[Bridging_the_digital_divide] science at Howard High

[Jason Barkeloo]

Brown's scientific method
  Mentor: As a volunteer scientist-in-residence at Howard High, Nesbitt  
D. Brown, 70, hasn't missed a Tuesday or Thursday in eight years of  
working with students.

By Laura Shovan
Special To The Sun
Originally published June 9, 2004

  When he retired after more than 38 years in research and development  
at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the last thing  
biochemist Nesbitt D. Brown wanted was a second career.

  But when Howard High School invited him to be its volunteer  
scientist-in-residence, Brown couldn't resist. The 70-year-old Columbia  
resident hasn't missed a Tuesday or Thursday in eight years of working  
with students.

  "I never had time to go into that blue mode, depression," after  
retiring, Brown said.

  Since he began mentoring Howard High students, Brown has guided them  
through projects on penicillin, cat litter and bug spray, sometimes  
letting kids use him as a guinea pig in their experiments.

  "They're so enthusiastic and they're so bright and they're so  
appreciative," Brown said. "For me, in a personal sense, it's something  
to look forward to."

  In April, the Howard County school system honored Brown with its  
Friends of Education award. Bruce D. Riegel, Howard High's  
gifted-education specialist, nominated Brown not only for teaching a  
love of biochemistry, but also because of the retiree's emphasis on  
giving back to the community.

  Brown arranged for Walter Reed to donate $200,000 worth of lab  
equipment to the school, bringing with him a High Performance Liquid  
Chromatograph (HPLC). The HPLC, a rarity for a university science  
program, is used to analyze organic and inorganic compounds.

  "We're the only ones that have this [in the county]," said sophomore  
Caitlin Joyce, 16. "I feel pretty lucky."

  Recently, Caitlin and her lab partner, 16-year-old Melanie Keller,  
have been analyzing a variety of sodas for caffeine levels and the  
preservative sodium benzoate, which retards bacteria.

  "We spent three weeks and we injected the samples [of soda] into the  
HPLC and printed out chromatographs," charts showing peaks in certain  
compounds, Melanie said.

  Their findings?

  "Coke had five times more caffeine than Dr. Pepper," she said.

  Caitlin said she is not only more aware of how much caffeine she  
drinks, but she also enjoys scientific research. "We go in the hallway  
and tell our friends [results of an experiment], and they thought we  
were weird" for being excited about science, she said.

  Brown's rapport with the students is clear from their enthusiasm in  
the lab. He uses stories about his career for motivation, such as the  
time he helped develop the technology for germ-free animals to go into  
space. "I say you can do something like that, what I did," he told  
them.

  He encourages students to use college libraries and the Internet to  
find scientific papers. Students choose their research projects. They  
have to develop an objective, a summary, list the tools of their  
research and be prepared to present it.

  Brown credited the school for involving students in science fairs and  
competitions where they can meet other young scientists. "It's  
something that shows that you don't have to be in a competitive mode to  
have fun and do things and learn," he said.

  The students say they are impressed with how much Brown knows.

  "He always gives us articles" about discoveries in chemistry or  
current events related to science, Melanie said. "He told us about  
testing for drugs in athletes and how the new drugs are undetectable"  
on the HPLC.

  Riegel said it was "self-evident" why he nominated Brown for the award.

  "Not only is he knowledgeable and experienced and an effective  
communicator, but his enthusiasm and his search for the truth is  
infectious," he said. Students who come in not particularly liking  
science "want to do research work and want to develop projects. He's  
such an incredible role model for kids."

  Giving back to the community runs in Brown's family. All three of his  
grown children have volunteered at Howard High School. His wife is  
Columbia Association President Maggie J. Brown.

  Nesbitt Brown said the award "was something that I didn't expect, but  
after I received it, I'm honored and I hope that I can keep doing this  
and have fun doing it.

  "That's what life is all about," he said. "Helping people."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal- 
ho.chemistry09jun09,0,1102937.story?coll=bal-education-k12


---

Jason Barkeloo
President
TouchSmart Publishing
http://www.touchsmart.net
tele 513.225.8765


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