SEED/STEM program inspires Indianapolis middles schoolers to pursue medical research careers
This spring, a group of middle school students from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) received firsthand experience of medical research at IU Indianapolis thanks to the Indiana CTSI’s SEED/STEM program.
The students were at IU Indianapolis as part of the IPS college campus visit program, which gives local middle schoolers the opportunity to experience college campuses and inspire them to pursue higher education.
George Sandusky, DVM, PhD, led the students through what he called “Pathology Show and Tell,” during which they observed plastinated human organ specimens affected by various diseases from all six major body systems.
Over the hour and a half long session, the students (and their teachers) visited specimen “stations” to learn about each organ and its pathology.
“The students were excited and engaged,” said Sandusky.
Vanessa Santana, SEED/STEM program coordinator, organized the session with Sandusky.
This is the second year that SEED/STEM has participated in the IPS college campus visit program. SEED/STEM is primarily a summer-long research program for Indiana high school students, but it also coordinates this spring engagement with IPS, according to Matt Allen, PhD. Allen is the director of workforce development for the Indiana CTSI.
It has become an important part of the CTSI’s workforce development activities, he said.
“Early exposure to careers is critical for helping students explore and ask questions,” he said. “Doing so on a college campus can be even more impactful in demystifying the college environment.”
According to Allen, IPS shared that this year’s campus visit to IU Indianapolis (which encompassed many fields and areas across the institution) was a “sparkling success,” with a large majority of students reporting that their experience made them feel better about attending college or university.
“Our hope is that this middle school experience will be the first of many engagements with these students, as the Indiana CTSI runs programs to engage high school, undergraduate and professional students in research skill-building immersive activities,” he said.
