Juan Diego CHS students participate in scientific research projects at the University of Utah

Friday, Aug. 07, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — A group of Juan Diego Catholic High School students spent the first part of their summer researching topics from cancer to educational video game designs at the University of Utah’s College of Pharmacy. The 13 sophomores and juniors capped their participation in the JDCHS’ Academy of Science internship program July 31 by presenting their research projects to an audience of researchers and faculty from the College of Pharmacy, Juan Diego faculty, family and friends at the University of Utah Eccles Health Sciences and Education Building. 

When the students “get to the endpoint to give their scientific talks, they exceed expectations,” said Dr. Carol Lim, University of Utah College of Pharmacy program coordinator. “These students are doing experiments that the graduate students are doing as well. To actually do research in a lab opens a lot of doors for them; their minds are expanded and they are really encouraged because they see they can do the experiments, grasp the concepts and that they might be able to become scientists doing research someday.” 

The JDCHS students will have an advantage over other undergraduate students when they attend college because they participate in science fairs, give a science talk, make a poster, write papers and they “are more mentally prepared to handle the rigors of science,” said Lim.   

The students said they benefited from the internship program in many ways.

“This was a great experience for me. The graduate students helped me with the experiments and with finding college information,” said Michelle Gonciarz, who will be a senior. 

After high school, Gonciarz wants to attend the University of Utah and become a pharmacist; she is also looking forward to volunteering at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, “to get experience with patients,” she said.

Michael Greenwald, who will be a junior, worked with graduate-student mentors on the video game project, he said. 

“The video games were used at Primary Children’s Hospital to help children deal with depression, fear and a lack of exercise from being hospitalized,” said Greenwald. “The children felt isolated, a loss of control and a loss of relationships with other children; they mostly interact with their parents and medical staff. The video games taught them about chemotherapy, nutrition, helped them increase their physical exercise and how to care for themselves.” 

Going to the university every day was an “awesome” experience, Greenwald said, adding that he wants to go into a medical field after college. 

Connor Carlisle worked on a project that researched DNA structures and cancer cells. He also enjoyed doing laboratory research and getting to know the graduate students, he said. 

“I got a lot of experience about what to look forward to when I come to the university,” Carlisle said. “I would like to go into marine biology research.”

Most of the students in the Academy of Science program already had taken some advanced science classes when they apply for the internship program, said Dr. Christine Celestino, who in 2008 developed the academy in partnership with The ALSAM Foundation. 

“The students who are accepted into the program are placed into labs based on their interests, backgrounds, classes they have taken and personalities to be matched with the mentors, Celestino said. “I want them to get as much feedback and help as they can.” 

The Academy of Science Internship program begins at JDCHS in a week-long lab, where Celestino teaches the students spreadsheets, data analysis, and lab and sterile techniques. They then spend eight weeks working in labs at the University of Utah, meeting once a week with Celestino to talk about how things are going. 

“I mostly walk them through the process of writing their research papers,” Celestino said. “It’s amazing to see how they go from not knowing anything to knowing much more than I do about the specific research projects they are doing; they are very impressive. It takes a lot of stamina; they have to be internally driven to persevere. The students are so dedicated.”