Fox Chase Cancer Center Empowers High School Students Seeking STEM Careers

PHILADELPHIA (May 22, 2019) – Scientific trainees and senior faculty members will host the annual Immersion Science Program (ISP) Career Development Symposium at The Franklin Institute (222 North 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103) on May 29th, 2019 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Since 2013, the ISP has trained high school students to engage in scientific research by investigating how diet influences Drosophila development. The 2019 symposium is the culminating event following the record-breaking participation of over 1000 students from 14 high schools within the Philadelphia region. There will be posters presented by more than half of these young scientists, which surpasses the number of presenters in the previous year, by over 200 participants. Students will interact with STEM professionals in academic science, health education, science teaching and biomedical research in the symposium, which is organized into three panel sessions: 1) Career Development, 2) Poster Presentations, and a 3) Networking Lunch. During the career development session, students will learn about detailed personal pipelines from STEM professionals and instruction on how to achieve career goals in different scientific fields. In the poster session, students will present their own independent research projects to other STEM students and scientists.

ISP students generate research-driven questions and perform a nutrient supplement screen to determine how specific diets affect normal fly biology and cancer signaling. This process acclimates students to many research fields including genetics, reproduction, development, signal transduction, nutrition, and cancer. Driven by the core values of citizen science, the ISP expands opportunities for scientific data collection and addresses real-world questions in public health by growing a diverse and inclusive STEM research community.

The goals of this event are to foster science communication skills and promote professional networking development. Students will learn how to develop a scientific career in the current real-world setting by building networks with diverse STEM professionals. This personal connection will promote diversity in STEM and help students define their critical role in the world of scientific discovery. This year’s symposium is supported in part by a career development grant award from the Genetics Society of America, and grant funding from the Society for Developmental Biology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Please join us in cultivating the next generation of scientists by attending the Career Development Symposium on Wednesday, May 29th.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427

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