Students Work with Mentor Scientists at Renowned Institute
September 12, 2007
Boston—Students from Boston Public High Schools (BPS) will report their scientific findings on topics such as the genetics of gum disease; and the role of developmental genes in cartilage formation at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12 at The Forsyth Institute, an international scientific research organization in Boston.
The students, participants in the Forsyth Educational Outreach/Scientific Scholars Program (EOP), spent the summer working in the research laboratories at Forsyth. This is the fourteenth year that Forsyth has run the program, which provides local high school students with a paid internship and the opportunity to work with an individual research mentor. Although there are similar intern programs at other institutions, Forsyth's program is unique in that the research carried out by high school students is directly related to the actual research focus of the specific lab that they are working with. In the past some of the student interns have been named authors of scientific papers published on the subject of their research.
"The state of Massachusetts is making investments and encouraging biomedical science and research. It is clear that the life sciences are an important aspect of the state's future development," said Martin Taubman, D.D.S., Ph.D., chair of the Forsyth Department of Immunology. "At the same time young people are often not aware of the rewarding scientific careers that are available. If we want to encourage research and medicine it's critical to provide opportunities for the next-generation of scientist." Added Taubman, "We are thrilled to do what we can at Forsyth to encourage young people to participate in science and the opportunities it presents." Taubman founded the EOP in 1993 to provide opportunities for students, who are underrepresented in the sciences, to experience what careers in science might be like.
Over the summer, BPS students were paid to work full-time at the bench. They were mentored by Forsyth scientists, who volunteered their time. The students begin their research by reviewing the scientific literature on a topic suggested by their mentor. Once they become familiar with the field, the student and the mentor lay out a series of experiments required to complete the project. The student gathers the data and analyses it with the mentor. The results of the entire effort are unveiled during students' presentations at the Educational Outreach Program Award and Presentation Ceremony on September 12th. Students came to Forsyth from a variety of communities including Acton, Boston, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and West Roxbury, Massachusetts and Monmouth, New Jersey.
In addition to the summer internship program, Forsyth also sends scientists into local schools to talk about the work they are doing and conducts a workshop at Forsyth for students and their teachers.
The Forsyth Institute is the world's leading independent organization dedicated to scientific research and education in oral, craniofacial, and related biomedical sciences. Established in 1910, the Institute provided free oral health care for the children of Boston for the first fifty years of its existence. Since its mission changed to a focus on research, Forsyth has been the world's leader in its field. Today, Forsyth remains on the cusp of breakthrough (medical and) scientific discovery. Although Forsyth now focuses on scientific research, it remains committed to the young people of the community. In addition to the EOP program, Forsyth also provides dental care to students through its ForsythKids program, a school-based longitudinal model for prevention and care.
