Apple Valley Grad Chosen for Respected Science Internship
Bar Harbor, Maine--Matthew Chroust, Apple Valley High School class of 2006, has been selected to participate in this year's installment of The Jackson Laboratory's Summer Student Program. The prestigious program draws top high school and undergraduate students to the coast of Maine for an intensive, hands-on learning experience. For eight weeks, Matt will study genetics under the guidance of a staff scientist.
In the laboratory of David Bergstrom, Ph.D., Matt will be studying a newly discovered skeletal mutation in mice. Matt will quantitatively describe the characteristics of the mutation and then work to determine the type of genetic mutation involved.
Matt is a rising junior at Gustavus Adolphus College, where he is pursuing a degree in biology. He plans to attend graduate school or dental school later.
Matt joins 28 other college and high school students in this summer research opportunity. Their individual projects vary from genomics to development to bioinformatics. All participants reside at Highseas, a nearby, century-old mansion, and they revel in the many opportunities that Mount Desert Island offers.
Weekend camping trips, spontaneous hikes throughout Acadia National Park and a white water rafting adventure complement their time spent uncoverng new data in the lab. "I'm looking forward to all the outdoorsy stuff," Matt says.
Since its inception in 1924, the Summer Student Program has led students
into the world of professional research. Eighty -percent of the program's more than 2,200 alumni have gone on to successful careers in medicine or biomedical research. Two particular program graduates, Drs. David Baltimore and Howard Temin, received the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The summer interns are an integral part of the Jackson Laboratory's operation, providing fresh perspectives and keen enthusiasm.
The Jackson Laboratory (www.jax.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine. Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human diseases, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community
Contact: Joyce Peterson, 207-288-6058
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The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-1500
Phone: 207-288-6051
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Email: news@jax.org
