Princeton University Chemistry 101B – College Science for High School Students

How many at-risk students from inner-city schools get the chance to perform Diabetes analysis and urinalysis, and study the DNA of spinach? One particular group of high school students from Trenton and Lawrence got that chance on October 28th for Chemistry Day. These at-risk students participated in the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM) program P.U.M.A. – Princeton University Materials Academy – this summer. The students returned to Princeton University for a lesson in the chemistry of biology. Over the summer, the students learned about materials science, and PCCM continues its commitment to their science education by again partnering with Mentor Power, the mentoring program that connects students from Lawrence and Trenton with programs of excellence like those of PCCM. For Chemistry Day, PCCM partnered with the Princeton University Chemistry Department. Chemistry professor Katherine Wagner taught these students “Chemistry 101B – the chemistry of biology.” In the spirit of National Chemistry Week’s (October 17th-23rd) theme of Health and Wellness, students learned about the relationship of chemical structure to biological function. The program consisted of two parts: a presentation in Frick Hall Auditorium, Princeton’s 200 seat lecture hall for Chemistry courses and research lectures, with demonstrations of some general principles important to the chemistry of biological processes, and a hands-on session in Princeton's extensive teaching chemistry laboratory. The lectures and activities addressed organic chemistry, thermal energy, and chemical structure with physical models.