Chicago EYES on Cancer

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has a rich history of trailblazers and breakthroughs in cancer research. Drawing from a pool of exceptional local students, we are building upon our strong research traditions and accomplishments to help shape a new era of cancer research that is full of diversity, different perspectives, robust inquiry, and team science.

Chicago EYES on Cancer is really about building the pipeline of future cancer researchers and making sure that we have diversity, bringing people that are typically underrepresented in the sciences and giving them the opportunity and exposure to those careers.

Chicago EYES on Cancer is a cancer research training program for high school students, for undergraduate students, and also for high school teachers of the sciences. This is a two-year program, so all of our participants are with us for two summers for eight weeks each, and they are placed in a cancer research laboratory based on their own interests in terms of the methodologies that they might be interested in developing or a particular kind of cancer that they're interested in. And this research experience is the fundamental component of the program.

I was provided with lifelong mentors. Me and Dr. Dolan and Kathy and Megan, we are still close. Nothing changed. Their support for me have not changed. If it wasn't for Dr. Dolan and Kathy, I probably wouldn't have had a love for medicine because they love doing research, especially Dr. Dolan. She's really passionate about her job. And Kathy's history with her father passing away from cancer, she loves what she's doing too. So the love that they had for medicine, they put it upon me.

We get these different lectures throughout the summer during Wednesdays, and we're able to hear about all these amazing researchers and what they're doing, and about their lab and what it's like. And it's very inspiring, and you get to talk to them and meet them. And then you can become part of their lab too. So just the networking, all the opportunities that we're given, it's one of the best things.

I am a veteran teacher. I've been teaching for 18 years, and I've done quite a bit of professional development. This program stands apart from all the other ones in that not only does it build teacher capacity in terms of my actual science skills, but more importantly, it actually allows me to build a partnership with the University of Chicago, specifically the EYES team in bringing this to my classroom in a meaningful way.

Not only is this an opportunity for you to be in a lab and do research, but also to engage with the surrounding community. I think this program really emphasizes being a good neighbor and really connecting with the people around you. And I think it's incredibly important when you do science to understand the environment in which you're working in, especially when you're doing research on the South side of Chicago. And so I am very thankful that the program does have such a high emphasis on outreach in the community.

The broad network stemming from mentored research experiences, comprehensive career development, and outreach will spur a new generation of breakthrough research scientists.

I think we absolutely need scientists. We have certainly not cured cancer. The cancer is 100 or more different diseases. We've made great advances, but we need a set of new minds that can think out of the box, that can bring in.

Megan 00:00

Because you met one of us at your school and heard about the program that way. Can you raise your hand? Will it show up on here?

Rosie 00:14

I can see that.

Megan 00:14

Okay.

Awesome. Okay. Put your hands down. Uh, if you heard about us from a teacher or a counselor or someone at your school, Can you raise your hand? Oh, okay. Oh All right, I don't think you guys can see. This reason again, the first question there were the eight of you were up to 43 with this one, so your teachers are doing good work, that's amazing. Oh, and how about just Really Savvy internet searchings.

Okay. So most of you on this call so um, kudos to you for advocating for yourselves, getting out there doing the work. Nice.

No matter how you got to us. Um, tonight, we are really excited to have you, you know, we weren't able to recruit for this program last year because we had A gap year in our funding but we are really excited to be back. We're making a couple of changes as we do the second iteration of this program and we'll tell you a little bit about those tonight, but the the main goal is just to give you an idea of what the core components of this program are what would be expected of you as a participant, how you apply? And we can give you some information about what we're looking for as we review those applications. Um, and I think the most important thing we're going to do for you this evening is to give you an opportunity to talk to some of our current students and alumni. So you hear directly from them, about what their experience was, what this program has meant for them and your white white could be a good fit for you and your training and your future as well.

Should I go for it? Let's do it. Okay. My name is Megan. I'm the Director for Education training and evaluation at University of Chicago medicine, comprehensive Cancer Center. And that means that I'm the administrative lead for all of our training and education activities for high school, students. All the way through some of the career development that we do for our Junior faculty at UChicago. And I get to work really closely with Rosie. I'm just going to introduce myself.

