JAYA JACOB PEERS DOWN HER MICROSCOPE as she slices
a tissue sample with the raw edge of a glass knife she made earlier that
morning. But despite her impressive sea of slides, Jacob does not rank among
the School of Medicine's graduate students or postdocs. In fact, the 17-year-old
doesn't even have her high school diploma.
Jacob is one of 30 high school students participating
in this year's Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) program
in St. Louis, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Solutia
Inc.
Evolved from the NSF Young Scholars program, STARS
provides high school students and teachers with the opportunity to participate
in scientific research at one of St. Louis' distinguished academic institutionsWashington
University's Hilltop Campus, its School of Medicine, Saint Louis University's
Frost Campus and School of Medicine, and the University of MissouriŠSt.
Louis.
But this innovative program extends beyond the laboratory,
as do the talents of its participants.
For six weeks over the summer, a carefully selected
group of scientifically gifted and motivated students ready for their
junior or senior year of high school embark on the academic experience
of a lifetime. With help from their university mentor, each student completes
a research project, and later submits it in written form and via oral
presentation to the STARS organizers.
Lutheran North High School STARS participants, from left,
Donivan Foster, biology teacher Michael Grupe, and Leah Livo.
If completing a research project from start to finish
in only six weeks sounds daunting, imagine attending lectures and organized
programs on top of your long laboratory hours. Add planned social activities
to the calendar and you'll understand the exhaustingly fulfilling summer
of a STARS participant.
Two half-days each week, students attend lectures
about topics ranging from ethics of scientific interrogation to PowerPoint
presentations.
Kenneth R. Mares, PhD, co-director of STARS, is particularly
proud of the "career confab" series, which allows students to
hear testimonials from professionals in careers that represent almost
every possible application of science: from academia to computer science;
from chemistry to mathematics; from forensic pathology to law enforcement.
Seminars, which are offered in a wide range of fields, help students understand
the integration between science and society and introduce them to the
diverse tapestry of career opportunities available for bright, enthusiastic
minds.
Two years ago, Mares and his co-director, Charles
R. Granger, PhD, began recruiting high school teachers to participate
alongside their students. Though some students enroll without a companion
teacher, those who do take advantage of the team component are privy to
additional benefits. "It gives them added support in the lab and
somebody who is familiar to work with," says Tony Kardis, senior
program adviser. This year, 18 teachers committed their summer vacation
to undertake the STARS challenge.
Similar programs exist throughout the country, but
the STARS organizers believe the St. Louis experience is special. With
a lecture series, professional training seminars and top-notch research
opportunities on six reputable campuses, STARS integrates a wider range
of opportunities than any other program of its kind, says Kardis.
William A. Peck, MD, executive vice chancellor for
medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, supports the program
and says it is the responsibility of the medical school to enhance science
education.
"We are delighted to participate in the partnership
of the STARS program," says Peck. "It is an ideal opportunity
to further our commitment to research and help prepare the next generation
of research scientists."
The Mentors
When Jo Holt, PhD, research assistant professor of
biochemistry and molecular biophysics, first decided to participate in
the STARS program, she was somewhat hesitant. "I wasn't sure if I
could explain my work to somebody in high school," she says. And
the time commitment puts an additional strain on the typical university
summer.
But three students later, Holt sings high praises
for the program and its participants and is eager to enroll for another
year. "You get a lot back from the program," she says. "Training
students is a catalyst for creative thoughtit takes you back to
your roots, back to where you were when you got interested in this whole
crazy business."
To ensure that her students leave Washington University
satisfied with their first taste of academic research, Holt has developed
a short program that allows each participant to try several stages of
research and incorporates fallback positions in case the experiment goes
awrya common occurrence in laboratory research. She finds that this
optimizes the restrictively short experience and enables each student
to complete his own laboratory experiment.
J. Gail Neely, MD, professor of otolaryngology, accommodates
the brevity of the program with a different tactic perfected during his
six years of participation with STARS. "The key is to pick a project
that's a spin-off, or a little piece, of your ongoing work that can be
accomplished in a short period of time and let the student run with it,"
he says.
His theory must workof Neely's five previous
students, three have published their research and two are pending publication.
From his own experience, the success of the teens
is not surprising. "These students are motivated. They're exciting
to teach, and they perform independently and at a level that is astonishing.
