Future Scientists Give Up Summer, Work In MSU Labs

Ten young scientists will be hard at work in Michigan State University's research laboratories this summer. But they are not MSU's ten newest faculty members. They are high school juniors who have been selected to participate in the Future Scientist Program, an eight-week summer program for Lansing Public School students.

The pilot program is coordinated by MSU's Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute in partnership with the American Cancer Society and Lansing Public Schools. The goal of the program -- which began June 28 and runs until Aug. 20 -- is to encourage high school students to pursue careers as research scientists, specifically in the area of cancer research.

"Scientific research is the ultimate key to controlling and curing cancer," said Vicki Rakowski, RN, COO of the American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division. "The Future Scientist Program is our way of promoting cancer research as a career to young and talented students through an educational opportunity. This program is designed to keep the pipeline of future scientists full of talented young minds who will one day usher in the next generation of discovery to fight this disease."

The students will interact with MSU researchers in their campus laboratories and with peers who share their interest in the sciences. Participants will spend 40 hours a week in the labs, working on a research project under the mentorship of a professor. Each student will receive a $2,000 stipend from the American Cancer Society.

Timothy D. "TD" Armstrong, a Sexton High School student, will be mentored by R. Mark Worden, professor of chemical engineering and materials science.

Armstrong said he found out about the Future Scientist Program through his physics teacher. When he first learned that he had been accepted, Armstrong said, "I was very grateful and excited but also somewhat nervous because I know how much of a challenge this will be. But I'm excited, because I know that more opportunities will open up for me because of this."

Armstrong will be working with Worden and his team on research at the interface of biotechnology and nanotechnology.

"Nanomaterials, which are about 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a hair, have unique and desirable properties because of their extremely small size," Worden said. "TD's research could advance our ability to develop functional nanomaterials that are both safe and effective, including nanotherapeutics that kill cancer cells but don't harm normal cells."

Audrey Meredith, a junior at Eastern High School, will work in the research lab of Melissa Baumann, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science and associate dean of MSU's Honors College.

"Our research team of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students are excited to have the opportunity to mentor highly motivated and talented high school students and to introduce them to the rapidly growing area of biomaterials," Baumann said. Meredith will be working with Baumann's team to develop scaffolds for bone tissue engineering and examine the effects of surface properties of the ceramic scaffold on the resulting cell behavior.

Twenty Lansing-area students applied for the program. Selection criteria included a 500-word essay, standardized test scores and letters of recommendation from high school teachers and counselors.

"The Lansing School District is thrilled to be a part of this exciting partnership," said Jim Davis, deputy superintendent of the Lansing School District. "It is an endeavor that helps to fulfill the mission of all three partners by promoting student learning, reaching out to the larger community and affecting the future common good for all people."

For more information about the Future Scientist Program, click here.

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