Biology Behind Bars... The Prison University Project at San Quentin • iBiology

00:00:09.15 who remind you that doing science is a privilege.
00:00:12.08 The biology students in the Prison University Project
00:00:15.22 are just such a group of people.
00:00:17.09 The most fascinating subject that we've studied so far
00:00:22.20 to me is the human cell, and specifically in the human cell
00:00:26.22 the protein motor, that is this little protein
00:00:33.23 figure carrying these huge objects
00:00:37.07 in comparison to its size.
00:00:39.00 One of the huge concepts that I got from this class was
00:00:41.21 when we did photosynthesis
00:00:43.14 like the consumption of hydrogen in the plant.
00:00:47.12 Light turning light into cell respiration, right?
00:00:50.25 And seeing how incredibly efficient life is.
00:00:55.16 This CRISPR thing, you take DNA,
00:00:59.02 you can take out a bad nucleotide
00:01:02.09 and put a good one in. That's amazing!
00:01:04.21 The students' passion for biology
00:01:06.29 and love of knowledge isn't lost on their instructors.
00:01:09.27 Adam Williamson and Ryan McGorty are two scientists
00:01:14.12 that taught the PUP Intro Biology course
00:01:16.16 during the fall semester of 2014.
00:01:18.23 One of my favorite aspects of the course
00:01:21.11 was having to do with the students having an immense amount
00:01:25.24 of curiosity about biological systems.
00:01:27.23 Having a place to put that energy in
00:01:30.00 and gain intellectual self-confidence.
00:01:31.26 It really surprised us how into it they got.
00:01:36.00 And how much effort they put into coming up with really creative ideas.
00:01:40.28 Adam and Ryan's biology course fulfills
00:01:44.03 one of the science requirements
00:01:45.18 for the Associate of Arts degree program
00:01:47.17 offered through the Prison University Project.
00:01:49.20 PUP is one of the few higher education programs
00:01:53.06 in California prisons.
00:01:54.17 It began in 1996 as an alliance between Patten University,
00:01:59.11 the education department at San Quentin,
00:02:01.25 and a professor from UC Davis.
00:02:04.02 It started with donated textbooks and no budget,
00:02:07.08 but fundraising efforts have helped support and expand the program
00:02:10.25 to what it is today.
00:02:11.27 The folks who are incarcerated in any country or in any state
00:02:16.10 tend to be the ones who are the most marginalized,
00:02:19.08 the disenfranchised, and have had the least opportunities
00:02:23.04 educationally, academically, professionally, economically.
00:02:28.04 Many of the students we have at San Quentin
00:02:30.23 had real struggles when they were in school.
00:02:32.25 Often, the schools were low performing,
00:02:34.16 but there may have also been a lot of community violence,
00:02:36.19 domestic violence. Many of our students were homeless.
00:02:39.00 Or were in foster care.
00:02:40.07 So their educational experiences were also severely disrupted.
00:02:44.18 Well for myself, being that at one time I can consider myself a chemist,
00:02:50.24 I was a street chemist.
00:02:53.03 It led me to prison with a life sentence.
00:02:56.04 And when I came here, the only education that I probably had
00:03:01.02 at the time was that street education.
00:03:03.08 And I realized that in order to change who I was
00:03:07.21 and no longer lead that particularly confusing life,
00:03:13.16 that I needed to educate myself.
00:03:15.14 What motivates me is my ignorance.
00:03:17.25 I couldn't write an essay, my education was very limited, you know?
00:03:24.02 So when I enrolled into that program,
00:03:26.08 I do have the ability to learn,
00:03:29.02 I can go to college, and it's like, college never even crossed my heart.
00:03:34.02 So when they're first in the classroom at San Quentin
00:03:38.14 there's a lot of work to do.
00:03:39.17 Not only dealing with academic skill deficits
00:03:43.05 but also helping them to get comfortable
00:03:45.05 in school, and rediscover an identity as a student.
00:03:48.13 And to really start to understand their own academic potential.
00:03:51.23 So both Adam and I volunteered to teach
00:03:55.01 a biology class with lab for the fall semester.
00:03:58.04 The class met three times a week, for two or three hours.
00:04:02.13 So we're seven hours a week for a 15-week semester
00:04:05.20 and one cannot just lecture for that period of time.
00:04:08.24 So that motivated us to have a lab or an activity
00:04:12.27 with pretty much every class period.
00:04:14.21 In some cases, for topics one wouldn't expect
00:04:17.16 an activity to necessarily be attached.
00:04:19.27 So one of the more memorable labs that we ran
00:04:23.16 was a sea urchin fertilization lab.
00:04:25.22 The students actually got to see the living sperm and the egg
00:04:30.01 under the microscope, and they were amazed.
00:04:31.29 For many of them, they hadn't used a microscope before
00:04:35.01 let alone seen a living cell, let alone seen the act of fertilization.
00:04:40.03 So they were amazed, and then the next day,
00:04:42.18 that Monday night following,
00:04:45.18 they actually got to see the first stages of fertilization.
00:04:49.11 So I like learning about the cell, you know what I mean?
00:04:52.16 Especially what we did yesterday,
00:04:54.18 the hands-on project, with the sea urchin.
00:04:57.09 Mixing the sperm and the egg together,
00:04:59.01 and just watching it develop.
00:05:00.14 Yeah, I do enjoy biology.
00:05:02.08 I don't know where it will take me.
00:05:03.17 But every time I'm here, particularly with these new microscopes
00:05:09.12 they give us. I like to get more involved
00:05:14.00 and I hope I can get involved to the point where
00:05:16.15 I can find a way to do research
00:05:18.18 and find a cure for some disease out there.
00:05:22.02 I'm considering becoming a drug and alcohol counselor.
00:05:25.07 So I think that biology would be extremely important
00:05:28.05 in learning the biological makeup of a person,
00:05:31.22 if they're predisposed to addiction or not.
00:05:35.20 Along with the environmental effects
00:05:38.15 and between the two, one would have some
00:05:42.07 information on how to arm themselves against that.
00:05:45.19 I think most students came into the class
00:05:47.24 with a pretty strong interest in biology.
00:05:49.26 This wasn't a forced class, it was an elective,
00:05:53.16 so the students signed up to take this biology class
00:05:56.10 and it certainly furthered their interest in biology.
00:05:59.09 And by the end of the class, the students were asking us,
00:06:02.01 "what's next? What's the next science
00:06:04.05 or biology class you guys are gonna teach?"
00:06:05.21 Or "what other material do you have for me?
00:06:08.25 So I can continue to learn biology on my own."
00:06:11.06 And a lot of the students didn't want to give back
00:06:13.08 their textbooks at the end of the semester.
00:06:15.05 They wanted to hold onto them and continue reading them.
00:06:17.12 Getting inmates engaged in their education
00:06:21.25 is one promising way to reduce the chances
00:06:24.05 that released inmates will end up back in prison.
00:06:26.14 PUP is one model that empowers inmates intellectually,
00:06:30.10 teaches them important work and life skills,
00:06:33.02 and builds their self-confidence.
00:06:35.04 All of which prepares them for a better transition
00:06:37.26 back into society once they are released.
00:06:40.00 Another thing that continues to keep me motivated
00:06:44.07 coming to the PUP class, is the fact that people leave
00:06:49.10 parole here, and we get word back on how they're doing.
00:06:53.25 Every story that we've heard is that all these guys
00:06:56.19 are going to a state university or has a job working
00:06:58.26 or he's doing this that or the other.
00:07:00.28 PUP has a terrific track record
00:07:03.14 for people who successfully complete the program
00:07:06.28 to go out and do well.
00:07:07.22 And I want that to be my story.
00:07:09.16 I don't want to leave prison the same way that I came in.
00:07:12.24 So PUP is one of the ways that I've let myself move forward
00:07:18.00 and it's been a great experience for me.
00:07:19.26 So as I spoke about earlier, one of the things
00:07:22.16 that I learned from this class is how intimately connected I am
00:07:27.03 throughout. And it helps me connect to who I really am.
00:07:31.28 To be able to show the passion and love to everyone.
00:07:35.15 To use the knowledge I gain from classes like this
00:07:38.13 to help the person next to me on their journey in life.
00:07:43.12 So it's like that saying of "life only matters
00:07:47.10 because of the effects you have on their lives,"
00:07:49.13 I don't want the effects that I've had in the past
00:07:53.08 to be the effects that I have on the future.
00:07:56.11 So in such cases, what motivates me,
00:07:59.06 is to get a better understanding of my life.
00:08:02.02 It's been life changing, and it has changed my life
00:08:06.06 tremendously. I don't know if you can have any idea
00:08:09.00 the impact you guys have on all of us.
00:08:12.22 Because I see people, and I see you guys like leaders
00:08:16.25 because you are also an example to us
00:08:18.10 you guys do this from your heart
00:08:20.21 and I see you guys doing that
00:08:23.08 and it motivates me to be, in my community, a leader.
00:08:26.21 To also practice that, and do things without expecting anything in return.
00:08:30.29 And betters our community, and it betters us
00:08:34.11 And you make me feel like I can lead, and I appreciate that.

