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Students from the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, from left, are Kingston Barnes, Kahyeon Jeon, Alayla Roussell and Kimberly Gregson. |
During the summer of 2024, four high schoolers assisted in the investigation of small-RNA production in colon cancer, along with Glen Borchert, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology, second-year medical student Noel Godang, and biomedical sciences major Anita Nguyen.
Findings from the project, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, were recently published in microPublication Biology, a peer-reviewed journal that presents high-quality data and original research relevant to members of the science community interested in biological sciences.
The ASMS students who received co-author credits are Kingston Barnes, Kahyeon Jeon, Alayla Roussell, and Kimberly Gregson.
Borchert, whose daughter attends ASMS but was not involved in this project, speaks often at the state's only public residential high school for upper-level students seeking advanced studies in mathematics and science. School leaders also help to identify students interested in taking part in research projects, often much earlier in their educational journeys than if they attended a typical high school.
“Pure science is the real driver of technological innovation,” Borchert said. “That said, most kids that excel at math and science are directed toward careers in medicine and/or engineering from a very early age and very few are exposed to actual scientific research until late in their undergraduate experiences, if ever at all.”
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From left, Anita Nguyen, Kahyeon Jeon, medical student Noel Godang and Kimberly Gregson. Team members not pictured: Alayla Roussell and Kingston Barnes. |
“It's very gratifying to have worked with very brilliant young minds,” she said. “It makes me wish I were as smart as they were in high school, and these students from ASMS made a great decision by starting their research journey early on. I believe it is especially important to engage younger minds in science and research because they can also bring new perspectives to the project.”
Godang, an ASMS graduate, considers himself very fortunate to be a part of the tradition of providing learning opportunities like this.
“ASMS has always been great at providing opportunities to branch out of the traditional high school education to internships and partnership opportunities within the community,” he said. “During my time at ASMS, the faculty were incredibly supportive of students who wanted to partake in these internships.”
Before he graduated high school, Godang participated in a summer research internship at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute. He then joined Borchert’s lab during his freshman year at the University of South Alabama and started doing research on topics related to non-coding RNAs. Along the way, he has worked with undergraduate and graduate students, so he enjoyed the opportunity to share what he has learned.
“Seeing the enthusiasm and curiosity in these ASMS students reminded me of my own early days in research. It was exciting to potentially spark a lifelong interest in science in these young, brilliant minds,” he said. “As a mentor, I had also learned so much from them as their fresh perspectives and questions often led to new ways of thinking about our research.”
In addition to mentoring students on the project, Godang, who said he could relate to them as a former ASMS student himself, was able to provide insights about the transition from high school to college and beyond.
“I believe involving younger students in research experiences can help increase overall scientific literacy, which would help create a more informed and scientifically aware society,” Godang said. “My experiences at ASMS had undoubtedly influenced my decision in wanting to pursue medicine, and I hope the experience that these ASMS students gained this summer makes them more curious about future careers as well.”
