Scientists of Tomorrow: Carver High School Students Visit Wistar

Scientists at The Wistar Institute had the pleasure of hosting 30 young ladies from George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science who take part in the Women of Tomorrow (WOT) Mentor & Scholarship Program. Their visit kicked off with a microscopy introduction by James Hayden, Wistar Imaging Facility managing director, showing how scientists use dynamic imaging of tissues, cells and cellular structures in their work to move cancer and infectious disease research forward. The group then toured the Nikon Small World exhibit currently on view at the Institute.

Next, they visited the lab of immunologist and synthetic DNA vaccine expert Dr. David Weiner, where Drs. Emma Reuschel, Ami Patel and Alfredo Perales Puchalt discussed their research specialties and talked about the progress they’re making creating DNA vaccines for cancer and emerging infectious diseases.

Over lunch, the ladies were then engaged in a conversation focused on opportunities for scientific education and training at Wistar. Drs. Brian Keith, dean of Biomedical Research, and Anita Pepper, vice president of Institutional Advancement, and Jessica Palmer, education program coordinator, also spoke to their experiences in higher education, providing insight and advice on career paths in the biomedical sciences, including research, education, administration, and philanthropy.

CBS3 Philly TV anchor and WoT mentor Stephanie Stahl previewed the Nikon Small World exhibit, interviewing Wistar’s James Hayden and including sound bites from visiting Carver High School students on tour.