Elizabeth Lamphere taught me to think. She taught me to consider evidence, to work through problems — scientific and otherwise. She’s a big reason why I write about medical science today.
She died on March 27, 2007 at the age of 90.
She was an extraordinary teacher, organizing extracurricular science projects for her students — including me. Many nights she was in the high school lab until nearly ten o’clock giving us a chance to learn science hands-on. She was tough, never allowing us to cut corners, demanding excellence.
I left high school fully expecting that I would be a scientist of some sort. My life turned out quite differently, but her training in problem-solving, hard work, and curiosity stayed with me my whole life.
I mourn her passing and celebrate her inspiring life.
I know that she would be pleased that the American Association for Cancer Research is hosting 300 Los Angeles area high school students at their annual meeting. After presentations about cancer research, each student will be matched with scientist mentor to visit scientific displays of research results.
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