From making silly putty to erupting volcanoes, Gina Ney brings her love of science to patients and families at U-M Mott Children’s Hospital each week. Ney, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Michigan, turns the Mott Child and Family Life schoolroom into a science laboratory, demonstrating experiments and teaching children science lessons, from physics and genetics to chemistry.

Ney, who hopes to be a physician-scientist one day, teamed up with Carol Fanning, a teacher with Child and Family Life, to design experiments that are both interactive and interesting for patients aged 3 to 18.

“I wanted to teach the children about science in a unique way. The objective is not only for them to learn, but to also have a lot of fun,” says Ney.

Ney and the children have extracted DNA from spinach and broccoli, made bubble solutions, raced cars and tested the properties of different beverages using red grape juice as a pH indicator.

And while Ney’s goal was to teach, she has learned from the kids. “I’m touched by how strong the kids are. They can go through anything and still be a kid at heart.”

Ney was also surprised to see how her experience at Mott has brought even more motivation to her own research in the chemistry lab. “I’ve now seen the faces of children and families affected by the illnesses and diseases I study in my research,” says Ney. “It is rewarding to be able to tell those patients and families that people are working hard to better understand and, someday, to find cures for the diseases that they live with everyday.”

Ney is the perfect example of the classic pupil-inspires-teacher story; the science activities Ney demonstrates at Mott Children’s Hospital have shown her that she wants to be a doctor; she wants to make a difference for her future patients.