![]() ![]() ![]() Srivastava’s project involves using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy to track specific neuronal subtypes of the brains of normal mice and mice that have a mutated gene that may be linked to autism. “I think the benefits are tremendous – in a professional lab setting, I get to see some of the cutting-edge work that we hear of in science journals and participate in some of this cutting-edge work as well.” “I thought it was a great opportunity to further my education and contribute to the scientific community with a project that could really make a difference,” Srivastava said. Masaaki Torii of the Children’s National Medical Center’s Neuroscience Research Lab. After receiving contact information from Pearce, she set up an interview with her mentor, Dr. Senior Snigdha Srivastava took this route after she selected the neuroscience field. As a result, students are able to reach out to potential mentors after narrowing down their focus to one of the 13 senior research laboratories that Jefferson has to offer. “There is a difference between a real research experience and simply assisting a mentor to do routine tasks.”Īlthough the mentorship projects are completed off-campus and for the most part independent from Jefferson, they are still affiliated with a specific lab to fulfill the course requirement. “It is fairly important that the mentors understand these are not just regular internships,” Pearce said. This also involves communicating program expectations to potential mentors. One of Pearce’s main responsibilities is to match up students with labs best suited to their interests. Other students found their niches through Jefferson’s placement program. Ju was nominated and selected for the ORWH-NIH-FAES Summer Research Program for High School Students and subsequently chose to work in Dimitrov’s lab due to her interests in computational biology, nanobiology and protein engineering. Students had a variety of options in which they could choose their labs. “I definitely plan to further test and develop the engineered proteins I’ve been working on this summer,” Ju said. She has submitted her project to the Siemens Competition. Ju is also working on an idea for engineered proteins for therapy against such viruses. Dimitrov’s lab previously discovered the first human antibodies against other emerging viruses such as the Hendra and Nipah viruses, which were administered on a compassionate basis to exposed humans. ![]() Ju’s project involves the discovery of novel human antibodies that can be used against the emerging viruses influenza H7N9 and MERS-CoV. “I enjoy being in a room full of people smarter than me who are more than happy to provide advice and guidance.” “I really appreciate having the chance to learn new things every day from experts in my field,” Ju said. Ju chose to participate in mentorship because of the freedom and autonomy it provides. Tianlei Ying at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Ju is currently working under the guidance of researchers Dr. Senior Tina Ju is a prime example of a student who took advantage of the summer to kick off her projects. Due to this early start, these seniors are well into the analytical and experimental phases of their projects by the start of the school year, rather than in the initial developmental stage. Seniors who choose to work with their mentors over the summer have additional time to learn, prepare, and do research for their projects. This number fluctuates from year to year, with Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Computer Systems consistently ranking as the most popular of the labs.Īccording to Pearce, summer internships are the preferred way to segue into school-year mentorships. This year, 52 seniors are participating in the mentorship program. These professionals have made their career through conducting research, and so can offer a realistic insight.” “The aim is to give them real life research oriented experience by working together with technical professionals and their dedicated resources. “Mentorship is an alternative way for students to fulfill their senior tech lab requirement,” Mentorship Program Coordinator Matthew Pearce said. It can be chosen in lieu of conducting a project within the 13 research labs at Jefferson. Mentorship is an experience unique to Jefferson in which students have the option of pursuing their research interests outside of school. However, several students involved in the mentorship program are already miles ahead with a summer of intense research already under their belts. As students settle into the familiar routine of school, many seniors have just formulated outlines for their senior research projects and are now in the process of collecting data. ![]()
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