Rosie 02:22

Hi. So I'm Rosie. Um, I am the Assistant Director for Cancer Education. As Megan said, I work very closely with her and, um, Michelle Domecki who you've all probably had some email contact with if you signed up for the webinar. You probably received a confirmation email from her.

Um, yeah, so the Chicago eyes on program eyes on cancer program is one of our many programs that we run and it's, uh, one of our favorite parts of our jobs is is, um, Getting to work with students in the summer.

Megan 02:53

Absolutely. Um, the Cancer Center at the University of Chicago, the key function at the Cancer Center is to support cancer research across the university. So, the university has many different departments, many different programs and a lot of our faculty and staff from across those departments are doing work related to cancer. So sometimes that is really basic research. So understanding cancer at a molecular level. What it is, how it works. All the way through our clinical research, where we're trying to get scientific discoveries and to new therapies. For patients and the Cancer Center helps to coordinate and support all of that. And one of the ways that we do that is to invest in education programs. So that we're constantly you're building the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians. Um you're encouraging people to consider this as a career opportunity for them, so that we can keep advancing our science and keep improving cancer Health outcomes across our communities. So that's what Chicago eyes on cancer is for. This is one of our pathway programs. This is for high school students and college students. And those are the components we're going to talk about this evening. There's also a teacher component. We're not going to talk about this that tonight, but you know, that is also part of the program. And the purpose of eyes is to excite young. People like yourselves, who are interested in science and technology, engineering and Medicine about careers opportunities, and cancer research. We want to get you really excited about these opportunities, but we also want to make sure that we're giving you the knowledge and Skills the support networks, that you need to move forward in career Pathways and biomedicine related to cancer. And we also as a Cancer Center and as a program are really committed to increasing the participation of diverse communities in cancer research and medicine and in particular diverse communities around Chicago, because we think it's really important that the people who are trying to serve with our science and with our care, have a seat at the table in terms of how that science is run how that science is um how these cares cures are developed how they're administered to patients. So it's, you know, really important for us as a Cancer Center. And also, as a program Next slide, please.

Megan 05:02

So Chicago. 25 2026 program. It will start in February and will give you specific dates and things in the next couple slides. There are several key components to the program that happen over the course of those two years. A fundamental and most intensive component is the summer research experience so that is you know, the priority of the program is to give you immersive research experience in one of our cancer research Labs or research teams. Um, we are really fortunate at the University of Chicago to work with faculty, who are doing work across the cancer research Spectrum. They serve, as your research mentors, you know, these this is Cutting Edge science and the idea is that each one of you will be placed in a laboratory based on a laboratory. Research group based on what your particular interests are. So the kind of cancer that you might be interested in investigating, the kind of methodologies that you'd like to develop and to learn about whether that's like a wet lab kind of experience computational. More in a dry lab population. Based research. So the goal is to get you as part of these research teams based on your interests to work in those labs up to 40 hours a week for eight weeks for two consecutive Summers. Um so Rosie's going to tell you a little bit about the kinds of research that we do and the kinds of you know opportunities you might have In terms of type of research,

