Doctoral students from the Boston University School of Public Health’s biostatistics department are demystifying what it means to be a biostatistician for area high-school students. As part of the Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) summer program offered by Boston University, School of Public Health PhD candidates in biostatistics have created an interactive curriculum to introduce the basics of biostatistics to 10 local high-schoolers.

The doctoral students led three full-day labs in July as part of a six-week summer session of UBMS, a federally funded college preparatory program for high-school students from low-income families or who have the potential to be the first generation in their family to attend college.

The School of Public Health students' goal is to give the UBMS students, who are interested in pursuing studies in math and science, an understanding of what a biostatistician does.

"We want to give them a 'big picture' introduction to what biostatistics is," said Ms. Vanessa Xanthakis, a PhD candidate who is coordinating the UBMS sessions on biostatistics. "We also map out our own paths to the field—how we all got into biostatistics and the kind of work we're doing now."

For the labs, the PhD candidates take turns leading modules on the fundamentals of biostatistics, covering topics such as calculating probability, determining correlation, analyzing data and creating surveys. The subjects are highlighted with hands-on activities for the high-school students, which—above all—are meant to be fun. 

"Because the UBMS students do not always know what to do with their interest in math and science, the program gives them an idea of some of the options that are available," said Dr. Lisa Sullivan,  associate dean of education and chair and professor of biostatistics. 

"We're trying to show them a career that ties the two together," Dr. Sullivan said. "It's also a great opportunity for the doctoral students. They get valuable experience teaching, and they really enjoy it."

As a final project for the summer program, the high-school students have the opportunity to share their favorite facets of biostatistics with their teachers, making group presentations on the topics they found most interesting. They have the option of either presenting a poster or analyzing a paper on the subject of their choice.

For the Boston University School of Public Health’s biostatistics department, this is the first summer doctoral students have coordinated and led intensive science and math labs for students from the UBMS program. During the previous school year, biostatistics professors and students had held Saturday morning sessions on biostatistics as part of the program. The department plans to continue both school year and summer programs, Dr. Sullivan reported.

The Boston University School of Public Health doctoral candidates participating in the program include Ms. Audrey Hendricks, Mr. Sean Lacey, Ms. Alisa Manning, Ms. Rachel Hunter Merrill, Ms. Jacqueline Milton, Ms. Carlee Moser, Ms. Vanessa Xanthakis and Ms. Robin Young. Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Josee Dupuis, professor of biostatistics at the School of Public Health, are advisors to the program.