October 2022

Each summer rising seniors in the STEM Scholars Program are matched with a local university or corporation in their field of interest for paid, real-world internships. Host sites this summer included Penn Medicine, Drexel University’s School of Engineering, the Discovery Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Jacob’s Engineering Group, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, among others. On September 21, these outstanding students presented their internship experiences at the STEM Scholars Internship Showcase. Some examples of the internships included the following:

• Leilani rotated through three St. Joseph’s University biology labs learning about micro and neurobiology. In addition to hands on biology work in the labs, one highlight was observing brain surgery on a mouse to assess how sleep affects its ability to form memories.
• Taleen worked at UPenn Hospital investigating the Loss of Nipbl In Zona Limitans Inthrathalamica. She studied the effect of a particular gene protein in the development of the nervous system of mice embryo.
• Marcus worked at UPenn’s School of Veterinary Medicine to gain more knowledge about his future career. He observed treatment of a variety animals including penguins, a baby sloth, and surgery on a horse.
• Amandia worked at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia finding mutations in DNA causing Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a rare genetic condition in children.
• Anas and Andrew worked in the lab at Drexel University experimenting with concrete, the most used construction material. Anas experimented with techniques for developing self-heating concrete (which would eliminate shoveling and the use of harmful road salt). Andrew experimented with various formulas for creating a more effective, stronger concrete.

The future is bright for these students and for all of us with these future leaders!