New transgenic fruit flies described at the Stan-X Interscholastic Conferences
The Stan-X program hosted two interscholastic science conferences in April and May that celebrated completed coursework and research for students and teachers. The first symposium was an ‘in-person’ conference held on the Stanford University campus April 30th that convened 47 students and teachers from four Stan-X partner schools, including the Lowell High School (San Francisco, California), Albuquerque Academy (New Mexico), Harvard Westlake (Los Angeles, California) and Stanford University School of Medicine. The second was a virtual international symposium held on May 23rd that gathered 37 students and teachers from Haileybury (U.K.), Lawrenceville (New Jersey), Commack High School (New York), the Chapin School (New York), Mercy (Rochester, New York) and Stanford. The meeting was hosted by Drs. Lutz Kockel and Seung Kim.
Group photograph from the in-person April meeting.
During the all-day April meeting, which was the first ‘live’ Stan-X student conference ever held, students from Albuquerque Academy and Lowell High School presented research findings from their Stan-X course. This included a morning poster session, followed by oral presentations, in the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine on the campus of the Stanford University School of Medicine. Students presented data and conclusions from their experiments characterizing fruit fly strains generated over the past year. These included presentations about genomic insertion location of the SX-4 enhancer trap element, neighboring gene characterization, and unique patterns of LexA-dependent gene expression in multiple new fruit fly strains. Student speakers shared data from productive collaborations between schools, including molecular studies of the genomic location of enhancer trap elements. For most students this was an index experience in public presentation of science data. The energy and verve during the poster sessions and oral presentations was exciting.
Teachers from Albuquerque Academy at the April meeting.
After an al fresco lunch in the warm California sun, students gathered in ‘breakout sessions’ with Stanford-based researchers. These lively, candid discussions allowed visiting students to meet staff, doctoral and undergraduate students working in the Department of Developmental Biology at Stanford, and to discuss a variety of topics including scholastic and career development in science. After lab tours in the Beckman Center, participating students presented their findings and data in the afternoon poster and oral presentation sessions. The symposium was closed with remarks from Dr. Kim on new curricular offerings from Stan-X and updates on progress in the development and growth of the Stan-X network of schools.
Anjana Amirapu, the Stan-X teacher at Lowell High School, stated: “Attending the Stan-X Conference was the highlight of my students' learning this year. They really appreciated getting to meet other students from another state and bond over their shared experiences going through the Stan-X course along with their love for science. They especially appreciated being able to tour the lab spaces and get feedback from Dr. Kim and Dr. Kockel on their research. Many students told me after the conference that they felt less intimidated to consider science research as a career and they felt more confident in their abilities to do science. It was an incredible experience that my students will never forget.”
A subset of the May symposium participants
To accommodate school schedules and the growth of the Stan-X network, an additional Stan-X science conference was held on May 23rd, 2022. Research work was presented by twenty-five student speakers at Lawrenceville, Chapin, Commack and Haileybury, and showcased beautiful molecular, cellular and genetic findings. In many cases these were collaborative studies produced by partnering students and schools. In addition, students, teachers and leadership from recently-added Stan-X partner schools in Rochester (Mercy) and New York City (Dalton School) attended. The afternoon ended with lively discussions of further studies to be performed in summertime internships and collaborations, and planning for in-person meetings next year at Lawrenceville.
Lawrenceville student Layla Shaffer said, “The Stan-X International Conference this May was an incredible experience that allowed us, as high school students, to share our work with fellow students and researchers from around the world. In just nine months, I not only learned the intricacies of Drosophila genetics and transposon biology, but also experienced an entire research process–from creating unique fly lines to DNA sequencing to dissecting and imaging. The conference allowed us to showcase all of our work and, most importantly, provided a platform for students to see the collaborative process and meaningful results of the research done with Stan-X. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of something this innovative and unique.”
For information about Stan-X and the 2023 Stan-X Interscholastic Science Conferences, please contact Dr. Lutz Kockel, lkockel@stanford.edu