Student Awareness of Henrietta Lacks Story Forms Basis for Sophomore Seminar
November 26, 2014
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
An opening reception for an extensive University of Baltimore student-based research project on the life of Henrietta Lacks—a black Baltimore woman whose cells were taken without consent in the 1950s and later used by research universities and for-profit pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines—will be held in the UB Student Center Gallery on Monday, Dec. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event, which will feature papers and other scholarship on Lacks, is free and open to the public. The gallery is located on the top floor of the center, at 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
The students in UB's Sophomore Seminar based much of their work on the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. They engaged in research relevant to themes observed in the book while exploring academic objectives associated with the course.
The Sophomore Seminar is designed to enhance students' academic progress toward an undergraduate major by developing their critical thinking skills and enabling them to explore and make connections across their academic work, personal aspirations and professional goals.
Darien Ripple, experiential learning program manager in the Office of Academic Innovation, said the students' studies of and responses to the Lacks case are inspiring.
"In talking with students, they seem to connect with the book because it mentions places that they are familiar and hits on topics like race and social injustice which are more than relevant," Ripple said.
Read the Office of Academic Innovation blog.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.