Next Gen program inspires creativity

How do you capture a month of intense hands-on science in a few minutes?

Give that task to one of the students in the Next Gen High School Internship program, and they might stage a wacky game show with famous scientists, hosted by Steve Harvey. Or they might convene a podcast, just three young women sitting in bed chatting about irregular menstrual periods. During a straightforward presentation about polycystic kidney disease, students might start singing, bringing an entire lecture hall to sing along with Elsa of Frozen.

These were three example presentations from the symposium on July 9, when high school students who spent weeks together learning genetics and biology with Emily Allen, assistant professor of human genetics, let loose their creativity.

“It’s really amazing what we can do given the opportunity,” said Dagmawi Fasika, a junior at Wheeler Magnet School in Marietta.

Fasika was referring to what he had been doing in the laboratory – eagerly dissecting mice and learning how to grow miniature brain organoids in culture – but his remark applied equally to the symposium itself, which highlighted students’ skill with modern media tools. The students poked fun at the classes they just sat through, but also showed respect for the material they learned.

“Every year the students amaze me with their enthusiasm for all aspects of the STEM field, and this year is no exception,” Allen says. “I can’t wait to see all the amazing things they accomplish in the future. I look forward to continuing to work with them throughout the fall as they tackle their college applications.”

In the Next Gen program, 24 high school students from the Atlanta area spent five weeks learning science in the classroom, shadowing Emory researchers and genetic counselors, taking field trips and getting career and college admissions advice. The aim of the program, organized by the Department of Human Genetics, is to diversify biomedical career paths such as medicine and genetic research by giving students a chance to explore these fields up close.

This is the program’s third summer and its largest, in terms of the number of students who took part. The program was reorganized slightly, so all the students got a chance to cycle through laboratory experience modules. This way everyone was able to prepare brightly colored mouse skeletons, or try out genetic analysis techniques such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction).

“I never had the chance before to be involved in this kind of research,” said Fasika, who said he had developed a “weird obsession” with dissecting mice.

“Close your eyes if you need to,” said Tianye Zhang during her presentation, which included a detailed explanation of how to handle mice and stain their tissues.

Fasika said the day he was able to learn from experienced developmental biologists in the Caspary lab (part of the Department of Human Genetics) was thrilling, but he chose to give his symposium presentation on organoids, since a module in Jimena Andersen’s lab, which is using organoids to study the motor neuron disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), introduced him to the topic.

Fasika explored some of the ethical issues posed by this advanced technology, which has many potential applications, ranging from probing embryonic development to toxicology, drug discovery, regenerative medicine and gene therapy. Could scientists grow complete organs? Is it possible to grow a conscious brain or an entire person from scratch? Transplant a brain from one body to another? Fasika evoked Mary Shelley’s vision of Frankenstein’s monster: “We’re creating something that has never been done before.”

However, the actual process is “kind of like growing a plant. It takes a long time. For the people in the lab who are growing organoids, it’s like a child to them,” Fasika said.

During the internship program, interns heard from several speakers who shared details about their own career paths, ranging from roles in the laboratory or hospital to a patent lawyer or medical science liaison. Students were able to have lunch with Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and Sandra Wong, dean of the School of Medicine.

Many of the past interns are now attending Emory, Georgia Tech and universities such as Howard, MIT, Duke, Caltech, Yale and Brandeis.

For 2024, the Next Gen program was supported by the Avantor Foundation, the Warren Alpert Foundation, the Schneider Foundation, the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation and Otogenetics, a Atlanta-area genomics services company founded by Emory faculty. The program includes an internship stipend of $2,600 as well as weekday lunches and transportation.

Additional information about the application process is available on the Department of Human Genetics website; around 300 applications were received this year.