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UA summer research program is enabling students to learn lab skills and participate in research projects.

By University Communications
July 3, 2008

Twenty five exceptional Tucson high school students are learning lab skills, engaging in research projects and presenting their findings to their peers, mentors and parents during the KEYS (K-12 Engaging Youth in Science) summer research internship program.

The summer research internship program is currently taking place at the BIO5 Institute and the College of Pharmacy at The University of Arizona.

"It is a fantastic opportunity for these students to see what science is all about,” said Kevin Hall, director of research training and career development for the BIO5 Institute. “It’s one thing to follow a step-by-step lab ‘recipe’ in a class with fellow students, and another to design an experiment to solve a problem, to adjust the experiment when the data requires it and to try a new approach again and again. It really opens their eyes to the process, and ultimately gives them confidence in their ability to conduct a scientific experiment.”

The summer research internship focuses on biomedical and environmental health sciences. The students, which had to apply through a competitive process in order to be selected for the program, select research topics from genetics/molecular biology, pharmacology/toxicology and computational biology/bioinformatics.

They will work with nearly 30 renowned UA researchers, including Vicki Chandler, BIO5 director as well as Rod Wing and David Gang also with BIO5. Other contributors include the department of plant sciences, the Arizona Respiratory Center’s Fernando Martinez and Nathan Cherrington and Georg Wondrak from the College of Pharmacy.

The skills and techniques learned during the internship are enhanced by the opportunity to network with fellow high school students, UA students, faculty and other mentors who share an enthusiasm for science.

“The benefit of the KEYS program to the students is that it gives them an idea of how scientific research works and helps them decide eventually whether they want a career in research," said Catharine Smith, associate professor in the College of Pharmacy and a BIO5 member. "Having access to a lab and the opportunity to participate in biomedical research is very exciting to the students. And, because many of these students are local, they may end up going to the UA for their undergraduate or graduate education. That's a great benefit to our university."

The program will culminate with a poster session during which the students will present their research. The presentation will be held at the BIO5 Institute on July 18 from 9 to 11 a.m.

KEYS is supported by the UA's BIO5 Institute, the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the College of Pharmacy, the Joint Technological Education District and the iPlant Collaborative.