Hyorin Lee, a junior at LaGrange High, learned about the solar system and other topics during an Academy for Future Teachers at Columbus State University.
Hyorin Lee, a rising junior, was among 22 juniors and seniors from the region selected for the two-week Academy of Future Teachers at Columbus State University. The students were identified as potential science or math educators or future scientists and mathematicians.
Lee, 18, daughter of Jong Han Lee and Misook Cho, said the academy was encouraging.
“I learned about things I couldn’t learn in high school,” she said.
The South Korean native moved to LaGrange two years ago, and her father helped design the Kia Motors plant in West Point. She wants to go to medical school and become a surgeon.
Students at the academy got to work in a pharmaceutical laboratory, producing analgesics such as aspirin and oil of wintergreen, the latter via steam distillation of softened leaves, creating an oil commonly applied topically or aromatherapeutically for muscle and joint pain.
Professor Bonita Flournoy and 14 of her faculty colleagues guided academy activities through the Math and Science Learning Center, which opened last fall through a two-year, $400,000 grant from the state university system to address a dramatic shortage of science and math teachers.
Associate professor and learning center director Kimberly Shaw said the academy helped build teaching and leadership skills while improving problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
“By giving these talented students exposure to different areas of math and science, including the educational aspect of both, the academy participants are given the chance to explore career opportunities in math and science,” she said.
In addition to the analgesics project, the academy engaged students in cryptography and Web design, geologic lab and field study, and various other projects. The students conducted chemical reactions with household products, programmed 3D animation software and practiced crime scene investigation techniques, including fingerprint analysis and DNA sampling
The students designed lesson plans for younger children which they’ll put into practice while working as volunteers with K-8 students in 13 summer camps between June 15-July 13.
“Experiences like these expose students to the real work that math and science teachers do,” Shaw said. “Such students are more likely to choose science and math education as a career, as well as be more likely to major in science or math in more general terms.”
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