Senior Reflections: The Holy Cross Impact
From looking at ways to improve airport security to collecting toys for needy children, Luke Barr worked to make the world a better place
Luke Barr
Chemistry major with peace and conflict studies and premedical concentrations
Home town: Western Springs, Ill.
- As a chemistry premed major, Luke worked on ion mobility spectrometry, a technique used in airport security for explosive and narcotic detection. Working with Jude Kelley, assistant professor of chemistry, Luke built an ion mobility spectrometer instrument from scratch for their laboratory.
- Luke chose to write his thesis for the College Honors Program on the vulnerability of the mentally ill in the United States. Working on his thesis allowed him to engage in disciplines outside of his major, such as anthropology and history. This experience broadened his awareness of the difficulties faced by the seriously mentally ill.
- Worcester children can thank Luke, the president of the Jesuit Honor Society, for having a few extra toys to open on Christmas morning. This year, Luke helped organize the extremely successful toy drive, in which the Jesuit Honor Society and Chaplains’ Office were able to donate 300 toys to local parishes in Worcester for children who may not have otherwise had gifts during the holiday season.
- Luke is in the spirit of giving year-round. In the summer of 2005, he traveled to rural Nicaragua with his father and a group of medical students. For 10 days, they worked to set up satellite health clinics in order to provide free medical care to the poor.
- One of Luke’s proudest accomplishments during his Holy Cross career has been his participation in Thanksgiving Dinner — a B League intramural basketball team. During an intense season, he participated in all the games, working hard to maintain the team’s impressive record. He was not surprised that his team made it to the final four of the tournament.
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This Senior Spotlight was written by Jennifer Robert ’08 of Worcester. A chemistry and Spanish double major and member of the premedical program, Jen has served as the chair of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) at Holy Cross, and was the pioneering first-year blogger on the College’s Web site. Her organic chemistry research project was recently published in the Journal of Chemical Education. She has worked in the Office of Public Affairs for four years, and plans to do research in Boston following graduation.
Photography by John Buckingham.