Donald T. Frazier Science Outreach Center impacting the lives of K-12 children for 30 years

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 24, 2023) Don Frazier was so passionate about physiology that he spread his love of science through educational outreach for most of his life.

Like Kentucky’s own Bill Nye the Science Guy, Fraziers fun personality and pure love for what he does appeals to anyone who listens to him regardless of age. Frazier, an alumnus of the University of Kentucky and professor emeritus of the UK College of Medicine Department of Physiology, formally retired from his faculty positions in physiology and biomedical engineering in 2000. He would have turned 88 this year, but age is no match for Frazier he refuses to let anything slow him down.

Today, Frazier continues to do what he enjoys through a post-retirement appointment. He directs the UK Science Outreach Center, renamed the Donald T. Frazier Science Outreach Center in his honor in 2015. The outreach center formally opened its doors at the University of Kentucky in 1993 and serves students of K-12 to learn about the scientific wonders of our ancient world.

“What we’re trying to do here is let kids of all ages know how beautiful the human machine is,” Frazier said. How DNA starts in two cells and multiplies trillions of times to create your incredible self. It’s always talked about how amazing the scientific wonder of life is here, in so many ways.

Through his outreach efforts, Frazier and his team have mentored more than 147,000 students across the state of Kentucky to hopefully inspire them to enter science-related career paths. But when COVID-19 hit in 2020, the outreach center was forced to stop its operations.

We really need more kids excited about the science we’re trying to do here, Frazier said. But, of course, because of the pandemic, we haven’t been able to travel to schools, nor can we host them at our center on campus here, which is really difficult.

This year, Frazier is excited to announce that the outreach center is in full swing.

Were so glad to have classes back in the outreach center this year,” Frazier said. We welcome any and all middle and high school classes to visit us here and learn about science. And for elementary school kids in Central Kentucky, offers to travel and teach them right from the comfort of their own classroom.

Fraziers outreach lessons, whether in or out of schools, are specifically curated for each class that comes to her, to primarily support their existing curriculum in a fun, interactive way.

Not trying to do anything other than support the teacher in the classroom, Frazier said. Any teacher who wants their class to spend a day here contacts me first to discuss what the children are learning, so I can target the lesson specifically to suit their learning needs .

Recently, the outreach center had health science students from Adair County High School (ACHS) come in for a lesson on physiology and DNA. Students had the opportunity to hold and interact with real-life scientific artifacts that Frazier collected over the course of his career such as the human brain, spinal cord, lungs and heart. Then, they see how it all fits together on a real-life cadaver at the UK gross anatomy lab.

For the higher level students, we try to book them into the UK gross anatomy lab to visit after their lesson with me at the outreach center, Frazier said. It’s only for the older, higher level kids, but I believe it really complements the education that we provide here.

Jennifer Carter, ACHS health science teacher and registered nurse, and Rebecca Cravens, ACHS athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor, chose to bring their students to expose them to something they wouldn’t otherwise get. from within the walls of their own classroom.

This is the first time we’ve taken students out of the outreach center, Carter said. It’s really amazing. It really helps enhance the concepts we learn in school when they see the specimens in person and have real life experience with them. The students love Dr. Frazier. He made them laugh and made the students, and us, the instructors, listen like a breeze.

It was such a great experience for the kids, that they hope to come back again and again.

The kids said it was one of the best field trips they’ve ever been on, Carter said. So, we really hope to make this an annual trip. They love seeing the connection between anatomy, physiology and seeing, hands-on, how all these organs work together in our bodies.

Another major goal of the Fraziers is to teach children why it is so important to take care of their bodies.

Once I get students interested in learning about how their bodies work, I can motivate them to take care of this amazing machine they’ve been given, Frazier said. I want them to take responsibility for a healthy diet, enough exercise, sleep, and to avoid drugs and smoking. All of these are important factors to live a healthy life, regardless of their career path. So, every student, whether they decide to enter science-related careers or not, can benefit from our lessons here.

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Many students who have been affected by Fraziers teachings over the years continue to remain close to him. A former student, Cara Childers Keller, MD, works in Louisville as an OB-GYN practitioner. He said if not for the Fraziers’ teaching, he might not have gone into medicine.

I originally met Dr. Frazier during my freshman year at UK when I was in the honors program, Keller said. It was 19 years ago today. Dr. Frazier has been more like a grandfather to me than anything else. He changed my life completely, and I would do anything for him.

When she was a student, Keller had opportunities to work and teach at the outreach center with Frazier, which she says is one of her favorite things to do.

The other students and I were always there, and we had the opportunity to teach some of the K-12 students with Dr. Frazier, Keller said. It was great fun, we all really enjoyed it. And it really helped me in my medical studies.

Jacob Jones, a current fourth-year medical student at the UK College of Medicine, said Frazier helped direct him to the exact medical path he wanted to take.

I met Dr. Frazier when I started studying here at UK, Jones said. It’s like the man has a center of gravity that everyone gravitates towards him. So, I know he’s a great mentor. He invited me to give lectures at the outreach center to the kids, and it really showed me some of the differences that some of the rural counties here in Kentucky have.

Jones, who will graduate in May, said this experience with Frazier and the Frazier Science Outreach Center inspired him to return to his home county and give back to the community he came from.

I am from Bell County, and I plan to return there after residency to practice family medicine, Jones said. Frazier really inspired me to give back, and Im so thankful for him.

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This year and beyond, reaching elementary schools across the state is a major focus of the Fraziers.

It’s harder for elementary schools to come out for a variety of reasons, Frazier said. So, it is good to travel with them. This is important to me because we recognize that to get kids excited about science, you must plant the seeds early in their educational careers. The sooner, the better.

In addition to onsite and offsite school visits, over the course of its existence, the Frazier Science Outreach Center has been involved in several extramural awards at the state, federal and foundation levels. It exposes students to research experience and biomedical-related career opportunities. Currently, the center is involved in two federally funded programs.

Before the outreach center opened its doors, I had been involved in some humble efforts to reach out to students for years, Frazier said. But this space has been such a boon to outreach efforts over the past three decades that it has helped so many students learn to enjoy science, and I’m so grateful.

In the future, he hopes to continue to involve medical and undergraduate students in the production of educational science videos that can be accessed by schools across the state, should anyone be unable to visit. The videos will be available on the Frazier Science Outreach Center website for use at any time.

If you are interested in having your middle or high school class visit the Donald T. Frazier Outreach Center, or having Frazier and his team come to your elementary school, contact tour coordinator Lisa M. Stevens at 859-257- 6440.

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