Summer, in theory, is intended to be a period of relaxation. But for some ambitious students, it is the perfect opportunity to apply what they have learned in a classroom science class to a more realistic laboratory setting.

Jake Cohen, senior, participated in an UMSL sponsored enrichment program, Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS), from Monday, June 11 through Friday, July 20. Cohen worked business hours in a lab at the Medical Campus of Washington University under Dr. Vijay Sharma.

“I studied the correlation of PGP transport of chemotherapeutics with molecular binding affinity,” Cohen said. “It was a great experience.”

At the end of the program, Cohen wrote a research paper explaining his project and presented it to his peers. He even received his own white lab coat.

“I would really recommend doing research to anyone who is interested in medicine like I am,” Cohen said. “It is a great way to gain practical experience in the field.”

Maddie Willis, junior, spent her summer at the Washington University owned Tyson Research Center through the Tyson Environmental Research Fellowship (TERF). She applied for her initial internship after her freshman year.

Working under her mentor, Holly Bernardo, she did research for a senior environmental biology professor on the restoration and maintenance of glades.

“Basically we were trying to figure out what the best size and shape of a glade for restoring native plants would be,” Willis said. “This was done for the purpose of being economical about conservation.”

Willis said she was glas she was able to participate in legitimate research in a field she is interested in.

“It was an incredible experience,” Willis said. “I want to be a research biologist someday.”