Creativity Award Program in Stem Cell Biology for California High School Students

In 2012 we hosted 8 California High School Students in the Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy who were funded as CIRM Creativity students. The number of CIRM Creativity applicants for our program was impressive; we received 417 (out of a total of 1242). The core component of our program is the opportunity for students to plan and execute their own research project, interacting with their mentors, other personnel in their research group and each with each other. The summer students join the broader research community at City of Hope, spanning 12 basic science and clinical departments, including: Biology, Molecular Biology, Neurosciences, Immunology, Hematology/HCT, Virology, and Diabetes/Endocrinology for 10 weeks. In addition to laboratory research we have a structured program of activities. Students meet weekly to hear presentations from each other, this is a key learning experience for those who are brave enough to meet this challenge. We organize several additional meetings where a City of Hope physician or scientist talks about their research projects and have one of the physicians describe their training and career path and answer student questions (in 2012 Lily Lai M.D and H. Teresa Ku, Ph.D spoke). Students also present their work at a campus wide poster session and the best ones are encouraged to participate in the Southern California Undergraduate Research Conference. All students are required to submit a final written research report. The program also hosts a barbeque with music, games and prizes, and a student banquet to facilitate a sense of community among students. We run a Distinguished Seminar Series designed specifically for our students, inviting world class scientists, science educators or science writers make a presentation followed by a luncheon with selected groups of students. Every student is given the opportunity to meet one speaker. In 2012 we had 9 speakers; 4 of whom spoke on stem cells and one who spoke on her ability to combine science and music (another creative addition to the program). The stem cell related talks were: •April Pyle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the University of California Los Angeles;“Balancing Pluripotency and Stability in Human Embryonic Stem Cells”. •Arlene Chiu, Ph.D., Director and Professor-In-Residence in the Office of Research New Initiatives at City of Hope;“The Stem Cell Debate”. •Elaine Bearer, B.M., M.A, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in both music and neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico. Also a visiting Professor at California Institute of Technology;“Music and Mind: A Scientist-Composer’s quest for the biological basis of musical experience”. •Rachael Mooney, Ph.D., postdoctoral and CIRM Scholar in the Department of Neurosciences at City of Hope;“Use of Neural Stem Cells to Improve Nanoparticle Delivery to Brain Tumors”. •Miss. Marisa Bowers, B.A., graduate student at the Irell & Manella School of Biological Sciences at City of Hope and CIRM Scholar;“The Role of the Microenvironment in Leukemic Stem Cell Maintenance and Survival”. In addition to these traditional Summer Academy activities the Creativity students were given additional creative assignments. They attended two workshops; one on marketing pharmaceuticals to show the students the more practical side of science. The second was on enhancing their creativity by participating in exercises to inspire their creative processes. This session was exceptionally well received as it allowed the students to get to know each other more as they opened up about themselves. There were also three field trips: •The Los Angeles Natural History Museum with a private tour of the dinosaur hall. •Griffith Park Observatory with a planetarium show. •A trip to Owl Biomedical in Santa Barbara. The founder and CEO, Dr. John Foster, gave students a personal tour of the facility, described the company and the unique machines they design, and had lunch with us all. This was the students’ favorite field trip. Dr. Foster shared his unique journey and what being an entrepreneur is like. He described beginning two companies and how to file for a patent. The students found him to be incredibly inspirational and Dr. Foster agreed to host our CIRM students in future. To encourage creativity we also asked the students to write a music parody. They chose “Broken Hearted” by Karmin and rewrote the lyrics to communicate their enthusiasm for stem cell research. They designed the choreography with our CIRM teaching assistant, produced an exciting video which can now be viewed online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiMfTEnZdNg ). The Summer Academy has been an integral part of the City of Hope education mission for over 51 years. The addition of CIRM creativity students has allowed us to grow in new and unexpected directions.

