Congratulations to the 38 graduates of Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science program, Summer 2023!
Congratulations to the graduates of Liberty Science Center’s Partners in Science program, Summer 2023!
Now in its 37th year, Partners in Science is an intensive, eight-week summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors that pairs students with mentors in science, health, and technical fields.
This year, 38 students – coming from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania – worked in labs and universities throughout the area, including Rutgers, Princeton, NJIT, NJCU, and Columbia, conducting research and participating in independent projects.
The students all presented their projects at the Partners in Science symposium on Saturday, Aug. 19 at LSC.
Alexandra Whittle, from Holmdel High School, showcased her work at NJIT, creating a code to simulate the process of using ultrasonic testing to determine the physical characteristics of lithium-ion batteries.
“I really enjoyed learning how to code and how to apply it to problems in my desired field of study – chemical engineering – and get actual results that can be used by scientists in their research,” said Whittle.
“In other words, it was cool to know that the skills I learned were contributing to the scientific community.”
Kevin Lu, from East Brunswick High School, showcased his research at Rutgers, where he observed the effect of a certain agent that has been demonstrated to protect against a form of liver cancer.
“The coolest thing I did was being able to do actual lab procedures, like pipetting, qPCR, and RNA extraction,” said Lu.
Andrea Gonzalez, from High Tech High School, also showcased her work at Rutgers, investigating the effect of CO2 on the Activation of Neutrophills.
“I think participating in Partners in Science helped me narrow down my college major,” Gonzalez said. “I was interested in majoring in biology or chemistry, and now I believe I will major in biochemistry.
“I learned so much about how our body’s chemistry influences the processes that occur, and I think it’s fascinating and something I would want to explore further.”
Two Partners in Science participants, Hazel Bonilla and Valerie Duran from Jose Marti STEM Academy, were also named Governor’s STEM Scholars.
The Governor's STEM Scholars program recognizes the top STEM students in New Jersey, with an acceptance rate of 14 percents. This program supports students interested in STEM, and offers networking, mentorship, and research opportunities.
Click here to learn more about Partners in Science at Liberty Science Center.
