Outreach Center's Legendary "Mobile Classroom" Retired from Service

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2014) – Skeletons? Check. Body parts including hearts, lungs, brains and more? Check. A large truck to haul this unusual cargo? Check.

It's not the premise to the latest Hollywood horror movie -- for Dr. Don Frazier, director of the Outreach Center for Science and Health Career Opportunities, this unusual set-up was part of his mission to educate young Kentucky students about what he calls "an extraordinary machine" -- the human body.

In 1995, Frazier serendipitously purchased a large truck using grant money from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The opportunity arose because of a delay in the national budget that year – he received his award notice four months after the expected start date.

"Basically, although the first year’s budget was approved, we had to spend the total amount in eight months," Frazier said.

Because of this delay, he had to present a new year one budget to the NIH. On an outside chance, he renewed his request, originally denied, for TV cameras and a truck to use as a "mobile classroom," taking specimens and equipment out on the road. They once again declined his request for the TV cameras, but gave him the greenlight on the truck, and a unique roadshow was born.

The truck allowed the Outreach Center Team to travel across the entire state of Kentucky. Frazier, who grew up in Floyd County, originally focused on schools in Eastern Kentucky due to his connection and knowledge of the area.

His first trip was to a small elementary school in Mount Sterling, Ky.222 On his way to the school, he got a little surprise when some construction road crew members stopped him, intrigued by the medical nature of the truck, and asked what was inside. With no hesitation, Frazier opened up the back to showcase the displays inside, always ready and eager to teach others about science and medicine.

"They stopped me to ask me what I did," Frazier said. "So I said, “let me show you!”

Initial outreach trips went well, and soon the buzz about the truck spread, leading the team to travel all across the state.

"When you go out to a school, the word gets out," said Frazier.

For students, the truck represented more than just an opportunity to get out of school for a few hours – it became a fun and interesting way to learn about a complicated topic. Frazier's truck allowed students to actually see and feel what they were learning about, using resources that many teachers out in the state simply didn't have.

One major benefit of these outreach trips is that it provided the Outreach Center team a better perspective on how to interact with students with more knowledge of their environment and curriculum.

"We try to instill confidence that they have the ability to think their way through problems given some facts," Frazier said. "Learning is more fun when they feel engaged."

Frazier estimates that the Outreach Center has entertained, on the average, at least 4,000 students each year, and over its 20-year lifespan, reached more than 100,000 young minds. The visits personally touched many students, and the effect was seen through the thousands of letters he has received from students over the years.

"I keep all of them," Frazier said. “It certainly helps to keeps us going!”

Earlier this year, the truck was officially "retired" due to budget cuts and the cost of maintaining the decades-old vehicle. Now, Frazier and other volunteers use their own cars to make trips out to schools, loading up their own vehicles with as many displays as they can manage.

However, the loss of the Outreach Center truck and its funding has limited the number of students the Center is able to reach – unfortunately, many schools don't have the budget to pay for a bus to bring young students onto UK's campus for health and science demonstrations.

“As a consequence, most of our on-site visits are high school/tech classes with a modest number of middle schools still able to make the trip," Frazier said. "Our interactions with elementary schools are almost exclusively off-site.”

Even with the setbacks, the Outreach Center team is able to see the positives with their mission. They love the opportunity to work with kids.

“Thanks to a dedicated staff and wonderful UK volunteers, I am certain that the Center has made and will continue to make a substantial difference in these young students' lives," Frazier said. “I know it has mine!”

Teachers from across the state can request a visit to the Outreach Center – or a visit from Frazier's team – by contacting tour coordinator Lisa Stevens at (859) 257-6440 or lmstev4@uky.edu. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Perry, (859) 323-2399 or allison.perry@uky.edu