Rosie 06:22

Yeah, so when you um fill out your applications for eyes on cancer, you'll be kind of asked to think about what area of research you're interested in. So we all of these categories overlap, every lab is a little bit different in the kind of research they do. But we subdivide it into these four different categories. So, molecular mechanisms of cancer is probably what you think of when you typically, think of like a biology class. So it's looking at, um, specific Pathways, um, signaling Pathways cell communication. Looking at different proteins involved in cancer. Um, it really covers the breadth of like, What you think of in a lab in biology? Clinical and experimental Therapeutics tends to be more research. That is closer to the clinic itself. So That can mean that it's a clinical trial. Um, it can mean that it's developing a drug screen to determine what drugs are optimized for certain patient, populations, or certain factors that a patient might have in their cancer. Um, but that can be that generally tends to be closer to Actual clinical application. Computational cancer, biology leans, more towards like computer science, nowadays, a lot of the computational cancer biology research involves machine learning or AI. Um, and that uses kind of big data sets and Analysis to Look at kind of like cancer from the bioinformatics perspective. Cancer. Imaging is Kind of exactly what it sounds like. It's using different techniques to visualize cancer. That can be used for diagnosing cancer, but it can also be used for making treatments more precise. So, One lab that the student was in this past summer was using Um, Imaging to identify exactly where a tumor that was deep in the body, was to pinpoint exactly where the treatment for the cancer should go. Um, cancer engineering and biotechnology that is Kind of along the same lines thinking about how to make treatment of cancer more. Precise using different kind of engineering Technologies. So one thing that is kind of common right now in research is using nanoparticles. Or antibodies. Some kind of like small molecule to make drug targeting in the body more specific and again making that treatment more precise.

And then cancer, prevention and control. Um that is typically when you think of like public health, um that is generally Falls in the cancer prevention and control category. It's identifying risk factors for cancer in order to avoid having Cancer become a larger diagnosis in the future. Either catching it early or preventing it all together.

Um, Yeah. And then all of these categories overlap as I said and all of them we take a look at all of them through a health disparities lens as well. So you're not You're not by choosing an area of research, you're not really limited. Um, We'll kind of. Cover all of the areas throughout the summer.

Megan 09:44

Yeah. Thank you Rosie. A couple of ways that we do that you'll be assigned to a lab that is more heavily aligned with one of these topics or one of these you know components then another but you will have exposure to other research projects and other. Um Your areas through our faculty lecture Series. So every Wednesday, you'll hear from a different investigator and we try to pick people across the summer, who have expertise in each of these areas, you'll be learning a lot about each other's research so you'll get to hear about different projects and different, you know, research topics that are going on through your peers in the program. Um, this is also important to mention like, one of the reasons that this is a two-year program is to give you an opportunity to experience different types of research, if that's what you'd like to do. So about 50 of our students choose a different lab in their second year of the program. 50. So that's, you know, a way to broaden your expertise and to broaden your skills. And about 50, choose to go back to the same lab that they really enjoyed it. The first summer, and they feel like going back to that same lab and having that second year really gives an opportunity to hit the ground running and to, um, You have to advance those skills even more than they did the previous year. Um, Yeah. So I think we'll, we'll talk more like through the whole application process about what your interests are, and we'll make sure that we, you know, try to fight a pretty solid fit for you. Um, You'll learn a lot, no matter what, so All right, so to help you along this process. Um, you know, we are expecting that for pretty much all of our students research is brand new. You don't have experience. This is a new environment new experience for you. And so we think it's really, really important that you have a really strong mentorship team to help you through it. That includes what we call a pi, that's your principal investigator. So that's like the loss of the lab. The person who's writing the research project who's kind of guiding the whole research program for that for that research team. They will have a staff typically, you know, research professionals. So lab technicians people who are staff at the University who work full time. And in research Labs, graduate students postdoctoral students, maybe some other undergrads who are also training alongside you in that lab. So, that's your core research team, they are all there to support you, you will be designated a research supervisor. Who's kind of the person who's a member of that lab typically a postdoc, or a graduate student or staff person who is in charge of the day-to-day kind of learning and supervision for you. Um, outside of your lab, you have our leadership team. So you will meet with us. Throughout the whole summer, every Wednesday, you have chickens, you're with our team. Every Wednesday afternoon for programming, you'll have check-ins with a smaller group of peers and one of our leaders once a week just to becoming debrief groups just to check in, You will also be assigned to a peer mentor. So this is typically a graduate student or typically a graduate student from the University of Chicago. And one of our scientific programs who has three to four mentees that they meet with once a week and check in, with, on a regular basis, or as needed basis. You will be well, supported you will each have your own mentorship team. That's going to guide you through this program.

