Alumni Stories
Let Reed Alumni speak for themselves about the transformative power of participating in the Science Outreach Program.
Casey Hurstell ‘10, History
Grad Student, MAEd, University of New Orleans
Teacher at Luscher Charter School, New Orleans, LA
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
I will never forget my time with the [Science] Outreach Program. It was by far the highlight of my week, every year. Being able to get off campus and immersing yourself in doing something so good - teaching kids hands on science - was just the most rewarding experience of my whole Reed career.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
I think it was in my second year at Reed that I realized I looked forward to my time at my Outreach classes more than anything else I was doing. I quickly realized that teaching energized me. I decided then that I needed to be an elementary school teacher - an occupation I had always thought was beyond my patience level. Reed Biology Outreach gave me the experience necessary to realize my life's passion. I now work as a paraprofessional at a Charter school in New Orleans while working on my Master's in teaching 1-5 special education.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
Biology Outreach is so incredibly valuable, not only to the Reedies who work for it, but also for the college (it is great PR having students out there in elementary schools, drumming up support in the community), for the public school teachers (who get a small break once a week while their students are still learning), and for the public school students (who get a quality, hands-on science lesson once a week.) I'll never forget how excited each and every student became whenever we walked into the classroom. Science (and school) became fun for them.
Rebecca Reilly ’06, Biology
Denver Public School Secondary Math Teacher
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
It enriched my experience greatly, it was a great way to temper the "ivory tower" of reed education with public school education, and giving back to the community.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
It made me want to be a science teacher! After Reed, I worked for 2 years at OMSI teaching science, then I joined the Peace Corps to teach science and math in Lesotho, Africa, and currently I am working for Denver Public Schools as a Math Intervention teacher, and in the fall I am going to UC Denver to become a licensed science teacher.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I think the program is very valuable for Reedies who are considering becoming teachers, and it is great for the students involved because they get a "young, fun" teacher to come in and make science interesting and engaging.
Kathleen Carbary ‘04, Psychology
PhD, University of Rochester
Professor of Psychology, Columbia Basin College
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
This program was one of the best experiences I had at Reed -- in terms of extracurricular programs, it was certainly the best.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
Yes, definitely. I decided to become a teacher in part because of my experiences with this program. I have been interested in science education throughout my life and have been involved fairly extensively in educational outreach programs. Actually, I coordinated an afterschool program as an Americorps member for a year after I graduated, and I worked with some of the same classroom teachers that I met through biology outreach.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I think back positively about this program and the role that it played in my personal and professional development. I wanted to be a teacher when I was at Reed, and this program really gave me a unique chance to have some experience with teaching, and to observe what elementary/middle school education is like from an adult's perspective.
Justine Spencer ‘10, Biology
Medical Student, University of British Columbia
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
[Science] Outreach program was one of the many highlights of my time at Reed. It allowed me to put my learning in Biology into practice and I saw how it could be useful outside of the "Reed bubble".
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
It encouraged me to continue combining my two loves of science and interacting with people. I believe my experience in the [Science] Outreach program was one of the steps in my path to becoming a doctor.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I think this is a great program. It allowed me to use my knowledge of science to share and give back to the community. It was valuable to interact with children and see the joy that learning brings to them. I think there should be more programs like it at Reed to augment the experience and bring more balance to a rigorous intellectual education.
Ryan Goehrung ‘09, History
US Peace Corps Volunteer, Philippines, Costal Resource Management & Education
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
[Science] Outreach was a chance for me to get off campus and put my learning to practical use, while feeling like I was contributing to a good cause and earning a little bit of extra money as well.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
I think my experience as a [Science] Outreach teacher helped me to get into the coastal environmental conservation program of the Peace Corps and it certainly increased my confidence level in regards to teaching and speaking in front of kids in the classroom.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
[Science] Outreach is a great opportunity to gain some real world teaching experience and give back to the Portland community. I believe it is an important part of Reed's outreach to the communities and one that helps build up a positive relationship between Reed and local public schools.
