This summer, instructor Dr. Frank Ow taught chemistry to high school students through the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) at UCLA program. Established by the California Legislature in 1998, COSMOS aims to nurture future leaders in science, mathematics, and engineering. UCLA launched its COSMOS campus most recently in 2024, joining UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz in hosting the program.
COSMOS at UCLA is a highly selective, four-week residential pre-college program designed for high-achieving California high school students (rising grades 9–12) with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Students live in UCLA dorms, take part in immersive cluster courses that explore advanced topics beyond the scope of typical high school curricula, and are mentored by UCLA faculty and researchers in state-of-the-art labs. The program fosters academic exploration, collaboration, and personal growth—students engage in lectures, labs, writing/ communications workshops, and weekend field trips, all within a vibrant university setting. Ow led a cluster entitled Revealing Molecular Structure, where students were exposed to common introductory synthetic methods, IR, NMR, UV-Vis, and mass spectrometry. Student work culminated at a closing ceremony with poster presentations, where students were able to showcase their work in front of peers and family.
A true Bruin, Ow earned both his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. (Zink group) in chemistry at UCLA. First teaching Chem 171/172 in 2013, he is currently a Continuing Lecturer, teaching all courses within the 14, 20, and 30 series. In addition to teaching, Ow wrote his own digital textbook, General Chemistry, published by Top Hat, to address both the financial strain students face from costly chemistry labs, textbooks, and manuals, as well as his concern about their lack of confidence. Ow is also a contributing author to Top Hat’s Organic Chemistry.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Frank Ow.
