Early one August morning, while many on the Quad were just arriving at work, Deonee High stood center stage in the Walter amphitheater in the concluding session of Project Success. The soon-to-be freshman at George Washington University was giving a presentation on “Cholesterol and Osteoclasts”—the culmination of a summer in the lab of Keith Solomon, HMS assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston. Her challenge was to make topics such as bone formation, apoptosis and cholesterol production accessible to those in the audience, who were watching the young scholars in the program give their research project presentations. High pulled it off without a hitch.
For most teens, a public speaking engagement like this would be nerve-wracking, but High came across as polished and relaxed. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone’s close knit. We’re all connected and have fun.” By “everyone,” High means the students themselves and the many people who make Project Success possible: parents, PIs, postdocs and program administrators. This group operates as a support network for eight weeks each summer while the program’s budding scientists develop research, communication, and life skills in a grounded but nurturing environment.
Sheila Nutt, director of educational outreach for the HMS Office for Diversity and Community Partnership, put competence and confidence at the top of the program’s goals. The final presentations embody this. “Spending the summer conducting cutting-edge research is so empowering for students who may be the first in their family to consider college. The students return to school more confident and self-assured because they have presented the results of their research at Harvard.”
Project Success was conceived in 1993 by HMS Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership Joan Reede, who recognized the need to encourage underrepresented and disadvantaged youth to explore careers in the biomedical sciences. Now in its 17th year, the program pairs Boston and Cambridge high school students with paid internships at Harvard-affiliated research labs. This year, 19 students took part in the internships, thanks largely to support from donors such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The students spent the summer making connections with Boston-area scientists and listening to advice from program advocates such as Alvin Poussaint, HMS professor of psychiatry and faculty associate dean for student affairs, and from faculty and staff who shared their perspectives during weekly seminars on careers in science.
Ultimately, though, it was the time spent with the researchers who hosted and mentored the participants that made the biggest impression. Boston Latin Academy senior Sheena-Gail Powell said, “They were very welcoming to me. When I came in, the PI was on vacation, but he would e-mail me to ask if I was fitting in. I ended up having fun, and I ended up liking the field of research.”
Powell worked in the lab of Jeremy Wolfe, HMS professor of ophthalmology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was glad to have her. “I got into my field because my father could place me in the lab of his buddy, who happened to do vision research. I was inspired by Joan Reede’s effort to make the same sort of opportunities available to motivated students from underserved communities in the Boston area. In my lab, we recognize that we are fortunate to be paid to do what we love. Project Success is one way that we can give a little back.”
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