Startups

Freeman Hrabowski: ‘We need to change the culture of science teaching and learning’ [VIDEO]

As a self-proclaimed “fat math nerd” in 1962, Freeman Hrabowski stared up at Birmingham’s Bull Connor after he was arrested during a civil rights march. Connor spat in his face, then carted him off to jail to spend the next five days in a cell. Today, Freeman Hrabowski is known nationally as the president of UMBC, […]

As a self-proclaimed “fat math nerd” in 1962, Freeman Hrabowski stared up at Birmingham’s Bull Connor after he was arrested during a civil rights march. Connor spat in his face, then carted him off to jail to spend the next five days in a cell.
Today, Freeman Hrabowski is known nationally as the president of UMBC, and a perennial contender for Lists of Influential People that Magazines Always Publish Every Year.
At TEDxMidAtlantic in October, he shared some of his insight as to why UMBC, during Hrabowski’s 20-year tenure, has become “the leading institution of the country, regardless of race, for sending African-Americans along to get MD/PhDs,” as he said during his TED talk.

The video of Hrabowski’s talk is below, and he has been inspiring at other tech events, but the ultimate point he stresses is that the culture of how science is taught and learned must be changed. There are three ways to do just that:

  1. Have students work together in groups to solve real-world problems as a way to have them practically apply scientific theory. At UMBC, this happens when biotechnology companies housed in the school’s Research and Technology Park, for instance, present students with challenges.
  2. Teach students to ask the right questions, and remove the emphasis on note-taking for the sake of.
  3. Build community among students. Have researchers take a personal stake in students’ learning. Tell students that they, one day, can be leaders in a variety of scientific fields.

Watch Freeman Hrabowski speak at TEDxMidAtlantic:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLYMLt4MQ0Y?list=SPsRNoUx8w3rN4l7h9HzGwXlDuUKWqb-eS]

Companies: University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) / TED

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Meet Baltimore's winners in the 2024 Technical.ly Awards

Techstars lets early-stage startups show off in Baltimore

Leadership lessons from Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse, a defining crisis event

Interactive timeline: top moments from Baltimore’s challenging yet inspiring year in tech

Technically Media