Area youth in campus biology institute
Area youth in campus biology institute
To bring more youngsters into science and technology, Skidmore is launching its first
Young Scholars Cell Biology Institute, free of charge thanks to sponsorship by the
National Science Foundation. The five-day workshop, starting June 27, will immerse
about a dozen area high-school students in advanced research, including hands-on experiences
with equipment in Skidmore’s biology laboratories.
Microscope view of alga cell wall
As part of a three-year, $383,000 NSF grant to support his research into the molecular makeup of cell walls in algae, Domozych is engaging Skidmore students
in his work and also offering outreach to younger potential scientists in the Capital
District. Selection of this summer’s institute participants—from the Schuylerville,
Spa Catholic, Ballston Spa and Shenendehowa high schools—was based largely on recommendation
letters from their teachers.
The biology institute is an intensive program. Domozych says the participants “will
be engaged in action-packed lab work all week.” Each day is led by a different faculty
presenter from Skidmore or Cornell University. The faculty members will introduce
their research and then present and guide hands-on experiments in which the youngsters
will use a range of microscopes and other equipment. Topics include light and electron
microscopy, wax formation by plant leaves and the use of c. elegans worms as models in cell biology research. Capping the institute on Friday, the four
Skidmore students collaborating in Domozych’s research this summer will lead a lab
session on confocal laser microscopy.
Domozych says he hopes the weeklong experience will inspire some of the youngsters to pursue a scientific field in college and perhaps in their adult careers.