You have to actually concentrate on remembering that they're high school
students," he says.
Both Neely and Holt agree that the one-on-one nature
of this customized academic experience allows students an early glimpse
into the world of research in science, an opportunity typically reserved
for graduate-level training.
The Students
Ask high school senior Sheila Bijoor the infamous St. Louis
question, "where do you go to school?" and you might be surprised
by the answer. That's because the intrepid high school senior traveled
more than 2,000 miles to participate in this year's St. Louis STARS program.
Raised in the scientifically active community of Fort Lauderdale
FL, Bijoor was frustrated with the lack of opportunities in her new hometown
of Seattle WA. She applied to several research programs around the country,
ultimately choosing to spend her summer in St. Louis. "STARS provides
me with the opportunity to work at Washington University School of Medicine,
a nationally known institution for science research. Also, Dr. Mares is
very dedicated to his students and has been a great help," she says.
Bijoor says she has not been disappointed, though she was
intimidated initially by the state-of-the-art laboratory and her internationally
renowned mentors, Jo Holt, PhD, and Gary K. Ackers, PhD, professor of
biochemistry and molecular biophysics. But she quickly realized that,
"they're just really nice people, always sharing their knowledge
and advice. It's their passion and enthusiasm for their subjects that
have made them so successful."
For Bijoor, STARS has solidified her interest in biomedical
engineering and opened her eyes to the world of academia. "I've really
learned what it is to be a researcher. There's much more to it than experimentation."
But not all of this year's STARS students flew across the
country for the summer. In fact, of the 30 students participating during
summer 2000, Bijoor is the only one from out of state.
Her local colleagues have had similarly positive experiences.
Jaya Jacob of Parkway South High School says, "I now understand more
about the research field and how much hard work it is. I never realized
there's so much more to it than research."
The Teachers
In the past 14 years, Lutheran North High School biology
teacher Michael Grupe has had only three summers off. His commitment to
teaching and his scientific curiosity have drawn him to programs like
STARS. And now he's hooked.
"It's important to keep teachers up-to-date, to keep
us motivated, to give us new directions. We get stagnant if we sit around,"
he says.
Science teachers rarely receive laboratory experience as
part of their training. According to Grupe, the subsequent cost is significant.
"If we're teaching science, then we need to have an idea of what
science is and how it's done. When you've experienced it, then you can
communicate that to your students."
And that is what Grupe has done. One of his students this
summer, Donivan Foster, learned a lot about himself and about his interests
in science and academia through the STARS program, thanks in large part
to Grupe's presence in the lab. "We were all able to come together
with ideas," he says, "which was nice, because it's easier to
ask him questions."
Leah Livo, Grupe's second student co-participant this year,
has enjoyed her experience so much that she is now interested in attending
Washington University as an undergraduate next year. Previously dubious
about choosing a college in her hometown, the STARS experience has made
her feel more comfortable in these surroundings. "It has made my
goal of becoming a doctor seem possible," she explains.
The Alumni
The summer research program in St. Louis has evolved drastically
from its modest beginnings at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in
1988, now incorporating students and teachers, research and seminars,
and social and academic adventures.
Of course, Mares admits there is a hidden agenda. "If
this area is going to be economically viable, we'd better turn out molecular
biologists, computer scientists and information technologists," he
says. He and his colleagues hope the program will inspire the bright,
gifted young leaders in the local community to stay in or return to Missouri.
So far, the plan has worked. Of the 400 participants in
the past 11 years, roughly 50 percent have attended universities in Missouri,
with approximately 20 percent staying in St. Louis. The majority, Mares
says, attend Washington University.
In fact, some STARS participants, such as Nilofer Umar,
return to the university even before they graduate from high school. Umar
worked as a research assistant in Neely's laboratory for the summer.
Other alumni have attended prestigious universities, such
as Stanford, Harvard, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Some go on to medical school, some become teachers, some follow an entirely
different path, with the memory of their summer experience tucked confidently
by their side.
But regardless of their ultimate direction, these young
hopefuls have been given an interactive glimpse into the opportunities
that await. "These are the kids who are going to go out and become
leaders," says Neely. Particularly in this age, when technology overrides
personal communication and time is hard to come by, "we need to invest
in our future with the highest commodity we haveourselves."
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