COLA celebrated National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW) by visiting with students of Gwynns Falls Elementary.
The school visit was designed in collaboration with Principal Nikomar Mosley to support children in their study of science. The children were exposed to the world of laboratory science through exciting lab demonstrations about blood compatibility and blood components. Over 330 kids participated in hands-on educational activities. The children, who were in Pre-K to 2nd grade, learned about the four components of blood and they received kid-safe slime, petri-dishes and lab stickers for more after-school fun. The children in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades learned about blood type compatibility and they were even given their very own lab coat.
“All of us, who participated in the event, loved sharing our passion for laboratory medicine with these kids and the day was just awesome!” said COLA CEO Nancy Stratton. “This is such a great way to motivate kids to explore clinical laboratory science careers. We may never know the impact of the day in their lives but what we do know is we loved helping them to experience science as a discipline that is highly relevant and interesting,” she added.
COLA has a long history of giving back to the community, including an annual scholarship program for a limited number of $500 academic scholarships to aid students currently pursuing a degree in the field of Medical Laboratory Science or Technology within an accredited educational program. The Give Back 365 (GB365) program was founded by COLA and built around the idea of creating a unique, community-reinforcing program that not only serves as a component to COLA’s mission, but also brings awareness to the clinical laboratory profession and the importance of laboratory science.
