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Titled the Heritage Summer Research Institute, it is akin to what you may be visualizing with researchers working in labs finding solutions for issues in our world. The only difference is the researchers at this research facility are 12 to 16 years old and are conducting their research through the summer months in the science labs at American Heritage School. AHS students work alongside PhD’s to develop high-level research projects.
“This is the first time this program is happening at this magnitude,” said Ms. Leya Joykutty, AP Biology Instructor and Science Research Director at American Heritage for the past 14 years. “Our labs are collegiate bio safety level 2 labs, the only of their kind out of any high school in South Florida, equipped with over half a million dollars of high-level research equipment,” Ms. Joykutty said.
Student research projects range from math projects, protein chemistry, molecular and mirco biology, to zoology, plant sciences, and medicine and health, with the primary goal being to take these projects and be competitive at local, state, and international competitions such as the science fair, the Florida Junior Academy of Science, and the Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium at UF.
In order to enter this program, students were nominated by faculty. Then they had to complete an application process, and upon acceptance, the students created a proposal based on an original research topic and then through the summer program they will defend its feasibility and relevance.
“The students are learning cutting edge lab techniques, accurate record keeping, computer skills, data analysis and technical writing while they develop a team spirit. They also have to learn how to interact with scientists who are experts in their field and conduct science seminars as they present their proposals and research findings to their peers.” said Ms. Joykutty. “Our vision for this program is to give these students an authentic research experience and the opportunity to conduct university level research from a very young age while building their confidence and inspiring their interest in science. It is a very exciting time.”
“Students are given a budget to order certain materials if they need to facilitate their projects so finances come into play which is a big part of the business,” said Dr. Radley Santos, AHS ’98, MIT ‘02, science researcher and math team coach at American Heritage, and scientist at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie.
“It’s quite impressive, the program we have here, and the range of equipment we have in our lab is unlike any you’ll find at other high schools,” Dr. Santos said referring to the fluorescent microscope, UV/Vis plate reader (a spectrophotometer), and a carbon dioxide incubator, among other things.
“As for my role, because I do data analysis for non-profit research for drug discovery at Torrey Pines, I’m teaching the students basic stats and advising them on experimental design and how to analyze the data once it is here. One student is doing a pure math project; another student is working on a viral database project…the type of database a group of researchers in Zurich has been wanting for years; and others are doing data mining for new results,” explained Dr. Santos. “It’s likely that some of these students’ works will end up with published articles in science journals.”
Dr. Santos, along with Dr. Stawikowski from FAU, and Dr. Ruth Ewing from NOAA, are mentoring the students on campus. The student researchers travel off campus, as well, to the microscope core facility at Jackson Medical School, the flow cytometry center at Jackson, and the Rosenstiel Marine School to observe the aplysia (sea slug) research facility.
“We’re trying to give them the whole package–lab skills, and a taste of the real world,” said Dr. Diana Sood, Biology and Research Instructor in her second year at American Heritage School. “Their motivation is exceptional, they have that drive to succeed, and they all want to see something special in science so they are driven to make a difference in the future,” Dr. Sood said.
Ramya Reddy, an 11th grader at AHS in the fall, is working on a database project in which she is comparing various viruses to come up with DNA sequences as a method to eliminate pathogens.
“I find it fascinating when I apply my knowledge and research and get findings that I would not normally get out of a textbook,” said Ms. Reddy. “Our instructors have been very helpful, and if I find a DNA sequence, then new drugs can be developed and this would be a huge breakthrough in the pharmaceutical field,” she added. Ramya is in the Pre-Med Program at American Heritage and said she may want to be a cardio thoracic surgeon.
Rishi Patel will be a 7th grader at American Heritage in the fall, and he is researching the affect of fullerenes on Alcanivorax borkumensis. These are big names for this student who may be small in stature but quite bold and full of knowledge when it comes to these nano materials.
“I am researching to see the effect of fullerenes on the environment. I am using Alcanivorax borkumensis as my model organism because it eats crude oil, and environmental fullerenes could affect its ability to do so,” explains Mr. Patel.
“This feels exciting for me because I never thought I would be doing something like this in the same research lab as high schoolers and scientists, and working on an experiment that can really help people in our world,” Mr. Patel said.
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