The Civic Science Fellows program is announcing opportunities to become a Civic Science Fellow host partner for our next cohort, which will begin in March 2024. Innovative organizations are invited to apply to the Civic Science Fellows program to build engagement around anticipatory, emerging topics in science and technology, where…

Elissa Hallem wasn’t always immersed in the world of parasitic roundworms. In fact, she spent much of her early research career studying Drosophila, the common fruit fly. Inspired to pursue research after participating in Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth program, Hallem began volunteering in Larry Zipursky’s lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, while in high school. “Dr. Zipursky’s lab studies the visual system of Drosophila. This was the first time that I experienced a lab environment and what it was like to do research. It was an amazing experience that sparked my interest in a research career, and working with Drosophila was a lot of fun.”

Aaron Gitler began his scientific career as an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University, where he volunteered in a lab washing dishes. Despite the less-than-glamorous work, he loved being there. Eventually, he realized that if he finished his dishwashing early enough, he could observe students and postdocs doing their research experiments. In time, they let him do experiments of his own. “In retrospect, none of the experiments really worked out,” says Gitler, “but I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. It prepared me for my next research experiences.”

Major grants will support five pioneering early-career biomedical scientists.

Major grants will support five pioneering early-career biomedical scientists. The Rita Allen Foundation has named its 2020 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars, celebrating five early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. The selected Scholars will receive…

Major grants will support ten pioneering early-career biomedical scientists. The Rita Allen Foundation has named its 2019 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars, celebrating ten young leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. The selected Scholars will receive…

Mark Zylka discovered the excitement of pursuing a scientific question in high school. His high school science teacher, Robert Foor-Hogue, led a hands-on course in which Zylka and the other students designed research experiments to address their individual burning scientific questions. It was then that Zylka appreciated that the…