Next slide,

All right, so I mentioned the Wednesdays so you know you're in your lab working full-time. But Wednesday, afternoons is programming time. So this is the opportunity for you to get to know your peers in the program. Get to know our leadership team. The format of that is typically the scientific lecture that I mentioned, it's an opportunity for you to hear from faculty, about the scientific work that they do and then we do a series of workshops and and other activities to help build your professional skills. Your research skills outside of the lab and also expose you to as many careers and people who are doing those careers as possible throughout the summer. Um so you know one of these photos, the the bottom left is a photo from our patient panel. So we had patients and survivors, come to talk to our students, about their experience in the patient side of things, and kind of giving their perspective on why cancer research is so important and how it impacted their treatment and their lives. We do career talks where we talk, you know, we give people the opportunity to talk about the pathways. They follow into these careers and the overwhelming message from those is about how these are not straight Pathways. People make lots of Um, I won't say mistakes because that's not what they are. But you know, unexpected turns And to find themselves in the careers where they are, um, networking opportunities with people across the career. Continuum other, you know, skill building opportunities outside of your own lab, a lot of diverse kind of programming that we put together based on what our interests, our students, interests, and opportunities that become available next slide. Another thing we focus on today is Wednesdays is skills and science, science, communication and Community engagement. Now, this is a community engagement is an interest that most of our students have coming into the program. Um, for those who haven't thought about that as being an important part of their scientific training, like it's something we really emphasize that as a scientist as a clinician, it is your responsibility to find a way to communicate your work, back to the communities that you're intending to serve. So we try to provide a lot of opportunities for you to develop those skills often in partnership with other organizations, other organizations, within the University of Chicago around the Chicago area, and even some people at institutions across the country, What those exact projects look like or those, you know workshops look like depends again on opportunities that come up the interest of our students. Um in the past it's been things like we tabled at the career fair at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for their stem Works career fair day. Um, We've done what else for the viewing.

We've done some infographics for the American Cancer Society to distribute to some of their patients. We worked with an organization called twist out cancer which uses art therapy to, you know, help patients. And their loved ones, kind of process their cancer treatment their cancer. Diagnosis, their treatment, their survivorship Family night is another big one for us. Every summer. We invite the families and loved ones of our pathway program communities to come to campus to see our labs, to get to experiment, to get to have some Hands-On training and scientific techniques, which is pretty exciting. Um, so those types of things

We get a lot in the summer Rosie. So again, another big area that we think is really important for our trainees to get exposure to and to develop skills and is policy and advocacy so making the connection between what our legislators are doing. And the amount of money that we have available for research. Or the policies that are in place that, you know, impact people's access to care, people's ability to get screening for cancer. People's ability to, you know, develop habits that are consistent with cancer prevention, all kinds of things. You know, policy is really important. It matters. It's related to science, communication being able to communicate with your legislators and a persuasive way. Um there's a I think it's another really important skill set for you to have as a future scientist or clinician, so we have opportunities to do that as well. We talk to policy makers, we meet with legislators, we go to the Capitol, we Lobby in May and the Springfield Lobby day. Um, and other experts in this field, to hear about their career path and the impact that they've made in this world. That's nice. Okay, so after all of this at the end of the summer, we have a summer Cancer Resource Sympodium. So the work that you're doing in the lab is structured to be oriented toward a final project at the end. So you are going to develop and present probably a scientific poster at the end of the summer, the Symposium is open to you know you can invite parents, loved ones. Teachers other people have supported you to come hear about your research. Also invited our members of our scientific Community to come hear about your work and ask ask. Questions. This is really a day of Celebration at the end of the summer, all the hard work that you've done, you know, in these Labs on these research projects, everything that you've learned and giving a, you know, another chance for you to celebrate and to share your work. Excellent. Okay, so two summer research experiences that include everything that we've just gone through. This is a year-round program though. So every month, you will have. Um, every month you need to complete some kind of activity, that is related to the work that you're doing in the eyes program. This will usually take one to two hours a month. It can it is usually either virtual with us together or it could be independent and remote. You do not have to be in Chicago year round to participate in these activities. We will accommodate you. We are really flexible. We know that people go to schools all over the country. They have really busy school schedules. We will accommodate. The purpose of these activities over the course of the Academic Year is again, to help you develop some of those non-laboratory-based research skills, give you some opportunities to do some networking building camaraderie, and a sense of, you know, a community and a team within the program itself. Um, This is also another time where we can take advantage of opportunities to build your skills as science communicators, or community outreach, um, sort of like our South Side. Science Festival was a big one for us, this year at the University of Chicago. And also, just to explore some Concepts that, you know, are really important and, you know, Central to the work that we do that. You just kind of run out of time for in the summer. So a huge one would be ethics and medical research and then cancer research. Um, so we use our book club for that, for example. Uh, so a lot of variety from year to year, again, taking advantage of opportunities that come up you know, connections that we have people to introduce you to and the interests of our trainees Next slide.