Clare Parker ‘09, Biology
PhD Grad Student, Tufts University
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
[Science] Outreach was a great program -- it was really fun to work with the kids. Answering questions at their level improved my understanding of the material. It was great to get kids excited about science. I always looked forward to Outreach and I thought it was a positive thing for everyone involved.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
It was good to have that experience of volunteering. I applied for an NSF fellowship, and although I didn't get it, one of my commenters noted that I had a history of giving back -- most of that was due to Biology Outreach.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
It isn't that often that 18-22 year old college kids get a chance to interact with elementary school children, but I think that the chance to do so is valuable for everyone. We can bring some of our knowledge and excitement to the classroom; they can show us how to be better teachers and to explain things and answer questions in an interesting way. I hope the kids got a lot out of it. I know I did.
Elizabeth Perkin ‘04, Biology
PhD Graduate Student, Berlin/Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
It helped me break out of "the bubble" for a couple of hours every week. It gave me a chance to learn more by having to be able to clearly explain complex ideas I was learning in biology in a ways that fifth graders could understand (and have fun) with them.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
Yes, it got me even more excited about volunteering teaching salmon/stream ecology to elementary students before I went to grad school. I also look forward to doing more of this type of work when I return to the US. I think it also encouraged me to be a mentor for undergrads from under-represented groups at professional conferences and makes me want to incorporate young scientists in my future research (hopefully as a professor).
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
It helps get Reedies out and interacting with Portlanders, and provides a feeling of accomplishment and attachment to the community. It brings a positive focus to the college, as teachers realize that the Reedies who come to help in their classes are dedicated people who want to make the world a better place. It also helps bring supplies and knowledge to the teachers and students who wouldn't otherwise have access to it.
Katherine Campbell ‘04, Physics
PhD Graduate Student, University of Michigan, Molecular Physiology
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
It was another fun activity to meet other people not in your classes/dorms and it was great to feel like you were giving back to the community which is important as Reed tends to be a bit of an insular community.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
It was another fun activity to meet other people not in your classes/dorms and it was great to feel like you were giving back to the community which is important as Reed tends to be a bit of an insular community.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I think the [Science] Outreach program is great for Reedies, Reed College and the students and schools it works with. It's not only great for giving Reedies experience at teaching and working with kids, but its a fun, interactive and educational experience for the students who really seem to enjoy themselves during the projects. I imagine it also fosters a good impression of the type of school Reed is among the Portland community. It's a great program and I hope it continues.
Erin Westgate ‘10, Psychology
PhD Graduate Student, University of Michigan, Molecular Physiology
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
It got me off-campus and more immersed in the broader Portland community - it was also enormously helpful for my Developmental Psych and Motivation in Educational Contexts courses to see kids learning first-hand. It also fulfilled course requirements for those classes (they required hands-on field experience with children).
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
Yes and No. I've always been interested in science education - my thesis was on using humor as a teaching methodology to increase student interest/engagement and I'm attending a science education conference in the fall. My main career focus though is on social psychology and psychological research.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I think it's absolutely valuable. I have very fond memories of it - it's a way for Reed to give back to the community (the kids love it) and for Reedies to be better and more immersed citizens of Portland. It puts a lot of perspective on things to get off campus once a week and see the real-world. The kids get to see college students and a fun exposure to science, their overworked teachers get a break, and we get great teaching experience. Especially since Reed doesn't offer an education major, that teaching experience is really valuable either for students who DO want to go on in education or who are considering it/undecided.
Quinn Langdon ’11, Biology
PhD Grad Student, University of Wisconsin Madison, Genetics
- How did Science Outreach influence your experience at Reed?
Positively. It was a great way to get off campus and give back to the community.
- Did Science Outreach contribute to or influence your career or personal path after Reed? If yes, please explain.
While I have not gone on to be a teacher I'm still very interested and passionate about volunteering in science outreach.
- Please share your perspective on the value of Science Outreach for Reedies, Reed College, and the public school students & teachers that the program serves.
I enjoyed learning about how to teach [science] to elementary students and it allowed me to reevaluate some major concepts in biology and think about how it could be taught to elementary students. I think the program is good for Reed because it shows we're not just an elite college but we're giving back to the community. A majority of the students were excited to see us every week we came in