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Former Boston Public School Teacher is Changing the Way Chemistry is Taught

By changing the way we teach introductory science courses from elementary school through college, we can attract many more talented students to science careers. Former Boston Public School teacher, Keith Donaldson, is the CEO of the MolySym Corporation, an MIT start-up that develops technology for molecular education. This summer, MolySym will introduce its Hyper Molecular Modeling technology at the Molecular Literacy Institute, a summer enrichment program for Boston-area high school students.

Boston, Massachusetts, March 25, 2009 – Keith Donaldson, is a former Boston Public School teacher who specialized in teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  He is now the CEO of MolySym (www.molysym.com), an MIT start-up that is developing advanced technology for molecular education that is changing the way Chemistry is taught.

Tragically, the present system of education in the United States rarely gives young people a chance to test their potential abilities as future scientists. In particular, very few students are exposed to science curricula that allow them to explore the world in the way that scientists do.  This is especially true for underserved and disadvantaged youth. Instead, science education in the US—from elementary school through college—usually focuses on helping students absorb what scientists have already discovered about the world.

MolySym is changing the current state of affairs in Chemistry education. The company’s Hyper Molecular Modeling technology is designed to give students a fundamental understanding of what is happening at the molecular level.  The technology allows you “see” what a molecule sees and “feel” what a molecule feels. This hands-on, interactive learning environment will prepare them for the challenge of high school Chemistry and beyond.

Today, work in the chemical sciences is crossing over into other fields, such as biology, nanotechnology, and computer science. More than 1 million new chemical compounds are created every year, with many still yet to be developed. The chemical sciences are at the forefront of efforts to find new energy sources, improve the environment, design new materials, detect terrorist threats, create new drugs, and better understand how human cells work.

If the United States is to maintain its scientific and technological leadership in the chemical sciences, the field must attract the very best minds, which means recruiting more women and minorities and revising undergraduate, high school and elementary curricula to make chemistry more appealing to students with a variety of interests.  To this end, MolySym will be introducing its educational technology to students for the first time at the Molecular Literacy Institute.

“I had the opportunity to teach many talented students during my tenure as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools, unfortunately I did not have the tools to maximize that opportunity.  Different people have different sets of skills and ways of learning.  The tools and curriculum available to me at that time did not reflect those differences. Our education system should provide all students with the opportunity to discover both what their particular abilities are and what types of work they might enjoy as adults.  At MolySym our aim is to make chemistry accessible to all,” said Keith Donaldson.  Dr. Patrick Gordon, the Lead Teacher of the Molecular Literacy Institute agrees, “We need to help all students develop higher-order critical thinking skills and use them effectively in the sciences.  The Molecular Literacy Institute will help underserved and disadvantaged high school students gain a fundamental understanding of chemistry, develop computational chemistry skills, and build confidence in themselves as learners.”

The Molecular Literacy Institute is a summer enrichment program for Boston-area high school students who will be taking Chemistry during the upcoming school year. The Institute is an intensive two-week course to be taught by high school teachers, university faculty and graduate students in Chemistry. It will run from August 3 through August 14 at Boston Trinity Academy in Hyde Park.

For additional information on MolySym, Hyper Molecular Modeling and the Molecular Literacy Institute, contact Keith Donaldson or visit www.molysym.com.

ABOUT MOLYSYM CORPORATION:
MolySym is provider of advanced technology solutions for molecular research, training and education located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company emerged from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a cross-section of talent from the Department of Chemistry, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Computational Systems Biology Initiative, and the Media Laboratory. We are dedicated to using emerging technologies to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

CONTACT:
Keith Donaldson, Principal Investigator & CEO
MolySym Corporation
Voice:         617-273-2523
Facsimile:  617-273-2435
Email:        keith.donaldson@molysym.com
Website:    www.molysym.com

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