UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the most prestigious medical research institutions in the world, takes pride in their four Nobel laureates (awards), which is more than any other medical school in the world.
Promoting the significance of research, UT Southwestern Medical Center holds a highly selective and renowned research program called STARS (Science Teacher Access to Resources at Southwestern), offering high school students the opportunities to work individually with staff researchers in a lab setting.
This distinguished program provides experiences in the biomedical field and encourages students to pursue a career in science; this year two seniors, Cameron Kerl ’13 and Kevin Chen ’13, were accepted.
Every summer from the beginning of June through the end of July, the STARS program
accepts a limited number of high school juniors to participate in this eight-week program, Monday through Friday, eight hours a day. Compensating for the possible loss of income during this time, students receive a stipend of $2600 dollars upon completion of the program. Participants can only attend if they convey qualities of academic achievement, passion and interest for the medical/science subjects, along with competence in their personal essays, letters of recommendation, SAT scores, and high school transcripts.
On October 1st, both students gave an oral presentation (a requirement of the program) of their research to students of the Jesuit Medical Society.
Chen, presenting his research about DNA-PKcs in NHEJ Repair, and Kerl, presenting his about a protein called drosophila acinus, inspired this year’s juniors to consider applying for such a respected program.
Matthew Boss ’14 explained, “The most appealing part about the program was that you get to work in the lab with professional researchers. Research is one of the fields I’m interested in and this would be a great way to learn about it.”
Ian Tomlinson ’14 exclaimed, “It made me feel more inspired to join the program because they showed me that you will actually be working in the lab and researching very interesting material instead of performing simple tasks like in other programs.”
It is apparent that Kevin and Cameron learned helpful skills, and the excitement that comes from participating in this program.
Adrian Bertulfo ’14 said that “more importantly than their specific projects, they both explained how the program gave them both lab and research skills, and how it placed them in an environment that is very different from a traditional classroom or lab setting.”
Cameron Kerl explained, “The aspect that most appealed to me [as a junior] about the program was most certainly the opportunity to work in a lab with a principle investigator who was an expert in his/her field,” which is basically what this year’s juniors said.
Similar aspects appealed to Kevin Chen as he expressed that “the program allowed me to have a hands-on experience with the field of research, giving me opportunities to form skills that I would not have picked up on until later in life.”
Students attend not only because of the program’s reputation but also because of recommendations by others.
Max Von Schlehenried, junior physics teacher and medical society director, described what was most appealing to him: “The opportunity
to work with such important scientists and receive an unparalleled research experience. There is honestly no better way to participate in research in high school at such a high level.”
Mrs. Jan Jones, freshman biology teacher and medical society director, added that “if students are going into medicine or research, [this program] is definitely a feather in their caps that they were selected for this program. It is definitely a shining star on their résumé [and] is worth spending the time.”
Students at Jesuit are here not only to become men for others but also to discover and explore passions that they hold. Kerl and Chen unmistakably have done a good job of doing so.
Cameron explained his new advantages: “I believe that I have attained a plethora of benefits by attending this rigorous program [such as] laboratory skills, skills that will be of significant use down the road in college and in medical school, [along with] learning how to create scientific writing and making a formal scientific poster to present my information.” Chen added that “the program allowed me to have a hands-on experience with the field of research, giving me opportunities to form skills that I would not have picked up on until later in life.”
hen asked specifically about the presentations of Kevin and Cameron, Von Schlehenried said, “I was so proud to see Cameron and Kevin present. I was astounded at the level of depth and yet conciseness they were able to achieve while presenting [and] after hearing feedback about them from members of the STARS staff, I am impressed- utterly impressed.”
The UT Southwestern Medical Center STARS program is incontestably an experience of a lifetime for a high school student.
Kerl expressed his gratitude for being chosen, “Very few high school students get to participate in this once in a lifetime experience at one of the nation’s top graduate schools, and I enjoyed every minute of the program.” It is a path taken by those who desire to pursue a career in medicine/research and are dedicated in setting themselves apart from the competition.
Von Schlenhenried captured the essence of the program’s values and perquisites in these words: “The benefits [of the program] are manifold. Students have the opportunity to make bonds with and learn from some of the most important scientists in the world. It’s great practice for the college setting too: learning a lot in a very short amount of time.” Younger Jesuit students can only hope to get to experience all that this program has to offer.
