While many students worked as lifeguards or babysitters last summer, Jersey City students Omara Ali, 17, a student at William L. Dickinson High School; Nisha Naik,16, a student at McNair Academic High School; and Chandni Ray,17, a student at Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School; built skills in a science research setting. The skills they learned will propel them into interesting, well-paid careers and contribute to better futures for the community.
Ms. Ali is studied antibacterial silicon bone implants that lessen the chance of post-operative infection, working with Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili at Stevens Insitute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Ms. Ray is examined the role of nitric oxide in lessening pulmonary inflammation and worked with Dr. Andrew Gow and Dr. Chang-Jiang Guo, both research professors at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Meanwhile, Ms. Naik, worked with Dr. Bart Krekelberg and Jon Guez in the Krekelberg Neuroscience Laboratory at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.
“This experience made me realize how much is yet to be discovered about the human body,” said Naik, “Even the smallest observations can open doors to huge opportunities to better understand life on a whole.”
Initiated well before the science center opened to the public, Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science program is now in its 25th year of providing research experiences for high schoolers, immersing them in authentic scientific endeavors conducted by professional scientists.
Students gain hands-on research experience, presentation skills, and science knowledge. Developing a network of advisors and lifelong connections also helps students define and focus their college and career goals.
Each month, students return to the science center for instructional sessions that focus on technical writing, effective oral presentations and learning to use their research experience to strengthen college applications and enhance their resumes.
Over 1,000 students have gained valuable experience through Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science program since its inception in 1986. Former participants are now working as scientists and studying at colleges, graduate schools and
medical schools including Montclair State, the California Institute of Technology, New York University and Princeton University.