"MCLA’s location provided me with endless opportunities to gain professional experience in the arts. I had a lot of fun working as a tour guide at MASS MoCA and in the education department at the Berkshire Museum, which allowed me to figure out what kinds of jobs I would like and to meet a lot of interesting arts professionals along the way. MCLA’s small size helped me develop close working relationships with my favorite professors who always took time to advise me on academic and professional concerns. I really felt like they were with me all the way."
Monica Henry ’07 Education Coordinator, Clark Art Institute
News & Press Releases
March 7, 2008
NORTH ADAMS, MA – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) chemistry professor Robert Harris will be the keynote speaker at the annual Region 1 Science and Engineering Fair for high school students on Friday, March 14, at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in the Amsler Campus Center gymnasium.
The Fair is free and open to the public from 1:20-2:30 p.m.
Robert Harris, an assistant professor of chemistry at MCLA, received his B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. from Boston College.
Prior to coming to MCLA, he was a post-doctoral faculty fellow at Boston University. His research interests include the synthesis of novel ligands for asymmetric synthesis and the isolation and characterization of natural products.
Harris is working with an undergraduate student on a research project entitled “The Design and Synthesis of Non-C2 Symmetric Ligands for Metal Mediated Asymmetric Catalysis,” which will be presented at the National Council of Undergraduate Research in April.
More than 100 high school students from Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties will participate in the local event, with 40 winners going on to the state fair at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Fair provides students the opportunity to explore and share an aspect of science with peers from surrounding communities.
Featured projects at the Fair will be presented in categories including biological sciences, physical sciences, behavioral sciences, environmental sciences and engineering. The Region 1 Science Fair Planning Committee consists of business representatives, community members and educators. It is chaired by Monica Joslin, MCLA dean of academic affairs.
For more information about the regional fair, (413) 662-5242. For more information about the Massachusetts Science Fair Program, go to [ http://www.scifair.com/ ]www.scifair.com.