This Talk

Speakers: Adam Williamson, Ryan McGorty

Audience:

General Public
Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
Student
Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Researcher
Educators

Recorded: July 2015

Talk Overview

Inmates at San Quentin State Prison share their excitement and gratitude at being enrolled in an introductory biology course as part of the Prison University Project. Before being given this opportunity, many of the students didn’t believe they could attend college. Now they are excited to do experiments, they understand complex biological concepts and they are looking forward to using their newly developed skills to better themselves and society when they are released.

Adam Williamson and Ryan McGorty, the volunteer teachers for the biology course, and Jody Lewen, the Executive Director of the Prison University Project at San Quentin, all express how rewarding it is to work with the students.

Learn more about the Prison University Project and the great value of the program at https://prisonuniversityproject.org

Speaker Bio

Adam Williamson

Adam Williamson

Adam Williamson, the volunteer teacher for the biology course, and Jody Lewen, the Executive Director of the Prison University Project at San Quentin, all express how rewarding it is to work with the students. Learn more about the Prison University Project and the great value of the program at https://prisonuniversityproject.org Continue Reading

Ryan McGorty

Ryan McGorty

Ryan McGorty, the volunteer teacher for the biology course, and Jody Lewen, the Executive Director of the Prison University Project at San Quentin, all express how rewarding it is to work with the students. Learn more about the Prison University Project and the great value of the program at https://prisonuniversityproject.org Continue Reading