It’s not your typical summer vacation experience.
But when you ask seven area high school students what they did during their summer vacation, their answer just might surprise you. The students – from Omaha South, Omaha Burke and Papillion LaVista South — spent eight weeks this summer doing biomedical research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
They participated in research projects related to Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injuries and human genetics through a fellowship from the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED program. The program provides a $2,500 fellowship to economically disadvantaged students to enable them to participate in summer research at an academic, government or industrial laboratory.
The students were nominated by their guidance counselors at their high schools or through their participation in the UNMC High School Alliance Program. An important feature of the Project SEED program is its emphasis on career development and its motivation of students to pursue higher education in the sciences.
The students and their high schools included:
Omaha South — Arelica Guerrero, Salomon Ramirez and Mauricio Davila;
Omaha Burke — LaRae Mottl, Damian Catlin and An Nguyen; and
Papillion LaVista South — Marcus McKenzie.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.