They are Diane and Dyann. Both have had extensive careers in infectious diseases. Both studied at UW-Madison. Both got their start at J.I. Case High School and are now hoping to inspire other students to explore the field of science. That is the reason they both recently made significant donations to the science programs at the Racine high school.
“This is a time in education where the standard funds just can’t afford to give students the kinds of enrichment experiences that in a time when we were growing up were somehow possible,” said Dyann Fergus Wirth, the Richard Pearson Strong Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We don’t want to lose a generation of students for not having these kinds of opportunities.”
“We want to give others the opportunities that we had,” said Diane Sugent Luck, who started her career as a clinical laboratory scientist in Racine and is now retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As these two women’s friendship evolved in adulthood, they came to the conclusion that they wanted to step up and help out. After consulting with the staff at Case, Luck decided to make a donation to fund the development of a unique curriculum. Her donation paid for two teachers to visit Isle Royal National Park to enhance their ecology courses.
“I think energizing teachers is vital,” Luck said. “And perhaps that enthusiasm could be passed on to students.”
As for Dyann, the Dyann and Peter Wirth Science Fund is donating enough money to cover the costs of laparoscopic simulators, a platform rocker for the science labs at Case and two field trips for Case’s freshman class during the 2021-22 school year. The first will take them to the Field Museum in Chicago. The second to the Museum of Science and Industry.
“When we were talking about this we were thinking about how going to the science museum in Chicago opened up so many possibilities,” Luck said. “I personally didn’t have any role models in science and to be able to see that there were opportunities in everything from geology, microbiology, technology of submarines, it shows students so many different things that you might not find in your normal curriculum.”
“Our goal is to make sure science is part of every student’s thinking,” said Wirth. “Not every student is going to end up doing science as their career, but we want to give students exposure to what science can be like. We both found it fascinating and continue to find it fascinating.”
Another thing these female scientists find fascinating - the Academies of Racine. Both women said they were impressed by how the schools are structured.
“There’s really this focus on trying to give students more experiences and things that are relevant to thinking about careers as a way of improving student performance and opportunities,” Wirth said.
Wirth and Luck hope other RUSD alumnae take a look at what’s happening in the Academies and consider making their own donations to help enrich students’ educational experiences. The duo is already considering how else they can contribute to the schools that gave them their start.
“Case for me really opened the possibility of doing science as a career,” said Wirth. As for Luck, she said “Without having some direction in high school about the possibilities, I don’t think I would have ended up where I am.”
"current" - Google News
August 21, 2021 at 04:05PM
https://ift.tt/3glmyJo
Case Alumnae Hope to Inspire Current Students to Explore Science - rusd.org
"current" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3b2HZto
https://ift.tt/3c3RoCk
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Case Alumnae Hope to Inspire Current Students to Explore Science - rusd.org"
Post a Comment