From November 18-22, the HLI hosted the fall edition of its biannual High School Student Science Week program (HSSW), which invites Grade 11-12 students from the Lower Mainland to tour HLI laboratories and facilities and gain valuable hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques. This included an introduction to the Bruce McManus and James Hogg Biobanks, where the students were able to handle human heart and lung samples for the first time, a lesson in Histology, where they learned how to use a microtome to make thin slices of tissue samples embedded in paraffin blocks, as well as tours and presentations in our other cores and facilities.
The students also got the unique chance to explore the Anatomical Pathology Lab at St. Paul’s Hospital, where an examination of an excised colon with cancer captured their full attention. The colon, which had tumours the size of tennis balls, was a rare specimen even to Helena Froberg, Pathologist’s Assistant (Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, SPH).
“It takes a village to raise a child,” says Dr. Gurpreet Singhera, HLI Research Associate and Manager of the Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank. Dr. Singhera, who has organized and supervised HSSW for 16 years, knows that the program requires helping hands from folks all around the hospital.
“I just want to extend a big thanks to all the volunteers who made the Fall 2024 edition of HSSW a great success. Everyone from our various cores and labs chipped in, from trainees, staff, to PIs, and HSSW wouldn’t run without your help.”
The result of their hard work is an unforgettable experience for the students.
“My favourite part of the week was the Anatomical Pathology Lab,” says Julia, a Grade 12 student. “I loved being able to see the tumourous colon, the microbiology part of the lab, all the blood cultures, and just how everyone worked, because it was my first time in a professional lab setting and seeing active work with real patients. It really made me think about how I want to pursue a career in microbiology in the future.”
“What’s interesting is that you get a lot of insight and knowledge of careers that you wouldn’t really see,” adds Jushin, another Grade 12 student. “We learned a lot about the research that goes behind the scenes to make everything work. It shows how in-depth the scientific world is and gets me thinking about my career choices.”
Although HSSW is only a week-long crash course, its benefits extend far beyond the short time the students spend at the HLI. Julia, for example, is already thinking about the gaps in current research and what she can do to fill them.
“I find that research is very subjective,” she muses. “You can’t quantify it; even if there’s a big, groundbreaking piece of research, like if there was an amazing new drug, what if it’s really expensive and no one can use it? It needs to get incorporated into everyday life. I’d like to learn how to do that, maybe by exploring the business side of research too.”
By introducing the students to the interdisciplinary nature of science and knowledge translation, the HLI ensures that its mission will continue being upheld through the next generations, the way it has been since 1977.
