Going Mobile

Dr. Robert Frawley (Ph.D. ’16) was still a student at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences when he began volunteering at BioBus, a mobile science program that works with New York City students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The experience proved so gratifying that he stayed on after he received his doctorate in physiology, biophysics and systems biology, getting more deeply involved in the organization as he moved into his current role as lead community scientist in Harlem.

“I fell in love with the work, and the idea of teaching students who’ve typically been excluded from science,’’ he says. “I became more aware of how the process starts early — how, as young as kindergarten, students can believe that they’re not good at science, or ‘Science is too hard,’ or ‘Science is taught in other schools.’ ”

BioBus focuses on students who are often denied science education due to factors including socioeconomic status, gender and access. Dr. Frawley teaches at after-school programs, develops the BioBus curriculum and goes out on the mobile bus itself, introducing scientific concepts through hands-on activities.

The program has reached more than 400,000 students since its inception in 2008.

Over the years, Dr. Frawley has seen countless young people overcome their fear of science, transforming into talkative, engaged students eager to discuss their latest discoveries.

“There’s a kind of magic to it,’’ he says. “The idea that ‘There’s this really hard thing I will never be able to do’ just somehow disappears.”

During his time at Weill Cornell, Dr. Frawley nurtured his passion for science and his love of comedy by entering the “Three-Minute Thesis” competition in 2015 — and coming away with first prize. His vibrant social network led to relationships that have thrived, keeping him connected to fellow alumni who lend their skills to BioBus or “Facts Machine,’’ his monthly science, comedy and trivia show.

“Weill Cornell has an insane number of talented students,’’ he says. “I’m so grateful for the people I met and the way that I met them.”

Dr. Frawley also serves as a swim coach to two teams in New York City, another way he’s helping students achieve the skills they need to succeed.

“Everything I do contains a vital piece of what I really like — from teaching, to hearing a student respond or an audience laugh, to watching a swimmer change their stroke,’’ he says. “When I see a positive effect, that’s my core relationship to the work.”