Biology Boot Camp shows students what working in a real lab is all about
Most high school students would not be thrilled at the idea of attending any form of academic “boot camp” during summer vacation. To some, “Biology Boot Camp” may sound boring or intimidating, an unwelcome mental workout during their valuable three-month escape. However, the 28 students who were selected to participate in the UMass Medical School Biology Boot Camp this summer were anything but intimidated. And, as they discovered, this boot camp was certainly not boring.
“Biology Boot Camp shows students what working in a real lab is all about,” said Maria Borowski, training director at the UMass Stem Cell Bank and Registry. “It provides something that most students are not exposed to during high school. Doing more than simply observing allows the students to develop a different and new relationship with science.”
For the second year in a row, Borowski’s program provided high school students from Massachusetts the opportunity to participate in specialized, hands-on activities focused mainly on laboratory techniques in cell biology. The application process is competitive: More than 60 applications were received for the two, one-week-long sessions, with 14 students in each session; every applicant had to submit a teacher’s recommendation and an essay along with his or her high school transcript. All of the participants arrived highly capable of learning new skills quickly and putting them to practice at the UMMS Stem Cell Center labs on the Shrewsbury campus. The Stem Cell Bank and Registry are funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.
The students agree that the name “boot camp” is apt: a tremendous amount of material was packed into the fast-paced sessions, which included classroom lectures, training on complicated laboratory equipment, scientific experiments and a field trip to the Medical School’s main campus. Throughout the week, students worked in teams to create a poster project based on current research in regenerative medicine, which they presented to their family and friends at the end of the week.
Whether it was learning new material, being trained to use a piece of equipment, participating in a bioethical debate or listening to a guest speaker, there was never a dull moment. “I really appreciated the fact that nothing we did in the laboratory was a ‘dumbed down’ version of what really takes place in a typical lab on a daily basis,” said Seanna Roy, a rising senior at Blackstone Valley Technical High School in Upton.
Students were exposed to some of the many resources that UMMS has to offer. Guillermo Vincentelli, a rising senior at Assabet Regional Technical High School in Marlborough, was thrilled that he had access to sophisticated laboratory equipment and the research facilities in the Lamar Soutter Library to work on his poster project.
“All of the lab machines we used were very expensive, and our high schools can’t provide us with these things,” Vincentelli said. “One day we were able to use a fluorescence microscope that lets you see all the fibers and details within a cell. It’s so intricate and amazing. A major reason I wanted to come here was because of all the great machinery that I would get to use.”
Jessica Donati, a rising senior at Northbridge High School in Whitinsville, says being able to learn and successfully perform the same procedures as actual laboratory professionals was a high point and gave participants a new-found confidence.
“Gaining all of this knowledge and background information was very beneficial to me because I am constantly learning new things. I definitely think these experiences are going to help me down the road,” Donati said.
Watching the students form friendships is one of the best aspects of running the camp, Borowski says. For many students, it is the first time they are able to spend a week surrounded by more than a dozen like-minded peers, and friendships can extend well after camp is over.
“This program is a totally different environment than high school,” Roy said of working with her peers. “I think it has to do with our academic level and how we are all interested in the same things and have similar aspirations to go into the science or medical fields. I’m coming away from this week with so many new friendships. It was just very inspiring for all of us to be together.”
“This program has given me an experience I would not have been able to have otherwise,” Vincentelli said. “Nothing I’ve ever done before compares to this—nothing even comes close.”
