Education and Outreach Activities

In addition to providing the opportunity for researchers to access high throughput, state-of-the-art proteomic technologies, the Keck Laboratory also supports the education and training of researchers and students both within Yale and also within the greater scientific community.

Keck staff have trained core laboratory staff and students from as far away as Argentina, China, Turkey, and South Korea, and have given hundreds of invited talks and presented numerous posters at international and national meetings including those sponsored by the ABRF, ASBMB, ASMS, and the Protein Society. As part of this effort the Keck Laboratory has very strongly supported the ABRF, which is a worldwide organization dedicated to promoting excellence in core facilities through research, communication, and education. Ken Williams, Co-Director of the Keck Laboratory, is one of the six founding ABRF members. He was elected to the first ABRF Executive Board and he helped initiate and served on five of its research groups that seek to establish realistic expectations for a wide range of biotechnologies. Several other Keck staff have also participated in ABRF, with Kathy Stone, Associate Director Proteomics, founding the ABRF’s Proteomics Group; Myron Crawford serving on the Protein Sequencing Group; and Chris Colangelo Chairing the Proteomics Standards Research Group.

Keck staff give especially high priority to keeping the Yale University Community informed about cutting edge applications of genomics and proteomics technologies by participating in departmental and University wide seminars. For example, in 2008 Keck staff participated in two Dean's Workshops at the Yale School of Medicine highlighting “Proteomics: Discovery to Validation” and “New Frontiers in Genomic Technologies”

Responding to the need for more minorities in scientific research, minority undergraduate students were hosted for a 10-week summer research and science mentorship program funded by Yale BioSTEP. Recognizing that inspiration towards educational goals starts at an early age, the Keck Lab also participated in the SmaRT Girls program which brought elementary school students into a “real” scientific laboratory to meet women scientists and to try their hands at the work they do. Keck staff have volunteered as judges at the New Haven Science Fair. The New Haven Science Fair Program was started in 1995 with seven test schools. In 2013 over 8000 New Haven students and 43 schools participated, utilizing more than 160 volunteers for mentoring and judging. The program is dedicated to improving the quality of education, particularly science and math education in Grades Pre-K through 12 in the New Haven Public Schools. In addition, senior Keck staff host science education and laboratory tours of the Keck Laboratories for local middle school, high school science students and teachers, as well as undergraduate students to showcase many of the Keck Laboratory's biotechnologies. Examples of outreach activities by Keck staff are listed in the following table.

Recognizing that inspiration towards educational goals starts at an early age, the Keck Lab also has participated in the SmaRT Girls program which brings elementary school students into a “real” scientific laboratory to meet women scientists and to try their hands at the work they do. Keck Lab staff also volunteered as judges of physics science projects (grades 9-12) and biological class science projects (1st through 4th grade) at the New Haven Science Fair. Participants were students from the New Haven public school system. In addition, senior scientific staff host science education and laboratory tours at the Keck Laboratories for local middle school, high school science students, teachers as well as undergraduate students to showcase many of the Keck Laboratory's biotechnologies.

Outreach Activities by Keck Laboratory Staff
Date	Activity	Location	Keck Staff
May 10-11, 2011	New Haven Science Fair	Yale University	Nancy Williams
June 7, 2010	New Haven Sound High School Visit	Keck Laboratory	MS & Proteomics
May 10-11, 2010	CT State Science Fair	Quinnipiac University	Nancy Williams
March, 2010	Guest Science Demonstration	Ryerson Elementary School, Madison, CT	Erol Gulcicek
July 20, 2009	New Haven Hill Career High School Science Class Visit	Keck Laboratory	MS & Proteomics
2009	Guest Lecture, "FT-ICR Show & Tell"	Albertus Magnus College	TuKiet Lam
January 18, 2008	New Haven Sound High School Visit	Keck Laboratory	MS & Proteomics
August 8, 2006	New Haven High School & Middle School Science Teacher Visit	Keck Laboratory	MS & Proteomics
February, 2005	Guest Science Demonstration	Ryerson Elementary School, Madison, CT	Erol Gulcicek

Contact keckbusinessoffice@yale.edu for details.