While many of their friends were headed to parks or the beach, 37 teens from Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School decided to spend the first day of their spring break with Gladstone scientists. Thanks to Laura Saunders and about 40 Gladstone volunteers, these dedicated science students were treated (yes, treated) to lectures, demonstrations, a poster session—and, of course, lunch.
The group was organized by a past National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) scholar, Benjamin Martinez, who promoted the visit to fellow members of the Burton science club. The students heard talks from Andrew Hebbler, Jason Miller, and Jennifer Ng and then spent time in the lab with other volunteers extracting DNA from strawberries, learning the role of APOBEC3G in HIV, the causative factors in Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease and other Gladstone science basics.
“I experimented on stem-cell regulation with Mark White,” said Lydia Ma. “It was great to work with a real scientist who answered all of our questions.”

Last year's NSLC scholar Jamie Louie also appreciated the lesson on stem cell differentiation, but noted that “I very much enjoyed the lunch.” They both commented that how its “cool” that our scientists look like college students.

While it was obvious that the high schoolers got a lot out of the day, our own volunteers also appreciated the interaction.

“I couldn't believe all these students wanted to spend a day of their spring break at Gladstone, and thankfully many colleagues here volunteered to help make this event possible,” said Laura. “The students surprised me with their knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for science. At the end of the day they were asking if they could come back next year.”