Community lecture series debuts at Allston Education Portal

The Harvard Allston Education Portal buzzed with activity on Tuesday night (March 3) as Robert Lue, professor of the practice of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, gave the first in a series of faculty lectures for the community. His talk, titled “Using Science to Understand the World and Ourselves,” covered the importance of science in our everyday lives and how the teaching of science is evolving. Lue discussed the value of making connections between and among scientific disciplines early on in college education, even starting in introductory courses.

He pointed out that as many as 40 percent of students enter college expressing an interest in science, but only about a third of those students actually go on to pursue degrees in the sciences. Lue attributed this disparity to the way science is taught in classes for first- and second-year undergraduates.

After the lecture, Lue invited questions and comments from the audience. And after the questions and comments, all in attendance were treated to refreshments.

Opened in July 2008, the Education Portal has seen its membership steadily grow to nearly 500 Allston residents. More than 80 children and youths are currently receiving mentoring in science, math, and writing from Harvard College students.

The Education Portal is open to the public and hosts a variety of educational programming for Allston/Brighton residents — from mentoring to community lectures and much more. It is located at 175 North Harvard St. (near the corner of North Harvard St. and Western Ave.) and is open Monday through Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m. For more information, call (617) 496-5022.