Taking a LEAP: Training the next generation of pharmacologists

Abstract

Launch into Education About Pharmacology (LEAP), a science enrichment program for high school students, uses the study of drugs and their effects on the human body to teach basic principles in biology and chemistry. LEAP targets 10th/11th graders underrepresented in the sciences. Students complete an intensive three‐week course in pharmacology during June and engage in mentored research during the school year. Teaching approaches include guided‐inquiry exercises, debates, discovery labs, and presentations by career scientists in diverse areas of pharmacology. LEAP students exhibit a 13–32% gain in basic science knowledge as assessed by a 10‐item multiple‐choice posttest administered at the conclusion of the summer course. Overall, the students rate their interest and self‐efficacy in science as significantly higher after the LEAP experience. In a retrospective analysis, 86% of participants report an increased interest in science. LEAP students have earned a combined total of nine awards in local and state science competitions (including one academic scholarship). These data suggest that topic‐relevant study, coupled with exposure to research science, effectively increases understanding of key scientific concepts and enthusiasm for science education among high school students. LEAP is funded by a SSEP grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.