High School Students Complete Cancer Research Training at Georgia Cancer Center
A group of high school students took part in hands-on cancer research training at Augusta university’s Georgia Cancer Center.
A group of high school students took part in hands-on cancer research training at Augusta university’s Georgia Cancer Center.
Getty ImagesThree groups of teenagers spent weeks inside Augusta University's Georgia Cancer Center, learning how scientists battle cancer. They worked in the M. Bert Storey Research Building.
Lisa Middleton, PhD, Rhea-Beth Markowitz, PhD, and Kenza Mamouni, PhD, set up the program through the Cancer Center's Education and Training office. Yuen-Keng "Fish" Ng, PhD, taught all groups polymerase chain reaction — a way to copy tiny bits of genetic material until scientists have enough to study.
Kids practiced moving microliter amounts of liquid with pipettes, built PCR samples, and loaded gels that would show DNA pieces. Research workers and graduate students helped.
"I liked how informative and interactive the lab was," one student wrote, according to JagWire. Another said, "The hands-on activities were extremely educational."
After morning lab time, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows sat on panels. They described how they got into science, what makes research hard, and why cancer research matters.
Each visit wrapped up with talks about stopping cancer before it starts. Maryclaire Regan and Nyree Riley from the Cancer Information and Awareness team gave those presentations.
Ng wants to do more than teach techniques — he wants to light a fire. When teenagers work alongside real scientists and watch experiments happen, they start to see themselves as part of the process.
The Scientists for a Day programs connect the Georgia Cancer Center with school districts across the area, hoping to pull more young people toward medical science. Angela Maskey, Chris Middleton, Chris Curry, Christine Fiorino, and Lindsey Morris worked behind the scenes to make it happen.
