This past summer, seniors Shayera Mourin, Samia Orva, and Daniel Dixon pursued their scientific passions by participating in the Summer Program Advancing Research Knowledge, Education, and Development (SPARKED) Internship Program at Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute.

Open to high school students within the ages of 16 to 18, the SPARKED Internship runs for eight weeks every summer, and continues on through the school year, allowing students to enhance their research projects before publication. Through the program, students were provided with hands-on opportunities to contribute to cancer research and explore science research under the mentorship of an assigned principal investigator (PI), a mentor who guided interns during their research process.

Dr. Elvin Wagenblast, Shayera’s PI, said,  “The most important lesson I try to teach all my students is persistence. In research, things often don’t work the first time, or even the fifth time. But those who are patient, resilient, and work collaboratively are the ones who ultimately move their projects forward. Shayera showed great perseverance throughout her project, and that quality will serve her well in whatever she pursues next.”

The skills attained through the internship culminated in individual presentations at the end of the summer in which students showcased their research projects.

The first few weeks of the program served as an instructional period focused on skill-building. Interns were taught foundation research skills, laboratory etiquette, and commonly used scientific practices prior to delving into their individual research projects. After which interns progressed to conducting research.

For example, Shayera’s research focused on developing a humanized model of pediatric hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. In the early stages of Shayera’s project, she immersed herself in background research and tested different methods of hepatoblast isolation from fetal liver. Hepatoblasts are progenitor liver cells and hepatoblastoma arises from these cells.

She said “at this stage, I would speak to my PI about the methods I found during my research and how we can apply that for hepatoblast isolation from human fetal liver [removing young cells that would eventually become liver tissue], what supplies we need to order for the isolation and media needed for culturing, and in general the next steps we need to take.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Courtesy of Daniel Dixon

“I would undoubtedly suggest this program to others interested in the medical field," said senior Daniel Dixon (presented above).

Unlike Shayera, Daniel conducted research using an imaging technique involving glowing dyes to label multiple proteins in cancer (multiplexed immunofluorescence), in order to understand how triple-negative breast cancer spreads and grows in the bones.

Daniel said that the highlight of his research came when he witnessed the direct results of his work. He said that “the most exciting moment was when [he] found an antibody co-localized with the CD83 in the bone [a marker on immune cells, found overlapping on bone immune cells].”

Lastly, Samia’s project involved conducting a drug screening to test the efficacy of a new generation of inhibitors in suppressing cancer progression. To conduct her research Samia said she “ was tasked with making calculations for and creating the drug stock solution [a concentrated foundational mixture of a drug], maintaining/amplifying the fly lines involved, mating them, regularly checking in on the progress of the screening, counting embryos, scoring pupae, and inputting all this data.”

All three interns said they emerged from the program with sharpened research skills, deepened understanding of scientific inquiry, and a clearer sense of direction for their academic and professional futures.

For Shayera, specifically, she said  “through this internship my perspective on science research has evolved. I [understand] the importance of patience, being openminded, and determination in science research.”

Based on their positive experiences with the internship, Samia, Shayera, and Daniel all recommend the SPARKED internship to others. Daniel said “I would undoubtedly suggest this program to others interested in the medical field. This program has taught me so much about medicine, and I think others experiencing this [internship] would find it inspiring, just as it inspired me.”