Don Frazier is so passionate about physiology that he has been spreading his love of science through education outreach for much of his life.
Like Kentucky鈥檚 very own 鈥淏ill Nye the Science Guy,鈥 Frazier鈥檚 fun personality and pure love of what he does captivates anyone who listens to him 鈥 regardless of age. Frazier, an alumnus of the University of Kentucky and professor emeritus of the 好色先生 College of Medicine Department of Physiology, formally retired from his faculty positions in physiology and biomedical engineering in 2000. He鈥檚 turning 88 years old this year, but age is no match for Frazier 鈥 he refuses to let anything slow him down.
Today, Frazier continues to do what he enjoys through a post-retirement appointment. He runs the 好色先生 Science Outreach Center, renamed the Donald T. Frazier Science Outreach Center in his honor back in 2015. The outreach center formally opened its doors at the University of Kentucky in 1993 and has been helping K-12 students learn about the scientific wonders of our world ever since.
鈥淲hat we try to do here is inform kids of all ages about how wonderful the 鈥榟uman machine鈥 is,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淗ow DNA starts with two cells and multiplies trillions of times to create your incredible self. We鈥檙e always talking about how amazing the scientific wonder of life is here, in many ways.鈥
Through his 0utreach efforts, Frazier and his team have taught over 147,000 students across the state of Kentucky to hopefully inspire them to enter science-related career paths. But when COVID-19 struck in 2020, the outreach center was forced to halt its operations.
鈥淲e really need more kids excited about science 鈥 which is what we try to do here,鈥 Frazier said. But, of course, because of the pandemic, we couldn鈥檛 travel to schools, and we couldn鈥檛 host them in our center on campus here either, which was really difficult.鈥
This year, Frazier is excited to announce that the outreach center is back in full swing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so glad to have classes back in the outreach center this year," Frazier said. 鈥淲e welcome any and all middle and high school classes to come visit us here and learn about science. And for the elementary kids in Central Kentucky, we鈥檙e offering to travel and teach them right from the comfort of their own classroom.鈥
Frazier鈥檚 outreach lessons, whether in-house or out at schools, are curated specifically to each class that comes to see him, to first and foremost support their existing curriculum in a fun, interactive way.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to do anything other than support the classroom teacher,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淎ny teacher that wants their class to spend a day here corresponds with me beforehand to talk about what the kids are learning, so I can target the lesson specifically to fit their learning needs.鈥
Recently, the outreach center had health sciences students from Adair County High School (ACHS) come in for a lesson on physiology and DNA. The students had the opportunity to hold and interact with real-life scientific artifacts that Frazier has collected over the course of his career 鈥 like a human brain, spinal cord, lungs and heart. Afterward, they got to see how everything fits together in a real-life cadaver at the 好色先生 gross anatomy lab.
鈥淔or the higher-level students, we try to book them with the 好色先生 gross anatomy lab to visit after their lesson with me in the outreach center,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淭his is only for the older, higher-level kids, but I believe it really rounds out the education we provide here.鈥
Jennifer Carter, ACHS health sciences teacher and registered nurse, and Rebecca Cravens, ACHS athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor, chose to bring their students in to expose them to something they wouldn鈥檛 have necessarily had from inside the walls of their own classroom.
鈥淭his was our first time bringing the students out to the outreach center,鈥 Carter said. 鈥淚t was just absolutely amazing. It really helps enhance the concepts we learn in school when they get to see the specimens in person and have a real-life experience with them. The students absolutely loved Dr. Frazier. He made them laugh and engaged both the students, and us, the instructors, like a breeze.鈥
The experience was so great for the kids, that they hope to return again and again.
鈥淭he kids said it was one of the best field trips they鈥檝e ever been on,鈥 Carter said. 鈥淪o, we truly hope to make this an annual trip. They loved seeing the connection between anatomy, physiology and to see, hands-on, how all these organs work together in our bodies.鈥
Another underlying goal of Frazier鈥檚 is to teach kids why it is so important to take care of their bodies.
鈥淥nce I can get the students interested in learning about how their bodies work, then I can motivate them to take care of this awesome 鈥榤achine鈥 they鈥檝e been given,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淚 want them to take responsibility for a healthy diet, enough exercise, sleep, and to avoid drugs and smoking. These are all important factors to live a healthy life, no matter what career path they choose. So, every student, whether they decide to enter science-related careers or not, can benefit from our lessons here.鈥
Several students who have been impacted by Frazier鈥檚 teachings over the years continue to stay in close touch with him. One former student, Cara Childers Keller, MD, works in Louisville as a practicing OB-GYN. She says if it weren鈥檛 for Frazier鈥檚 mentorship, she may never have entered medicine.
鈥淚 originally met Dr. Frazier my freshman year at 好色先生 when I was in the honors program,鈥 Keller said. 鈥淭his was 19 years ago now. Dr. Frazier has been more like a grandfather to me than anything. He鈥檚 completely changed my life, and I would do anything for him.鈥
When she was a student, Keller had opportunities to work and teach in the outreach center alongside Frazier, which she says was one of her favorite things to do.
鈥淥ther students and I would always be in there, and we had the chance to teach some of the K-12 students with Dr. Frazier,鈥 Keller said. 鈥淚t was so fun, we all really loved it. And it truly helped round out my education in medicine.鈥
Jacob Jones, a current fourth-year medical student in the 好色先生 College of Medicine, says Frazier has helped direct him into the exact medical path he wants to go.
鈥淚 met Dr. Frazier when I began school here at 好色先生,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淚t was like the man had a center of gravity 鈥 everyone just gravitated toward him. So, I knew he鈥檇 be a great mentor. He invited me to give lectures in the outreach center to the kids, and it really showed me some of the disparities that some of the more rural counties encounter here in Kentucky.鈥
Jones, who will graduate in May, said this experience with Frazier and the Frazier Science Outreach Center has inspired him to return to his home county and give back to the community he once came from.
鈥淚鈥檓 from Bell County, and I plan on returning there after residency to practice family medicine,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淔razier really inspired me to give back, and I鈥檓 so thankful for him.鈥
This year and moving forward, reaching elementary schoolers across the state is a primary focus of Frazier鈥檚.
鈥淚t鈥檚 harder to get elementary schools to come out for a variety of reasons,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淪o, we鈥檒l travel to them. This is important to me because we recognize that in order to get kids excited about science, you must 鈥榮ow the seeds鈥 early in their educational careers. The earlier, the better.鈥
In addition to onsite and offsite school visits, over its existence, the Frazier Science Outreach Center has been involved with several extramural awards at the state, federal and foundational levels. This exposed students to research experience and biomedical-related career opportunities. Currently, the center is involved with two federally funded programs.
鈥淧rior to the outreach center opening its doors, I had been engaging in some humble outreach efforts with students for years,鈥 Frazier said. 鈥淏ut this space has been such a blessing for outreach efforts over the past three decades 鈥 it has helped so many students learn to enjoy science, and I am so thankful.鈥
In the future, he hopes to continue to get medical and undergraduate students involved in creating educational science videos that schools can access across the state, if anyone is 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 to have Frazier and his team come to your elementary school, contact tour coordinator Lisa M. Stevens at 859-257-6440.