Rosie 19:11

Um, did you want to talk about the pre-summer monthly activities?

Megan 19:16

Yes, I Do. Thank you. So the reason I forgot this is one of the changes to the program this year and this new iteration of the eyes program, it used to be that we started you off in the summer. So we went summer Academic Year summer and then you ended on an academic Year. We've changed that around a little bit so that this incoming cohort of I students is going to start in February of 2025.

So that means that you are going to complete monthly academic Year activities before you start in the summer. The focus of those activities is going to be on onboarding, it's going to be on basic research skills. It's going to be on learning more about those different research categories to give you better preparation for going into your Labs more quickly in the summer. You should feel more informed. We should be able to make a very strong research placement for you. And you should already kind of, have a sense of of the eyes cohort, and the eyes Community going into the program. So you are really well supported before you jump into those research placements. That means that you'll have academic year activities. Summer research academic year activities and then you will end on that summer research, experience the following year. Um, except for conferences, which I'll talk about. And another side. Did I recover that? Oh hey.

Okay. So another part of this program is something that, you know, we we've really fought to keep in the budget for this program because we think it's a really important experience for you all is the opportunity to go to a professional conference. So as a second year, I student, if you are in college, we will arrange for you to present your research at a professional conference. So typically, this would be ABRCMS is the annual, biomedical research conference for minoritized scientists, there's conferences, like that, that are for students, specifically, it's heavy emphasis on professional development, in addition to an opportunity, to present your research. We typically take a group of students there every year, there are other conferences, like the American Association for cancer research AACR. This is a massive Global organization, you know, cancer research, across the world. Who come, you know, I think it's like 60 000. People are at this conference presenting their work. They have an undergraduate research Symposium, but they also have opportunities for you to present your work at the main conference. So that's, you know, a very scientific conference heavy on the science, heavy on the research, but a really awesome opportunity for you to need that scientific. Um so we think that's really important so that that would happen, most likely the well it would happen the Academic Year after your second summer of research. If you are still in high school, we don't they're not really great opportunities for high school students to attend these conferences. That's something you're going to have to just keep on your list as an undergraduate or moving forward in your career. However, The last couple years we've developed some really cool Partnerships with organizations that have their meetings every year almost in Chicago. So the radiological Society of North America is one example. ASCO is the American Society of clinical oncology is. Another example AACR is actually in Chicago this year. These organizations are working with us to develop day-long, Career exploration programs for high school students, where we actually get you to the conference. We typically do a panel specifically for our high school students, but then match you up with a peer mentor, who takes you to scientific sessions, who gives you new, guided tours of the exhibition. Alcohol. It's a pretty it's a cool day. It's a really exciting day. So it's another way to get our high school students at conferences.

