Samantha Thevenin, a senior at Brockton High School, and her lab partner Jaquan Chin met in the lab after school three days a week, totaling 65 hours of lab work by the end of the 10 weeks. The pair worked alongside nine other students as part of the Massachusetts Life Science Center biotechnology lab-training program.
These 11 students make up the fifth cohort of the program, which is fully funded by the MLSC. Now, a total of 99 students have completed the program since it began in 2018, the majority of whom go on to work in a paid summer internship in life science labs at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Forsyth Institute, the Ragon Institute and Massasoit Community College.
The students presented the findings of their research to family, school administration and members of the MLSC inside the lobby of the school’s fine arts building Wednesday evening. Students ranging from sophomores to seniors can apply to the program, where they work as a group to develop each experiment.
“You are the next generation of scientists who will cure the next pandemic,” said Kenneth Turner, CEO and president of MLSC. “The future is right here in Brockton, right here in you.”
The MLSC has invested a total of $206,532 in the Brockton High School program, providing the lab equipment, supplies and funding for the students. Just this year, MLSC gave $40,000 for Brockton’s program. The organization also funds similar programs in New Bedford and Cambridge.