A wide array of brain and heart research studies by 24 college undergraduates, medical students, and post-doctoral fellows were on display at Huntington Medical Research Institutes’ (HMRI) annual “Science Day” on Wednesday, July 24.
The event highlighted student projects and the ongoing biomedical research at HMRI.
“This was an exciting day,” said HMRI President and CEO Dr. Julia Bradsher. “We had several students who have been here all summer in our programs. Our undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and then some of our scientists who are on staff, presented their work on Science Day.”
Approximately 150 parents, professionals, and teachers visited the half-day session, and listened to a panel discussion on creating more equitable STEM education opportunities for Pasadena area students.
“The major goal for us,” said HMRI scientific director of education Dr. Nicole Purcell, is, “One, to expose the students in our high school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program to the researchers and students in the undergraduate research programs at HMRI.”
“We wanted to give our high school students an opportunity to ask questions about the projects, get to know the researchers and what they’re doing, because while they get to do that during the six week STEM program, they don’t get to see everyone at once,” said Purcell. “This is their opportunity.”
“Secondly,” she continued, “It gives our summer students as well as our researchers, the opportunity to interact with the community. It’s our chance for the community to come in and explore the science being done here at HMRI. It also teaches students how to talk to non-scientific audiences to easily communicate their science to them.”
Among the dozens of student researchers presenting their studies was 2024 Tournament of Roses Royal Court Princess Jessica Powell, a recent Flintridge Preparatory School graduate, who will study at UCLA in the fall.
Powell presented her study, “Understanding Degradation of PHLPP Isoforms in the Heart,” which she developed with Khaja S. Mohammed Abdul, PhD, and Dr. Purcell, of the Cardiovascular Signaling Laboratory.
“Proteins break down in cells every day,” Powell explained, “as metabolic processes are happening, and we wanted to learn more about specifically, which PHLPP proteins break down, because oxidative stress affects the degradation of protein, which can lead to heart disease, so we wanted to understand more about this process and maybe develop treatments.”
The “Science Day” event also featured new programs promoting equity in STEM education according to Jessica West, HMRI director of marketing and communications.
West pointed out the American Heart Association Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (AHA SURE) as a new program to HMRI that provides underrepresented college students interested in STEM careers with opportunities in cardiovascular research.
“Over the next three years, the AHA SURE program will support nine undergraduate students with research experiences in HRMI’s cardiovascular laboratories. The three students in the first cohort will present their research to the public today,” said West.
“Among the guests today were parents who brought their children. They expressed that the students communicated at the children’s level. While some of the scientific concepts were over their heads,” said West, “students successfully explained their science effectively.”
“We achieved our goal by inviting the community inside to see the ground-breaking science we do here at HMRI,” said Bradsher, and by providing our students with an exciting forum to present their research publicly.”
Bradsher also pointed out that HMRI has a year-round internship for students from high school, undergraduate, and graduate programs. The application process is open on a rolling basis, beginning in September.
“We encourage students from throughout the greater Pasadena area to reach out and apply if they’re interested in working in a biomedical research lab,” said Bradsher.
