By Hannah Borders, Editor in Chief
Beneath the Stripes
Belleville High School students participated in a summer research internship at the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine.
BioMed Focus is a paid, eight-week summer program hosted by the U of M, Michigan Medicine. BioMed Focus is open to rising juniors and seniors (current sophomores and juniors) to apply with a letter of recommendation and an interview with two of the coordinators, Megan Radyk, and Sarah Steiner.
There is no required grade point average, grades, or research experiences, but you must be motivated and curious.
Once selected, BioMed Focus students work full time (roughly 40 hours a week) in the lab at Michigan Medicine researching a topic of their choice.
Students work on their project with a mentor, current PhD students at U of M. During their time at U of M, students are also required to take college readiness courses to help them with their post-graduation journey. After eight weeks of work, BioMed Focus scholars professionally present their research during a symposium.
BioMed Focus accepted a total of eight scholars for its 2024 program, four of them being BHS students: Mariah Ashby, Liliane Baseka, Laryssa Hernandez-Lopez, and Olivia Scheil.
Scholar Olivia Scheil researched the effects of overexpressed kinesin family binding protein on Kinesin 1A and Kinesin 5C binding to the microtubule lattice in COS-7 cells.
When asked how her experience was helpful for her future, Olivia said, “BioMed Focus helped prepare me for my future by allowing me networking opportunities, learning experiences, and experience working as an actual research scientist as opposed to just reading about it.
“The highlight of my experience was the friends I made and the connections I formed at U of M,” she concluded.
If you are a current sophomore or junior interested in biology or medicine, BioMed Focus can help you explore potential career options and gain research experience. The summer 2025 internship interest survey is open from Oct. 15 to Jan. 10 and can be found on the BioMed Focus website. Coordinators Sarah Steiner and Megan Radyk will be visiting BHS for an informational meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6, during fifth hour in room 242.
Sign up for the informational meeting: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrpKaq0xSybw-xMi1thrWLjUbpweHWkqt5wIdqyh33U3_IAA/viewform
More information and Interest Survey on the BioMed Focus Website:
https://biomed-focus.medicine.umich.edu/about
Editor’s Note: This is a story from the recently published digital newspaper at BHS: Beneaththestripes.com .