Starting Research Early

High school is definitely more academically rigorous than it has been in the past, but one group of high school students has set the bar even higher. Students in Arizona are taking part in internships in STEM research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The students are a part of cutting edge research into the human genome. Their research involves using science to investigate possible treatments for cancer.

Dr. Joshua Niska took part in the program when he was in high school in 2008 and he is now an oncology resident at the Mayo Clinic. The students in the program see cancer research up close in a way that most traditional high school science classrooms cannot match. The internships are conducted over the summer and students are paid for their hands on work in the lab. The program is funded by the Helios Education Foundation.