is his favorite part of his day. This positive interaction with a college professor builds the girls’ confidence in their ability to be successful in a predominantly male field.
"Since freshman year, I have aspired to participate in college research," Sophie Veys says. "Through this program, I experienced what college research is actually like. This has reassured me of my plan to pursue undergrad research as I head off to college next fall. I definitely feel at home in a laboratory because of my involvement in this project."
"Since freshman year, I have aspired to participate in college research," Sophie Veys says. "Through this program, I experienced what college research is actually like. This has reassured me of my plan to pursue undergrad research as I head off to college next fall. I definitely feel at home in a laboratory because of my involvement in this project."
The research program ties in so nicely to our value of fostering curiosity and allows our girls the opportunity to engage their minds and cultivate their strengths while developing an interest in science. Being a part of a university-level research project, even if only for a couple of hours each week, has also developed our students’ self-confidence in their science skills and their ability to explore options beyond GPS.
It has been exciting see the girls thrive as part of this partnership with UTC. The experience is teaching the girls what real science involves—problem solving, analysis, and revising their question as they obtain results.
My hope is to expand it so that more girls can take advantage of this opportunity to get hands-on experience at a university as they continue to add unique learning experiences to their educational portfolio. GPS girls shine everywhere, but it is particularly satisfying to see them effortlessly interact and thrive in a college setting through this program.
