Anchorage Catholic school’s science program gets boost

CatholicAnchor.org
Religion and science are not opposed at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage. The 7-12 grade Catholic school has built a reputation for innovative science curriculum, while also teaching the tenants of Catholic faith.

The school is hoping to further enhance its science program thanks to a $15,000 grant that teacher Debbie Brewer received earlier this year. Brewer was chosen to take part in a national program that forms mentoring partnerships between high school science teachers and research scientists.

Brewer was one of 23 teachers to receive the Partners in Science grant from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver with the aim of improving science education in the Northwest.

According to a press release, the primary goal of the grants is to provide high school science teachers with opportunities to “work at the cutting edge of science, and thus to revitalize their teaching, help them develop new inquiry-based teaching strategies and to encourage more students to pursue careers in science.”

Grant recipients were selected on the “qualifications of the partner members, the quality of scientific research proposed, and the potential of its impact on the high school setting,” the statement added.

This summer and next Brewer is working alongside mentor Dr. Eric Bortz, a University of Alaska, Anchorage professor. Together they are conducting studies looking at how certain cell types, such as HIV or cancer, are able to evade a body’s natural immune responses. The results will be shared at national Partners in Science conferences.

“At the most basic level, this will re-energize my teaching by providing me with strong academic enrichment,” Brewer told the Catholic Anchor. “By becoming familiar with various types of current research I am better able to bring those ideas into my classroom.”

She will also bring students to the university lab to observe research in progress. Brewer said she hopes the project peaks the interest of students to pursue science related careers.

Lumen Christi Principal John Harmon says the project “propels Lumen Christi from a regular high school science curriculum to an advanced level of clinical application that can be shared with students.”

Harmon added that the project highlights the quality of Lumen Christi teachers and shows that faith and science are compatible, especially when they “unite to improve our society.”

“Saint Augustine taught us that faith and reason (science) inform each other to help us understand our true nature in God,” he said in an email to the Catholic Anchor. “This award demonstrates Lumen’s commitment to build the Catholic faith of its students while developing a special appreciation for science as a method to improve our community.”

Brewer added: “In both science and faith, we are always seeking truth. Good science requires a strong moral background. We are also committed to providing our students with the skills and opportunities to make a difference in the world.”