17
July
2015
|
02:40 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Budding Scientists Do Hands-on Lab Work as Part of Summer Research Week

Students Chosen From Local L. A. High Schools Will Work With Stem Cells in Our Cutting-Edge Laboratories for a Week-Long Summer Program

Contact: Soshea Leibler | Email: soshea.leibler@cshs.org

Los Angeles - July 17, 2015 - Twenty-one Los Angeles high school students will be coming to Cedars-Sinai the week of July 20 to participate in hands-on stem cell research and to get a jump-start on potential careers in scientific research.

The students will be participating in the fourth annual Research Week program at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute.

The program is an enriched learning opportunity that provides students with a basic understanding of stem cell research.

"The students never cease to amaze," says research scientist Virginia Mattis, PhD, co-coordinator of the program. "The mission of the program is to inform young scholars of the future of medicine and to make a contribution to science education."

Students will work all week in the lab with scientific mentors and attend lectures with scientists and physicians. They will get hands-on experience using lab equipment as they try to solve a stem cell-based question posed at the start of the program. At the end of the week, the students will share their findings in a special closing presentation.

The students are chosen through Cedars-Sinai Volunteer Services and the Youth Employment and Development Program. "For the students, it is an unprecedented opportunity to see and learn up-close from leaders in the field of regenerative medicine, said Alysia Caldwell, Research Week’s co-coordinator. "We expect the exposure to scientific research at a young age to be invaluable as these students move forward with their education, and we look forward to their return as the scientific researchers of the future."

Research Week at Cedars-Sinai runs July 20-24, 2015