Media Advisory

Baltimorean Peter Agre, co-recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will talk to middle and high school science teachers from Baltimore public schools about the importance of teaching and the impact his childhood teachers had on his decision to become a scientist.

Since he was awarded the Nobel in October, Agre, a professor of biological chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has used his public appearances and interviews to advocate for teachers. In his Nobel acceptance speech, Agre said, "Our single greatest defense against scientific ignorance is education, and early in the life of every scientist, the child's first interest was sparked by a teacher." Agre's talk is part of a teachers' in-service training day at Dunbar High School.

Dunbar High is a professional development school where students at the Johns Hopkins School of Professional Studies in Business and Education (SPSBE) and Morgan State University do their student teaching. The partnership is designed to improve the Dunbar students' performance through research-based instruction. Prior to Agre's lecture, JHU arts and sciences faculty will lead seminars from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Graduate Division of Education at SPSBE and is open to all Baltimore city middle and high school science faculty.

Additional information and a downloadable photo of Agre are available online at http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/2003/October/ 031008A.htm. Members of the media interested in covering this event should plan on arriving at Dunbar High at 1:30 p.m. Contact Amy Cowles at 443-287-9960 or James Campbell at 410-516-5588.