July 30, 1999

The James P. Timilty School in Roxbury and the MGH have worked in partnership for 10 years to provide students with opportunities to learn about science and hospital staff with a chance to grow as mentors and role models. This relationship between the school and the hospital will continue thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

The MGH is one of 35 research institutions across the country to receive a portion of $12.7 million in grant money, allocated to enrich science education in local schools.

"We are pleased to be one of the institutions to benefit from the generosity of HHMI," says Carlyene Prince, administrative director of the MGH/Timilty Partnership at the MGH. "Our goal over the next four years is to continue working with the school to create a comprehensive model for hands-on science education."

The MGH/Timilty Partnership, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this academic year, pairs students with MGH staff in a variety of mentoring and career-exploration programs. MGHers act as mentors to students, who are preparing projects for annual science fairs at the school, city and state level, and frequently go to the school to offer guidance and advice. Students also visit MGH staff and "shadow" them in the workplace for a day to learn about the career paths that exist within the hospital.

"The benefits of this business education partnership are reciprocal," says Prince. "For many MGH staff, the interaction with students challenges stereotypes and perceptions often associated with urban youth. For students, the program gets them interested in science-related careers."

MGH mentors work in a variety of other roles in the partnership, such as judging at the Timilty Science Fair, speaking at the school, and "adopting" a sixth-grade science class, as Mia MacCollin, MD, and members of the Department of Neurology did. Students have helped the department with research on Huntington's Disease.

"The program was a way to involve the entire department in a long-term project with the students," says MacCollin. "I love to see kids get excited about science and understand that it is a fun endeavor."

Harry Orf, PhD, director of the MGH Molecular Biology Labs, and his colleagues actively participate in the partnership, running family science activity nights at the school. "Through the partnership, we can expose the students to a professional job experience," says Orf. "They are at the perfect age. They are capable of understanding the workplace environment but young enough to remain open-minded about learning."

Princess Williams, a 14-year-old graduate of the Timilty School and participant in the partnership for two years, found a new appreciation for science. "Working in the Science Fair Mentoring Program made me want to improve in science classes and showed me how important science is," says Williams. "It's part of your everyday life."

Williams, who won second place in the Massachusetts State Science Fair, says the guidance and caring she received from her mentors, Isabel McMorrow, PhD, of the Transplantation Biology Research Center, and Karlotta Fitch of Neurology, went a long way in developing her top-notch projects. "They gave me more confidence in myself and my projects."

A mentor in the MGH/Timilty Partnership for 10 years, Orf can't resist a smile when he hears from one of his former students. "I enjoy the one-on-one interaction with young people," says Orf. "It keeps me mentally young."

Volunteers are needed for various programs – from one-day events to long-term mentoring – during the 1999-2000 school year. MGHers interested in getting involved at any level can contact the Partnership office at 4-3210.

For more information about the grant, visit the HHMI website at www.hhmi.org/precollege99.

Timilty graduate Princess Williams is working in the MGH Office of the President for the summer.