The City of Hope welcomed our second year of CIRM Creativity Students to our annual summer student academy. Eight students were chosen from the 474 high school applicants and placed into the various labs working with stem cells. Students were able to choose from twelve basic science and clinical departments, including: Biology, Molecular Biology, Neurosciences, Immunology, Hematology/HCT, Virology and Diabetes/Endocrinology. The CIRM Creativity program at City of Hope is designed to promote scientific research and the student’s inner creativity. Over a ten week period, the students work in laboratories while interacting and learning from their PIs, mentors, and various staff. Through this process, they are given the hands on training in a laboratory and are able to learn the importance of discipline and collaboration in the field of research. Each student is urged to work with their mentors to create their own research project and must present their results by the end of the ten week period. Alongside their research, the students attend various programs. Students attend a weekly student seminar series where students volunteer and present their research and answer questions from their peers and mentors. All students must design and present at the annual Summer Academy poster session where distinguished guests, family, and lab members discuss their research. This year, local media attended and articles were published in newspapers and online media. Students also attend weekly seminars known as the Distinguished Seminar Series. Researchers and medical doctors are invited from throughout the country to speak about their field of science. Each student can choose to have lunch with one speaker and ask questions about their field or career path. This year 12 speakers presented, 5 of whom work on Stem Cells: Gregory Cherryholmes, a graduate student of the Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences and CIRM Scholar, presented his research on “Targeting Brain Cancer Stem Cells using CpG-siSTAT3”. Dr. Robin Jeannet, a previous CIRM scholar, Division of Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Research, City of Hope, presented “Alcam Regulates Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engraftment”. Dr. Christine Brown, Associate Research Professor at City of Hope, presented a seminar titled “Adoptive Transfer of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Re-directed T cells for the Treatment of Cancer”. Dr. Rahul Jandial, Assistant Professor, Division of Neurosurgery at City of Hope, presented his seminar “Surgery, Science & Service: In hopes for a legacy”. Dr. Brian Cummings, Associate Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation from University of California: Irvine, presented “Human Neural Stem Cells in Neurotrauma - The Long and Winding Road from Preclinical Research to Clinical Trials” The creative component of the CIRM Creativity program includes a series of workshops that promote different forms of creativity as well as scientific field trips in Los Angeles. The students attended three separate workshops. The first was a marketing workshop that explained the importance of creating and maintaining a brand image when targeting consumers. This was then applied to the pharmaceutical industry where students created their own brand name and packaging for a breast cancer drug. The second was inspired by the Institute For Figuring’s Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. Students learned the skill of crochet and focused on different stitching to create different hyperbolic designs for their very own coral reef. The final workshop focused on public speaking and the importance of body language. Students were asked science related questions under pressure using new techniques to gain confidence. Our final project included a music video parody to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”. With the revised title “Party in the Laboratory”, students sang about their enjoyable time learning about stem cell research. The lyrics, choreography, and video were created by academy students with the guidance of our teaching assistant, Stephanie Patterson. The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwN72BJdbyw . Students attended three exhibits in the Downtown Los Angeles Area. They were the following: The Getty Conservation Institute and Museum with a private tour through the conservation facilities that restore all the murals and exhibit pieces throughout the world. The Los Angeles Natural History Museum with a guided tour through the butterfly pavilion and dinosaur hall. The Institute For Figuring with a tour from Distinguished Speaker and Founder Margaret Wertheim. The students also were taught by their instructors how to make various geometric structures. With the proven success of our academy, we hope to continue providing students the opportunity to have hands on research in their high school and college career. Our CIRM Creativity program is making a positive impact on our students.

The City of Hope welcomed our third year of CIRM Creativity Students to our annual summer student academy. Eight students were chosen from the 323 high school applicants and placed into the various labs working with stem cells. Students were able to choose from twelve basic science and clinical departments. The CIRM Creativity program at City of Hope is designed to promote stem cell focused scientific research and encourage student’s innate creativity. Over a ten week period, students work in active biomedical research laboratories interacting and learning from their PIs, mentors, and various staff. Through this process, they are given the hands on training in a laboratory and are able to learn the importance of discipline and collaboration in the field of research. Ideally, each student will work with their mentors to create an independent research project that will be presented to their peers and other scientist at the end of the ten week period. Our students attend various scientific and career development programs as an integral part of the program. We organize weekly seminars where active researchers and medical doctors are invited from throughout the country to speak about their field of science. Each student can choose to have lunch with one speaker where they have the opportunity to ask more detailed questions or seek career path advice in a small group setting. A sample of some of this year’s speakers and their topics include: •Monika Polweski, a graduate student of the Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences and CIRM Scholar, presented her research on “System Xc-: Part of the Brain’s Armor”. •Dr. Becky Tsai, CIRM scholar, Division of Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Research, presented “Genetic and Molecular Characteristics of hematopoietic stem cells in Therapy-Induced Myelodysplastic Syndrome”. •Dr. Ravi Bhatia, Professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantations, presented his laboratory’s research in a talk titled “Enhancing Cures for Leukemia by targeting Leukemia Stem Cells”. •Dr. David DiGiusto, Research Professor of Virology and Director of the Laboratory for Cellular Medicine, engaged the students in his presentation titled “Ex-Vivo Engineering of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Gene Therapy Towards a Cure for HIV”. •Dr. Kate Sleeth, Graduate & Professional Studies Program Director, gave a detailed history of cancer research and how procedures and treatments have advanced since the very beginning. Students also meet weekly where 3 individuals present their research project and answer questions from their peers and mentors laboratory personnel who also attend. This provides a broader perspective of the types of biomedical research being pursued at City of Hope. At the conclusion of the program each student must design and present at the annual Summer Academy poster session where distinguished guests, family, and faculty members can discuss their research. The creative component of the CIRM Creativity program includes a series of workshops that promote different forms of creativity as well as scientific field trips around Los Angeles. The students attended four separate workshops. The first was a marketing workshop that explained the importance of target marketing and brand image perception created through effective advertising. The second workshop focused on public speaking and the importance of body language. The third workshop focused on professionalism and online etiquette, including email etiquette. The final workshop was in two sections; the first was on understanding one’s physical and mental abilities, and the second was on the Strong Interest Inventory which each of the students took. Students also participated in the third music parody. The students chose to rewrite the lyrics of “Let it Go” from Disney’s hit movie, Frozen. The CIRM Creativity Students were excited to receive the Best Video Award at the statewide CIRM Creativity Day in San Francisco. The video can be seen at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vz3V44mM5I Students attended three exhibits in the Downtown Los Angeles Area. They were the following: • A private tour of the Universal Studios backlot learning about the science behind different movie effects and television shows. • A private tour of the BODIES exhibit in Buena Park where they learnt about the plastination process created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens and physiology of the human body. • A trip to the California Science Center with group tours of the Endeavor and Pompeii exhibits. With the proven success of our academy, we hope to continue providing students the opportunity to have hands on research in their high school and college career. Our CIRM Creativity program is making a positive impact on our students and the City of Hope.