Okay. Uh, Rosie. I think I'm gonna go through this and then I think I want to stop and do, um, Like, questions about the program and then, Let's do yes. Okay. What's the eligibility? Maybe dates and then stop growing it. Okay, so to be eligible for this program when you apply, so right now, you should be either a high school sophomore or Junior. Or senior, or you can be a college, freshwater sophomore College, freshman or sophomore. You have to be 16 years of age on and before June 16, 2025, that's the first day of the lab experience. So again, we expect you to be in these research environments. We don't have a lot of control over that, that is, you know, just about what you Chicago will allow in their lab environment. And we are no exceptions to that. You must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident and that's because the funding for this program is from a Federal Grant. Um, and you need to be able to commit um, for the U.S citizen and permanent resident. That's where the ice program. We have other programs where that is not a requirement. So if that is a barrier for you, please reach out to us and we'll work with you to match you to a program that you would be eligible for. In those programs offer very similar experience to eyes. Um, you need to be able to commit to a full two-year program. So that includes the two years of monthly activities that we described throughout the Academic Year and then also the two summers of full-time research. The dates for this coming summer are set. Those are June 16th through August 8th. The dates for summer 2026 are going to be very similar to those. So, you know, the equivalent would be June 15th, August 7th for 2026.

Those are tentative for now, but that is most likely when that's going to happen. Um, you know It can be hard for you sitting as a senior in high school, or a freshman in college to To commit to two full years of programming. We just asked for like, reasonable expectations. You already know that next summer, you're going to have, you're planning a trip with your family or, you know, that you have to take a course next summer. And it's going to require 30 hours or 20 hours a week of your time, you know, that's something that we need to talk about. Now, as you're applying to the program. Those, those kinds of surprises don't work out well for you or for us so, you know, that's just a reasonable ability to commit to those full two years. Let's do the next slide about application dates and then stop and then we can answer questions. Do you want to start? Um, Pulling up our economy. Maybe if you if you are one of our current students or alumni and you could raise your hand that would help Rosie. Get you on the panel. Application dates. On our website, which we can put.

I can give to you somehow, you will find an application info packet, which has all the instructions for how to apply. We use redcap. It's an online form to enter your application information and the packet that you can download online will tell you exactly what we're going to ask for. So you can be prepared for that that application is due on Monday, December 2nd at midnight that day. Um, there are no exceptions to that. We do not take late applications. Also due on Monday, December 2nd. We're asking you to find to make arrangements for two recommenders to fill out a recommender form. So it's not a letter. It is a form that we have created and short answers for them to fill in for us. One of your recommenders needs to be a teacher or Professor. So someone who's familiar with your your academic performance Um, we ask for those on December 2nd because we process these applications really quickly so it is the best way that we have to make sure that those are included in our reviews. You know, if if your recommender needs an extension, if something happens, you know, just be in touch with our team. Um, so we know when it comes in, we can add it but it is better for you if that is turned in by December 2nd. So you can be sure that it's included in the first round of you. If you are chosen. Um, if you make it to the second round, we are hosting in-person interviews with our program leadership team on Friday, January 3rd, those are in in person on campus. We tried to pick a date where people are likely to be free and around and in Chicago, if you are not available that day, that is not exclude you. From this program, we will make arrangements. But that is when you know, our interviews are scheduled in person. We will let you know by Wednesday, January 8th, whether you've been accepted and then you have until Friday January 17th to let us know if you're, you know, taking that spot in the program. And the program will begin in February 2025. Okay, so I think the I wanted to go through, you know, core components of the program, a little bit about the application dates and details what I'd like to do. Now we have We have some more information about tips for how to apply like the things that we're looking for and then also about other opportunities, if you are looking for, you know, eyes is competitive, we get this question a lot. We typically get about between 250 and 300 applications. We're planning to accept 13 students this year that does make it really competitive, but there are lots of other great opportunities out there for you. So we want to talk about that too. Um, So I'm going to stop and I'm going to ask our alumni and current students if they would please turn on their cameras. And I told you this was the best part of look at their faces. This is the best part of your night right here. So we ask our students, an alumni to join us so that they can talk about their experience and answer your questions. So please think about questions that you would have for our students. Um while you're thinking I'm going to ask them just to introduce themselves and give their one minute elevator pitch about their research this summer. But Eileen you are first on my screen.Eileen

Hello, my name is Eileen and this is my second year in eyes. So my first summer, I did research in the Pediatric oncology Department. I was working in clinical trials, so kind of working between the research and the clinical sides of patient care and then last summer I worked in a breast cancer lab it was a wet lab so I was doing tissue culture. So that's what my project was on. And thanks Eileen. Uh, Ryan. Yeah, thanks.

