This summer, 17 high school students in the American Chemical Society Snake River Section will have the opportunity to conduct research through the ACS Project SEED program.
Project SEED, originally “Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged,” was born in 1968. Now 56 years old, the program has provided hands-on summer research experiences and webinars to over 13,000 students across the U.S. and its territories. The Project SEED Mission is “to provide sustained STEM research, learning, and growth opportunities for high school students with diverse identities and socioeconomic backgrounds so they can be empowered to advance and enrich the chemical science enterprise.”
Each year, high school students spend 10 weeks in an industry lab or at host institutions like Boise State University working alongside PIs and qualified mentors on cutting-edge research projects. In addition to the technical skills learned in the lab, students will participate in professional development activities to enhance skills in time management, teamwork, and research presentation. The Project SEED webinars cover topics such as personal and chemical safety, career exploration, college readiness, resume building, and mental health and wellness. The summer experience is culminated in a poster presentation where the student present their research, with this year’s presentations being held at the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research.
The ACS Snake River Section Project SEED coordinator is Boise State’s Dr. Don Warner, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This year he placed 17 students, 8 of whom are returning participants. He received 70 applications and conducted 24 initial interviews to fill the 9 open spots. Two students are going to Northwest Nazarene University to work with Jerry Harris on synthesizing and characterizing zinc oxide nanoparticles with enhanced antimicrobial properties. Two more will go to Danny Xu’s lab at Idaho State University – Meridian to research the effects of Lunar and Martian regolith on zebrafish.
The remaining 13 students will be working in several laboratories across campus at Boise State University this summer. The PIs hosting students, and their projects, are:
- Oliviero Andreussi: Computational Study of Materials for Electro-Catalysis
- Leonora Bittleston: 4:Â Exploring the effects of leaf chemistry on microbial colonization
- Eric Brown: Development of molecules that inhibit a bacteria’s ability to cause disease
- Ken Cornell: Analysis of Antimicrobial Activity of Nanoparticles and Organometallic Complexes
- Jenée Cyran & Brian McClain: Developing innovative Physical Chemistry Lab Modules
- Owen McDougal: Chemistry of Food Systems
- Konrad Meister: Cool Molecules: Understanding the Mode of Action of Ice-Binding Macromolecules
- Don Warner: Synthesis of small molecules for inhibition of tumor metastasis
- Claire Xiong: Sodium Ion Batteries
Participants in the Project SEED program are awarded a stipend for their efforts, providing low-income students the opportunity to participate while earning money to help support their families. This crucial funding in 2024 is largely from the American Chemical Society, but also contributed to by Northwest Nazarene University, the ACS Snake River Local Section, and from Boise State University’s College of Arts & Sciences, Research and Economic Development, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, several individual PIs, and the university itself. Some of the program’s graduates will also receive scholarships from Project SEED to help fund their undergraduate education.
For more information on this amazing program, visit ACS News to read Project SEED’s Impact Continues to Grow.
Interested in getting involved? Visit Project SEED on the American Chemical Society’s webpage.