2004 Interns: Gaviota M. Morales Serrano, Katia Y. Hernández Gómez, Xavier J. Hernández Gómez, David J. Velilla Nuñez, Valeria Garcia Ortiz, Cynthia L. Bernis Vázquez, Ricardo A. Cortez Ortiz, Marlon J. González Villacruzes, Johnny E. López Calero, Ismael Orengo Sánchez, Jorge F. Ortiz Carpena, Alba R. Lacen Martes, Desirée Ríos Poll, Jennifer M. Cosme Torres, Risessa L. Vera Ortiz, Karymer I. Flores Sáez, Ardelis Quiñones Báez, Danelis Rivera Padilla 2004 Interns: Gaviota M. Morales Serrano, Katia Y. Hernández Gómez, Xavier J. Hernández Gómez, David J. Velilla Nuñez, Valeria Garcia Ortiz, Cynthia L. Bernis Vázquez, Ricardo A. Cortez Ortiz, Marlon J. González Villacruzes, Johnny E. López Calero, Ismael Orengo Sánchez, Jorge F. Ortiz Carpena, Alba R. Lacen Martes, Desirée Ríos Poll, Jennifer M. Cosme Torres, Risessa L. Vera Ortiz, Karymer I. Flores Sáez, Ardelis Quiñones Báez, Danelis Rivera Padilla
The BREP program conducted its second Summer Internship Program during the June 1-4, 2004 at the UPR, Medical Science Campus. Eighteen students and one teacher, from seven different middle schools from the Island, participated in the program. The students who participated in the Department of Education Science Fair Program were selected based on their science teacher's recommendations. This year the one week Summer Internship Program was a fast paced series of talks and hands on laboratory exercises. Researchers from the Medical Science Campus, supported by the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), gave scientific presentations to the students which were followed by laboratory demonstrations and experiments. The presentations included protein electrophoresis research, basic microscopy laboratory and advance electron microscopy, flow citometry and its applications, DNA "fingerprinting", physiology response of cardiac muscle to various drugs and an activity of data challenge that serves to increase the understanding of the scientific method.
A student practices pipeting techniques before loading the gel under Dr. Miranda's supervision.
Through these Summer Internship activities, the program expects to increase the interest of the students in pursuing a career in biomedical science, especially in those fields that are related to the study of diseases that greatly affect the Latino community.
Dr. Emma Fernández-Repollet explains to students the importance of biomedical sciences and the career opportunities in the field.
The Internship concluded with a distribution of Certificates of Accomplishment to the students by the program Principal Investigator Dr. Emma Fernández-Repollet Vice President of Research and Technology for the UPR
We thank the students for their outstanding participation; the teachers for their support and the group of volunteer mentors for sharing with the students their expertise and enthusiasm for biomedical research. We specially want to thank Ms. Zenaida Ledesma from Oficina de Alianza Corporativa Pro-Educación for her help in the process of student selection and Ms. María Elena Morán, Director of the Puerto Rico Department of Education Science Program, for her endorsement of the PR-BREP. We look forward to their participation in next year's BREP Summer Internship Program.
