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Internship steers students toward medicine by Chelsea Futterman Public Relations For most students, spending a sunny Charleston afternoon inside a lab doing research is not their idea of a fun-filled summer. For Dylan Hale, a rising high school senior at South Carolina’s Governor’s School of Science and Math (GSSM), however, conducting graduate level research for six weeks at a top medical university was an exciting experience. “Not many students my age can say that they did that,” said Hale.   Hale, along with nine other students, was at MUSC from June 10 to July 20 completing a research internship required of all GSSM rising seniors known as the Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI).   Randy LaCross joins Governor’s School summer research interns after their final presentations. In the spring semester of their junior year, GSSM students choose an area of science that interests them. The school then pairs them with a scientist in the state specializing in that area. At the start of the internship, the student’s mentor guides them in creating a specific scientific research project. For the duration of the six weeks, they help students conduct experiments and analyze data. All of the students’ projects are a part of their mentor’s ongoing research efforts.   This collaboration between MUSC scientists and the GSSM students is in its fourth year. “Our faculty loves having the Governor’s School students here. They are enthusiastic and bright-eyed,” said Perry Halushka, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the College of Graduate Studies.   MUSC’s collaboration with SCGSSM is an effort to keep the best and brightest students in the state. Halushka said it is a reflection of his commitment to retaining the best students who ultimately will contribute to the overall economic development for South Carolina. “We want to have them come back to MUSC and be the next generation of professional scientists,” said Halushka. “We know these individuals can help the economy of the state by contributing to the knowledge-based economy.”   Randy LaCross, director of Statewide Outreach and Research at the Governor’s School, said the goal is to expose students to the real world of scientific research.   “This opportunity gives students an entirely new environment for learning. They see things in textbooks come to life, and that is critical for education,” LaCross said. He expressed hope that putting students in this environment will stimulate a desire to become a scientific researcher. “A student who went through this program a few years ago told me that he now knows what he wants to do as a result of his experience,” recalled LaCross.   This year’s research topics range from apoptosis in the inner ear to stem cell differentiation. Hale, who said this experience has opened his eyes to new possibilities, focused his research on the regenerative and degenerative cells involved with bone remodeling. His mentor was Sakamuri Reddy, Ph.D., director of the Osteoclast Center in the Children’s Research Institute. Hale said he enjoyed doing medical research and it is “high up on his list for possible jobs.”   Dylan Hale explains the results of his research on bone remodeling.    Another of the 10 students completing an MUSC internship is Shilpa “Chippy” Sreedharan, who is the sister of a previous Governor’s School intern at MUSC. She chose cancer treatment as her field of research and was assigned to the lab of Steve Kubalak, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. Sreedharan worked in the Charles P. Darby Children’s Research Institute on the effects of retinoids on transforming growth factor-beta signaling in cancer cells. She also was involved with another part of Kubalak’s lab that focused on early heart formation. Sreedharan said she learned many different procedures, such as Western Blots, protein isolation and cell plating and counting.   “Cancer is such an interesting concept to me. I feel like I made a contribution to society, however small, when I worked on developing better treatments for cancer,” said Sreedharan. “This summer has helped me get closer to finalizing my decision of going into medicine.” SPRI as a recruitment tool For MUSC, SPRI is an excellent recruitment opportunity. Debbie Shoemaker, program coordinator in the College of Graduate Studies, confirms the success of the program in terms of stimulating interest in high school students. “I have seen many GSSM students return to participate in the undergraduate summer research program. Some even come back to complete the M.D./Ph.D. program at MUSC.”   This session’s students ended their summer internship by presenting a final PowerPoint presentation to their mentors, faculty and parents on July 20. And they were impressive.   “If I closed my eyes and listened to the presentations, I would not be able to distinguish between these high school summer students and the post-doctoral graduate students,” Halushka said before presenting each student with a completion certificate. “This is a true testimony to these students and what the Governor’s School is doing for them.”     Friday, July 27, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.