Ranya 29:14

Hi, my name is Ranya. I'm also a second year student. I actually was in the same lab both the first summer and the second summer, which was Chris Webber's. Lab, and Chris Weber has like a bunch of different stuff he does. So he has his own. Clinical. Pathology practice. He has his own gastrointestinal, research lab and then I mostly was a part of The organoid core. And a lot of my work there, it was wet lab work. So I would try out different chemotherapies on Cancerous organoids. What's an organoid? An organoid is like a 3D cell basically and it's it's like a new type of Technology that's used to create personalized medicine. Um, yeah.

Megan 30:01

Thanks. Janellie, you're sideways.

Janellie 30:10

Hi everyone. I'm generally. Um, so this is my second year as an I student. Um, my first year I worked in a radiology lab so I was all computational data. I worked with the language. And I actually learned how to code that summer. Um, and then this past summer, I worked in

Basically, uh, it was with breast cancer patients, and it was more of like a clinical type of study. So qualitative work. So I just worked with, um, Patient interviews. Uh, so it's definitely different than my first lab, but yeah.

Megan 30:46

Thank you, Ximena.

Ximena 30:54

Ximena. I'm also a second year ice student and my first year I worked in the Hematology oncology Department with more clinical research. So I was looking at like patient charts and then the focus of it was on pancreatic cancer and like the spread of pancreatic cancer. And then this past summer, I was working in more of a wet lab setting focusing on endometrial cancer and developing some different drug combination treatments for endometrial cancer.

Megan 31:24

Thank you, Aaishah.

Aaishah 31:29

Hey, guys, I'm Aaishah. I'm a senior at DePaul and I'm a second year eye student. Um, my first year, I did Public Health research and a breast cancer lab. So, we looked at a lot of past breast cancer, patients, and like, how their treatment or their prognosis is going. And then my second year I did clinical research in a plastic surgery like reconstructive um clinic. So it was really cool.

Megan 31:55

Thank you. Um, so I'm looking Rosie. Have you been looking at questions? Yeah. So

Rosie 32:00

I think um, I'll read them out loud, just so they're transcribed for people who aren't able to to read them with us during this meeting. Um, so I'll just go through, um, So, under which one of these will brain cancer fall. So that was in reference to the um, Different research areas, we covered. Um, so within each, like kind of type of cancer, you think about, there's a lot of different ways to study it. So something like brain cancer could fall into Really any of those categories. So it kind of just depends What kind of? Way, you want to approach researching brain cancer.

Um okay, is this is the research start program related to this program?

Megan 32:53

Um, so research start is a program that we run also through our Cancer Center. It's a multi-institutional program. So we also we have students who are at UIC at Northwestern at rush and at UIUC also as part of the programs it is only for high school students. It is it is one year long, it's eight weeks in the summer. Um so it at uchicago, we have six research, start students every year they do almost all of their summer programming alongside our I students to This is very, it's very similar. You know, like I said, it's only one year and you it's, it's Yes, it's related. We have an open applications for that program yet. And if you are familiar with our programs, from past years, we used to do it where you could apply to both at the same time. And that's different this year because we're starting eyes earlier. So if you are interested in that program, please keep looking for announcements. You can sign up for our mailing list. Applications for research, start will probably open in the middle of November and then be due in the third week of January.

Rosie 34:01

How many people are usually accepted?

Megan 34:04

So I'll take 13 new. I students this year is the plan and we're expecting about half of those will be coming like current high school. Students and about half will be current undergraduate students.

Rosie 34:17

Is a school academic counselor allowed in terms of someone who is able to recommend someone in the academic recommendation portion.

