Dallas Local Chosen for Respected Science Internship
Bar Harbor, Maine—Dallas resident, Laura Smith, has been selected to participate in this year’s installment of The Jackson Laboratory’s Summer Student Program. The prestigious program draws high school and undergraduate students to the coast of Maine for an intensive, hands-on learning experience. For ten weeks, Laura will study cancer biology under the guidance of a staff scientist.
Specifically, Laura will be researching the effectiveness of a drug that is currently used to stop cancer cell growth. The drug was originally thought to interact with a cell-signaling pathway and halt cell development, but the opposite effect has been demonstrated. In the laboratory of Casey Fox, Ph.D., Smith will work to understand the mechanisms of the drug-pathway relationship. Her research could contribute to the improvement of cancer treatment.
Laura is a rising junior at Smith College, where she will earn her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Later, she plans to obtain a Ph.D. in the field and then become a biochemistry professor.
Laura joins 28 other college and high school students in this summer research opportunity. Their individual projects vary from genomics to development to bioinformatics. Participants reside at Highseas, a nearby century-old mansion, and revel in the many opportunities that Mount Desert Island offers. “Waking up to the Maine ocean everyday is pretty incredible. And coming home to Highseas every night isn’t bad either,” Laura smiles.
Weekend camping trips, spontaneous hikes throughout Acadia National Park and in-town adventures complement their time spent uncovering new data in the lab. “I’m excited to try lobster ice cream,” Smith says of the local delicacy.
Since its inception in 1924, the Summer Student Program has led many 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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Office of Public Information
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-1500
Phone: 207-288-6051
Fax: 207-288-6076
Email: news@jax.org
