Summer Research Programs for High School Students, Undergraduates, Medical Students, and High School Teachers Held
Kelly Sherman, PhD and Fern Tsien, PhD
More than 15 high school students, 34 undergraduates, eight high school teachers,
and 90 rising second-year medical students spent their summer at LSU Health Sciences
Center, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, Manning Family Children’s Hospital,
University Medical Center, and other Louisiana hospitals and clinics conducting research
under the guidance of faculty mentors. Interns also participated in training and networking
workshops, with topics including responsible conduct in research and guidance on scientific
presentation. Medical students received information from residency program directors
and current residents. (Image, above right: REU Summer student Raiyon Smith (Illinois Wesleyan University)
presents her research that she did under the mentorship of Dr. Ping Wang (LSUHSC Microbiology,
Immunology, and Parasitology Dept).)
Louisiana high school teachers in the Genetics and Biology Research Experiences for
Teachers (GeneBIORETS) Program conducted research and received science curriculum
training for six weeks at LSUHSC. Participating teachers were from the following schools:
Huntington High School (Shreveport, LA), Louisiana School for Math Science & the Arts
(Natchitoches, LA), Mandeville High School, Metairie Park Country Day, Mount Carmel
Academy, New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, The Rooted School,
and Warren Easton Senior High School. They presented their research at the symposium
on July 18, 2025. As part of the program, teachers will receive continued support
to incorporate what they learned into their classrooms during the coming academic
year. More information about the GeneBIORETS program, the 2025 teacher participants,
their mentors, and research projects are featured on this link. (Image, above left: The symposium was well attended by the scientific, medical, and
New Orleans community.)
High school and undergraduate students were funded by the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett
Brown Foundation, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(REU), the LSU LCMC Cancer Center, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC), the
National Institute of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the LSUHSC
School of Medicine Dean’s Office. At the end of the summer, high school and undergraduates
presented their research at the 22nd Annual Summer Research Program Poster Symposium
for High School and Undergraduate Students. The symposium was followed by a closing
ceremony. Students, mentors, and their research can be found on the website. (Image, right: GeneBIORETS teacher Dr. Kimberly McCarter (Huntington High School, Sheveport,
LA) with graduate student Laura Naldi and their mentor, Dr. Giulia Monticone (LSUHSC
Genetics Dept))
Medical students who conducted research received course credit or were funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP), the LSU LCMC Cancer Center, Dr. James Wittliff and Mrs. Mitzie Hano Wittliff, and the LSUHSC School of Medicine Dean’s Office. More information about the medical student program can be found here.
Medical students will present their posters at the Medical Student Research Day on October 30, 2025, from 9 am - 1pm on the 1st Floor of the Lions Eye Center.