High school interns gain valuable hands-on lab experience, thanks to foundation gifts

JUPITER, FL — Sixteen students from Palm Beach and Martin Counties have donned lab coats and safety glasses for the summer, as they immerse themselves in the fascinating world of biomedical research, working and learning alongside scientists at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

Since 2005, 218 local students have immersed themselves in research as part of the Kenan Fellows High School internship program, thanks to the generosity of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. This year, the program has grown by becoming part of the institute’s Glenn W. Bailey STEM Education Outreach Programs, thanks to a generous gift from the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation. This gift will significantly enhance the institute’s STEM education and outreach initiatives, underscoring a shared vision and commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists and innovators.

Students spend their summer working full-time in one lab, where they learn about the lab’s focus, absorb its research methods and techniques, and then begin to conduct experiments and contribute data to studies in many areas. Each week, they attend a group lecture about a variety of career and research topics. Students’ summer projects include exploring cancer biology, cellular viral defenses, the genetics of metabolism, drug screening methods, RNA therapeutics, synthesis of medicinal chemicals, and more.

It’s rare for an internship to provide a high school student with this much hands-on learning, said Rosie Albarran Zeckler, Ph.D., manager of academic support services at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute. It’s a hallmark of all educational opportunities at the institute, she noted.

The program’s goals are many: To encourage more students to consider STEM careers; help participants feel comfortable in a research lab setting; increase their technical and intellectual research skills; equip them with valuable knowledge of disease processes and biomedical research practices; improve their professional communication skills, and raise the students’ awareness of the wide array of STEM-focused career options, Albarran Zeckler said.

Before their arrival, participants attended a one-week introductory course on biomedical research techniques. The course is provided by the Biotechnology Program at Palm Beach State College.

“At the end of the summer, the students present their work to their fellow interns and mentors,”Albarran Zeckler said. “It’s always an inspiring, awesome day, to see how much these students learn and grow in just a matter of weeks.”