CAS CONNECT 2016

31 Dr. Ronald Cox, director of OSU’s Juntos program, said the program addresses three areas that research shows can increase educational success in Latino youth: • Enhance family support through work- shops and community events. • Provide success coaches who serve as liaisons between the family and the education system. • Engage students in fun and positive learning activities with their peers. The third area is where professors like Fennell come in. At the end of an eight- week summer academy, Latino middle school students spend two days on the OSU campus participating in work- shops in various disciplines. The purpose isn’t to have the students walk away as experts but to envision themselves being at and succeeding on a college campus. “We are looking for people like Chris, who see themselves as more than just a professor or researcher,” Cox says. “They see themselves as a link to help the next generation of students become interested in the sciences.” It’s obvious that outreach is important to Fennell, but he points out that as a land-grant institution, it is also important to OSU’s mission to serve the commu- nity. A big push from national funding agencies has also elevated the impor- tance of outreach in higher education and research. The result ensures researchers can continue their work while also getting out of their labs and into the community. For the past two years of GPU, Fennell recruited another new chemistry faculty member, Dr. Gabriel Cook, and has had several of his lab students help with the course. This also develops their apprecia- tion for future outreach. “I probably do a little too much of it, but you can get addicted to it to some degree by wanting to continue to make it better,” Fennell says. “It’s something I care about for teaching and research purposes, and it’s just fun, too.” “I view science as tel l ing stor ies. You can do something that is very exci t ing to you, and, i f you do a good job of tel l ing that story, i t can open up new doors for others.” — Chr is Fennel l PHOTO: GARY LAWSON/UNIVERSITY MARKETING Fennel l describes his Grandparent Universi ty course as “Minecraft for molecules.” Students who took his class left wi th model ki ts produced by the chemistry department’s 3D printers. Fennel l is “more than just a professor and researcher,” says Ronald Cox, director of OSU’s Juntos program. PHOTO: GARY LAWSON/UNIVERSITY MARKETING