Student introduced to world of science research

The 17-year-old from Hillsborough really enjoyed physical education as a youngster simply because it wasn’t academic. That view changed Guo’s sophomore year in advanced placement biology.

"It opened my mind and sparked my curiosity. Well, I’ve always been curious,” he said.

This summer Guo is one of 40 high school juniors and seniors being introduced to the world of original research in biological and natural sciences. Started in the early 1960s, the University of California at Davis Young Scholars Program allows students a chance to work one-on-one with research faculty in state-of-the-art facilities. Guo, a senior at Burlingame High School, heard about the program from his parents and was interested in the opportunity to get lab experience.

"All of the participants are highly qualified academically, take honors or advanced placement courses in high school and have high GPAs,” said Rick Pomeroy, program director and teacher in the School of Education at the University of California at Davis. "Most importantly though, they have all demonstrated a desire and ability to conduct original scientific research and have the potential to contribute significantly to the field.

The six-week program began June 21. During the first two weeks, students attended lectures focusing on recent developments in biology and natural sciences in the morning and did lab science in the afternoon. The last four weeks will be spent working full-time on labs.

Students live on campus and take field trips each weekend.

Guo is focusing his lab work on circadian rhythms.

"Circadian rhythms, or internal clocks, provide many evolutionary advantages to organisms. For example, the circadian system in humans is known to regulate metabolism and lower the chances of getting certain diseases,” explained Guo. "Consequently, since it can be assumed that the circadian system plays an important role in all organisms, the understanding of the circadian system is likely to lead the way to many medical advancements.”

Students were given research topics after rating topics during the application process. Guo had briefly studied circadian rhythms at school, but not to this depth or in relation to a new protein.

Stepping into a professional laboratory wasn’t intimidating for Guo, whose father is a scientist affording him the opportunity to see the environment previously. Staying away at a college campus also was not unique to Guo who participated in the Cosmos program at the University of California at Santa Cruz last summer, a four-week program focused on math and sciences.

This summer is different due to Guo’s access to do his own lab wk.

"I don’t get a lot of laboratory opportunities at home. [At school], they have some labs for you to do, but it’s all pretty basic lab work. This opportunity is really great. I get to do a bunch of different things, use a lot of resources. It’s not just a standard lab that a teacher teaches in,” Guo said.

The freedom allowed Guo room to make mistakes from which he’s learned. Also, he’s had a chance to do a lot of research for a paper. Guo isn’t sure there will be laboratory work in his future, but it is an option. If nothing else, Guo now appreciates the work that goes into making a scientific discovery.

"It seems like there are discoveries daily. But working on your own research, the progress is pretty slow. It’s definitely worth it, but it’s definitely a lot slower. And, again, in the research papers they’ll make it sound so exciting. But in order to carry out experiments there is normally a lot of mundane labor,” he said.

The Davis Young Scholars Program received more than 225 applications for this year’s session. Most of the 40 participants are from California. There is one student from Washington and one from Illinois. Last year, the program hosted two international students. Over the years, students have come from Mississippi, New York, Michigan, South Carolina and others. Students from Michigan, New York, Ohio and Arizona were accepted this year but chose to attend other programs.

Students cover a large majority of the program costs, however financial aid is available.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.