Sun, Jul 05, 2009
 Matthew Creamer, 18, of Tucson High Magnet School, talks science with Martin Cisneroz and Nadja Anderson. The KEYS (K-12 Engaging Youth in Science) program offered students from Tucson-area schools a six-week hands-on experience in data collection and lab research, ranging from genetics to the environment. The program is in its second year. Benjie Sanders / Arizona Daily Star
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Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.21.2008
Elle Stuart had no idea that this summer she'd glean how a certain mutation affects a small flowering plant's ability to produce seeds.
But during an internship program at the University of Arizona's Bio5 Research Institute, the 16-year-old Salpointe Catholic High School student learned about that and more.
In the six-week program, Stuart worked with a graduate-student mentor to study how a certain mutation affects seed production in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. After a meticulous process, she learned that the mutation didn't keep the plant from producing seeds, but it did greatly reduce its ability to make them.
"I never thought research would be as interesting as it has been," said Stuart, who is preparing to enter her junior year. "When you get a good result, it's really exciting."
Stuart is one of 25 students from Tucson-area high schools who participated in the KEYS — or K-12 Engaging Youth in Science — research internship program. The interns spent one week learning about lab research procedures and the next several weeks in the lab testing an assigned hypothesis.
The experiment topics run the gamut from genetics to environmental toxicants. The students, who had to complete an application process to get in the program, are assigned research based on their interests.
The idea is to give the students experience doing laboratory research and get them thinking about a career in the sciences, said Marti Lindsey of the UA College of Pharmacy.
The program could have an economic benefit if the students stay the course in science-related fields.
"Economics is bound with the sciences," Lindsey said.
It's the second year for the internship program. Each student receives an $800 stipend, and funding comes from the Bio5 Institute, the UA's Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the Joint Technological Education District and the iPlant Collaborative at the UA.
Ravi Ram, a 16-year-old who is going into his senior year at Catalina Foothills High School, conducted experiments to see what kind of effect reproductive hormones have on diabetic kidney damage.
Experiments showed that estrogen can protect the kidneys, which means women in menopause could be more vulnerable to damage, he said.
"It's definitely helped me solidify my belief that science is something I want to go into," Ram said.
As for Stuart, she's probably not going to pursue a career in the plant sciences, saying she may want to become a doctor. Now that she's had experience with lab work, she has a valuable "foot in the door" at the UA.
More than 50 students applied for the internship program, and directors hope to secure more funding and expand it.
The application process for next year's internship program starts in February. Those interested can go online to keys.pharmacy.arizona.edu/ program.php.
● Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 573-4197 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.
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