DMAE students taking Chemistry went on a Students2Science pharmaceutical research trip December 6. 2020, in East Hanover, NJ. Approximately 25 students participated in the hands-on Pharma Day to analyze products – or you could say pills. The program aims to bridge high school course work with real-world experiments.

“Being in this lab truly gave me an exciting experience of what I would have to accomplish on a daily level as a real scientist,” freshman Jessica Kobylar said.

Professionals worked with students on testing a cholesterol-lowering medicine to determine if it was ready for market. They learned how it was made, and later they tested it for effectiveness. The students tested the tablets and their coatings, discovering how well they were absorbed by the human body. Students were able to be creative, communicate openly with the scientists, and think critically for themselves while performing in the state-of-the art lab.

“This trip was the best of all worlds considering it cost absolutely no money. It was very purposeful for the kids as it showed them that they could do post-graduate work as a sophomore in high school,” teacher Jorge Valcarcel said.  

This trip was so successful last year, that the Student2Science organization gifted the school four field trips, two of which are for Chemistry and the other two reserved for Environmental Science. They also gifted Dwight Morrow High School 10 virtually assisted labs that are done in the classroom.

“I am really grateful to have taken part in the Students2Science field trip because it increased my potential in science and I overall enjoyed it,” Jessica said.

This Students2Science trip was sponsored by the alumni group who generously provided $5,000 to make the trip possible.