High School and College Undergraduates

Yale Cancer Center’s Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) has joined forces with Stanford University, Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Rochester (parent grant holder), and the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford to launch an inclusive, mentored research and education program for Deaf high school students.

This four-week program empowers students to envision themselves as future STEM leaders dedicated to advancing cancer research and addressing disparities in cancer care. Participants gain hands-on experience in laboratory activities, attend engaging lessons, shadow researchers in the lab, and connect with Deaf scientists and medical professionals from across the country.

Our goal is to inspire the next generation of Deaf students to pursue careers in cancer research and contribute to meaningful change in the fight against cancer.

Undergraduate Bridge to Research is an intensive immersion into research, modeled on the format of a graduate school rotation. Participants (rising high school seniors through undergraduates) conduct a genetic screen to identify diet-derived or other ingestible compounds that affect driver mutations of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, neurodegeneration, and even viral infection and then develop fully independent projects to address key questions focused on the health disparities within their own families or communities. The program is comprised of 3 phases:

During Phase I: boot camp, students learn critical lab techniques, including using a balance, pipetting, dilutions, creating solutions needed for the experimental program, basic fly husbandry, connections of genotype and phenotype, and setting up the genetic screen described above.

In Phase II: Independent research, students build independent projects using a series of menus to hone their interests into feasible, fundable new projects. Techniques span fly behavior, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology, all of which have been adapted to be used in an at-home environment. The goal of Phase II is for students to find their "science soul" and establish research interests that will be lasting throughout their careers.

In Phase III: Students present the results of their work in short oral presentations. Even if you do not send students this year, please plan to participate in the presentation day on August 11! It's mind blowing every year.

eCLOSE Undergraduate Bridge is conducted using a virtual hybrid format. Students receive fully equipped research stations in the mail, set up research labs in their homes or dorms, and gain instruction and support from eCLOSE experts via Zoom. To date, over 75% of eCLOSE UG Bridge participants have moved on to paid fellowships in research labs, with one student so far matriculating in a Ph.D. program at Thomas Jefferson University. There are no restrictions for participation- we welcome all demographics, cultures, and ideas, with the goal of mixing different perspectives and experiences to create completely novel and synergistic research projects. If your university is interested in sponsoring students, we are more than happy to talk funding. So far, two universities have committed to sponsoring, which is fantastic and helps us ensure support for anyone who needs it. We are also happy to support efforts to attain local funding and have successfully helped multiple institutions acquire funding to support their students' participation. Whatever it takes to get kids research experiences, we are all in!