Friday, November 12, 2010
High School Biological: In the field with virus hunters
Laura, a high school student from Austin, hunts for nematode viruses in one of the micro-environments at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Read the first two graphs here:
In his race to be the first scientist in the world to find a nematode virus, Chris Sullivan had an unusual team of field biologists aiding him this summer—eight high school students from in and around Austin. They were there as part of a National Science Foundation-funded grant to Dr. Sullivan that enabled him to collaborate with University Outreach, a UT-sponsored, state-wide effort to help underrepresented students prepare themselves for college.
Every morning for two and a half weeks, Sullivan and undergraduate members of his lab took the kids through a kind of blast course in research biology. It consisted of short lessons in the science basics, instruction in lab techniques, a few field trips, and one very ambitious research project.
