Professor McLaughlin Reaches Out, "Wows," and Inspires

When his children were growing up in Dover, Massachusetts, Professor Larry McLaughlin visited their school to give science demonstrations to son Martin, daughter Mareika, and their classmates. Professor McLaughlin is still reaching out to young people today - most recently at the Mitchell School in Needham, Massachusetts, where he and 4th-year graduate student Kerry Salandria presented a demonstration on the phases of matter.



Professor McLaughlin and Ms. Salandria are shown next to an over-sized thank you note written by Ms. Silverstein's fifth grade class and proudly displayed outside of Professor McLaughlin's office at the Merkert Chemistry Center. Professor McLaughlin attributes his success in engaging young students to the "wow!" factor - a surefire way of making learning science exciting and fun. Professor McLaughlin's love for his work - as both scientist and educator - undoubtedly inspired his own children to pursue careers in those fields. Martin (BC Chemistry '02) received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Yale University ('10), and Mareika (BC '05) is pursuing a Master's in Education (ESL) at Boston University.