Summer Research Workshop Boosts Skills of Budding Biologists

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07.30.2024

Two dozen North Texas high school students immersed themselves in research for four weeks at the Summer Biology Research Workshop at UT Dallas. Students learned molecular biology tools and techniques and used advanced equipment to gain new insights into the world of biology and health care.

“A lot of science is waiting.”

That was one of many lessons that aspiring scientist Jordan Peters said she learned this summer during the four-week, hands-on Summer Biology Research Workshop (SBRW) for high school students hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Peters, an incoming sophomore at Plano ISD Academy High School, is one of two dozen North Texas students who immersed themselves in various aspects of research, including learning molecular biology tools and techniques and using advanced equipment to gain new insights into the world of biology and health care.

“I’ve always been very science oriented, especially in biology, and I want to be a biologist,” Peters said. “I thought that having this hands-on experience would not only teach me more about biology itself, but also more about what it’s like to be in the field. I’ve really been enjoying it.”

Dr. Meenakshi Maitra (left), associate professor of instruction in biology at UT Dallas, provides guidance to Divya Sivalenka, an incoming senior at Coppell High School, during the Summer Biology Research Workshop.

Organizers said the workshop can help jump-start students into pursuing research in college and into careers in science or medicine.

“Our vision for SBRW is two-pronged: On one hand we would like to provide our graduate students with an opportunity to mentor budding biologists and show them the path forward, and on the other hand, we aim to build a rich pipeline of talented students that we hope will enroll at UTD and ultimately become the next generation of top doctors and scientists,” said Dr. Meenakshi Maitra, associate professor of instruction in biology and director for STEM outreach in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at UTD.

“This intensive program provides them with a valuable experience in conducting impactful research and an exposure to the world of endless possibilities,” she said.

During the first two weeks of the workshop, students acquired fundamental lab skills applicable to research in molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology and computational biology. For example, they learned to conduct an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or ELISA test. This common laboratory technique underlies several medical tests that use samples of bodily fluids to detect and diagnose a wide range of health conditions, including pregnancy and bacterial and viral infections.

In the program’s second half, students collaborated in small research groups on individual projects, mentored by graduate students. These projects were designed to simulate the kind of research typically undertaken by undergraduates in their first and second years of college.

Stephanie Maina (left), a student at the School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center in the Dallas ISD, and Yash Goenka, a student at Independence High School in the Frisco ISD, work together on an experiment during the Summer Biology Research Workshop.

Divya Sivalenka, an incoming senior at Coppell High School, said she signed up for the summer camp to gain research experience.

“This is a really good way to start with the basics and learn your way up to going to work in a lab,” she said. “I am getting to learn actual experimental procedures that are used in labs. It’s informative.”

Yash Goenka, a student at Independence High School in the Frisco Independent School District, said he is interested in a career in medicine.

“I chose to come to this lab workshop to gain practical experience in biology, and it has been a good supplement to the instruction I’ve had in biology class,” he said. “Through the experiments, I can visualize and understand how real scientists work in their labs.”

Waris Khuwaja, a molecular and cell biology doctoral student at UT Dallas and one of the workshop’s graduate student mentors, said he relates to the curiosity and drive of the younger students.

“When I was a child, my teacher asked us to grow mold on bread, and then we looked at the fungus under a microscope,” he said. “That was the first time that I saw that biology is more complex than the plants and animals we see outside. That made me more interested in what is happening at the molecular level.”

Khuwaja, whose doctoral research focuses on neuro-immune interactions in urinary tract infections, said working with the high schoolers provided him with important lessons as well.

“Science is all about mentorship, collaboration, and service to people, and this workshop is a great way for me to develop these skills as a researcher and grow as a scientist,” he said.

–Amanda Siegfried

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