The City of Hope welcomed the CIRM Creativity program for a fourth and final year. Eight students were selected from 343 applicants allowing them to gain experience in the laboratory under the guidance of a Principal Investigator. Along with their research, students also learned to use their creativity through weekly workshops. Students worked in a variety of departments, including: Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Research, Radiation Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neurosciences, and Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases. The CIRM Creativity program provides a unique opportunity for students to be involved in stem cell research while motivating them to think creatively. Throughout their ten week internship, students work in active biomedical research laboratories while learning from their PIs, mentors, and various staff. They work with their mentors to create an independent research project displaying their results in our annual poster session and a written report. Students are provided with opportunities to learn through various scientific and career development programs. These programs are held on a consistent weekly basis; they vary from networking etiquette to meeting distinguished researchers throughout the country. Students are able to attend one lunch with our invited speakers; this allows them to have a more personal conversation about their work and life story. Four of the seminars were the following: • Dr. Bonnie Freeman, a nurse practitioner in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, discussed her CARES tool which she developed during her doctoral research. The CARES tool is a tool for the Care of the Dying. • Dr. Eugene Roberts, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurobiochemistry, spoke about his research, career path and general advice for budding scientists. His presentation was “Never Too Young & Never Too Old.” • Dr. Yuman Fong, Chairman of the Department of Surgery, City of Hope, engaged the students in his presentation titled “Medicine in the Robotic and Gene Therapy Age”. • Dr. Kate Sleeth, Graduate & Professional Studies Program Director, gave a presentation on the “Ethics of Research Involving Humans”. She gave a historical perspective discussing cases where research was not performed ethically. Students have the option to give an oral presentation in our student series. This encourages students to work with our faculty to improve their public speaking and presentation skills. Students in the audience ask questions about their research in a formal question and answer segment. All students create a research poster to communicate their independent research project at the end of their internship. Over three hundred guests attended the poster session to support these students. The program fosters creativity through a weekly workshop instructed by our staff. These workshops promote student collaboration and discussion, teaching students to think with new perspectives when approaching situations. This year, we held four creative workshops for our students. The first was the creation of a vision board. Students were taught to think with clarity while determining short term and long term goals. The second workshop involved guest speaker Jackson Ridd, a magician and entertainer who discussed the art and psychology of perception. The third workshop focused on public speaking and conversational etiquette when discussing scientific research. Students were able to examine each other’s body language, mannerisms, and vocabulary when speaking to an audience. The final workshop was a marketing workshop which focused on the power of print ads and company branding. Students applied their discussion and research to develop a new brand image for Herceptin in various countries. An additional workshop and weekly project the students worked on was the musical parody. Students revised the lyrics to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “I Really Like You” and transformed it into “We’re Really Close (To A Breakthrough)”. The video received high praise by fellow students and faculty and won second place at the 2015 Creativity Day in San Francisco. The video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGyLUyro89w Students attended three exhibits in the Downtown Los Angeles Area. They were the following: • A private tour of NASA/JPL to discuss the work performed, space exploration and the Mars Curiosity rover. • A private tour of the BODIES exhibit in Buena Park where they learnt about the plastination process created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens and physiology of the human body. • A trip to the La Brea Tar pits to discover how fossils are formed, the animals that roamed the local area in prehistoric times and how global warming affects species. The CIRM Creativity program at the City of Hope has positively impacted over thirty students over the past four years, providing both knowledge and creativity in the lives of our students. We hope to continue our relationship with CIRM in the future.