PUC & LLU Create STEM Workshop for High School Students

Beginning more than 50 years ago, Pacific Union College’s science departments have had a longstanding math and science workshop. To introduce a first-of-its-kind, PUC collaborated with Loma Linda University to create a STEM and health professions-focused workshop for high school students, grades 10-12, interested in those areas to learn and engage in activities outside their classrooms while working with professionals from both institutions.

From February 23-24, 35 students from Monterey Bay Academy, Mountain View Academy, and Vegas Valley Academy attended five workshops focused on sleep, air pollution, dental chemistry, performance, and anatomy and imaging, while also hosting a college and graduate fair and a contest filled with tests and challenges, all within two days.

"My students had a positive experience," said Andres Ruiz, Mountain View Academy athletic director and chaperone. "They were engaged and excited by the hands-on activities, and many commented on how different and fun it felt compared to a traditional classroom setting. The workshop benefited my students by introducing them to potential career paths in the healthcare profession. Several students said they gained an interest in pursuing healthcare or science in the future.”

With PUC preparing students for admission and professional studies at LLU, both schools have worked together for countless years. Between conversations with LLU’s School of Dentistry and PUC’s School of Sciences, they agreed that high school students would benefit from a collaborative workshop showing them the connections through high school, college, and graduate school.

“Loma Linda University is committed to providing quality health care training and appreciates the quality of education students receive at PUC," said Marlise Perry, LLU School of Dentistry assistant director of admissions and student affairs. "It was fun collaborating with the PUC Science Department, showcasing several programs students can prepare for after graduating from PUC.”

In addition to their departments, others involved in these workshops have been the public health and behavioral health departments, and professors from LLU to speak for a keynote address, along with a PUC and LLU alumni Q&A panel discussion led by Dr. Karl Haffner, LLU’s vice president for student experience.

Dr. Ryan G. Sinclair, an associate professor of environmental microbiology at Loma Linda University School of Public Health, collaborated with PUC during this STEM Workshop, where he spoke about the importance of community science in a climate-challenged world and shared how having this approach transforms the role of a scientist into an environmental justice advisor, moving away from “the traditional, top-down model.” Sinclair presented LLU’s work at the Salton Sea in Riverside, CA, highlighting the community's leadership in defining key research questions, such as the relation to hydrogen sulfide and how its involvement makes the science more relevant and impactful.

"It's vital that, as scientists, we engage communities from the very beginning of the research process, and even facilitate their own research questions," he said. “This partnership demonstrates that the most meaningful scientific questions are often those that come directly from the people they affect.”

Since this workshop, Sinclair’s team at LLU has built saltonseascience.org, detailing their approach and advocacy. “This type of partnership is essential for future STEM-oriented scientists working with the community,” he said.

The goal of this workshop between PUC and LLU is for students to feel invigorated and return to their schools excited to work in their science labs and prepare for college. “We want them to see the long game, that what they do in high school affects their long-term goals—in all the best ways,” said Aimee Wyrick, PUC’s dean of the School of Sciences. Our hope is that they realize the link and pathway from high school, college, and professional school—in ways that are more than passing a class and fulfilling a prerequisite."