Selected out of an impressive group of candidates, Mykayla Sandler (II) was chosen to participate in the Basic Science Partnership (BSP) summer research program at the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. For eight weeks, Mykayla will work in the lab alongside Dr. John Flanagan, whose research focuses on cell signaling molecules and the effect on the development and regeneration of connections in the nervous system.
“I’m excited and also a bit nervous to be the only high school student in the lab,” says Mykayla. “During my interview with Dr. Flanagan, he gave a great overview of the work they are doing related to nerve regeneration, and I found it so interesting.”
As the culmination of her internship, Mykayla will present her research to other BSP students and faculty in August. Mykayla has spent summers immersed in science before: After her Class IV year she took biomedical engineering and pathology courses at Smith College, and last summer she took a simulation lab course at Tufts Medical School. Mykayla has also shadowed a pediatrician at work. She hopes to attend medical school herself in the future.