Megan 34:27

Um, I guess so I like I think we have a preference for a teacher or like someone who's actually worked with you in a classroom who's seen more of your work, who has more of you know it has interacted with you. More closely in that kind of environment. If you have a really close relationship to your counselor, that's okay. But I think I would say get recommendations from people who know you best if that's an English teacher and not a biology teacher go with the English teacher. If that happens to be a counselor who's worked with you for the last three years versus a science teachers had you just, you know, since September, maybe go with a guidance counselor.

Rosie 35:03

Is there a GPA requirement? No, and we won't even. Yeah.

Megan 35:07

Okay.

Rosie 35:10

Um, can a recommender submit recommendations, even if I haven't submitted the application yet? Yes. Um it's kind of like a separate form for them to fill out and then we'll match them after.

Rosie 35:27

Can a letter come from a club advisor. So yeah that kind of just goes along with for completing a recommendation. Um, Somebody who knows you well, Um, Okay. And then if you're a freshman in college, professors may not know you as well as a high school teacher who taught you for four years?

Rosie 35:46

Um, I think we've gotten a combination of both. So um, if somebody from your high school, Can write a stronger letter for you than your current undergraduate professors. We've seen we've had those before.

Megan 36:04

Yeah, that's fine. Again, whoever knows you best. Um and the other just just so you know, when we're asking for recommendations, one of the main things that we're looking for there is to, you know, to hear someone test like to talk about how you would perform in a professional environment. You know, your your capacity for get to see back from people or You how Dependable you would be in a lab or professional setting? That kind of stuff.

Rosie 36:31

For our previous eyes, trainees or our current second years. Um, Did you have anybody submit a letter that wasn't like a teacher that you had?

Megan 36:49

Teachers, okay. Other good ideas. Could be a coach could be an employer. Maybe if you are really active at your, you know, religious organization, like a youth group leader would be great. You know, somebody again, who could who could speak to your capacity to function in professional environment? You know, this kind of settings, uh, people who are not good ideas, would be your mom, your aunt, like your next door neighbor, like someone who's, you know, more personally connected to you. It's Really hard for us to assess. Um the objectivity of that recommendation of compared to someone who's worked with you more in like a professional or academic kind of setting.

Rosie 37:34

Um, so for people, posting questions, I'm going to skip the ones that have to do about like what do we look for in an applicant because we'll get to that after this question break. But um, I'm going to combine a few so Um, somebody asked is prior research, experience required to apply and then for Our panelists. How much research experience did you have? Um, and how much would you recommend having before applying for a program like this?

Megan 38:05

So to answer that first question like you don't have to have any research, like this is a training program, it's introductory, but I do think it'd be great to hear from panelists about Where you are coming from? And how you felt about where you started when you entered?

Ranya 38:20

I can answer this, um, so I applied for eyes after my freshman year at the University of Michigan, and you miss just like a big research school. So I was able to have some research experience before the program, but like it's not necessary at all. And I feel like if I didn't have that experience either, I would still be like pretty well off in.

Ximena 38:45

Yeah, just kind of backing up what she said. I also applied during my undergraduate experience and the only like, research experience I had are like wet lab experience. I had was just from like taking General, like, chemistry lab classes. It was just like pipetting skills and things like that, but even then, I don't feel like I was as advanced enough to like come in knowing everything and I feel like my mentors were really great at being able to like, navigate me towards like whatever I needed to know,

Eileen 39:16

I totally agree and coming from the, another application years, I applied the year, after my junior year of high school and so I did not come in with any research experience. But Through the eyes program, the first week is like a boot camp type of week. So it's like a week where there are a lot of sessions where we get to learn basic lab techniques, we get mentoring sessions, we learn how to read a research paper. All of these were so helpful in guiding by transition into the research lab. And so, I felt really supported and especially with my mentors and Dr. Henderson's lab my first year, especially

Aaishah 39:50

Yeah, to kind of um also add on, I actually came in as a junior as well or like this after my junior year. So I would say that when you go into your lab you're not expected to know anything and they don't really expect that from you as well, but it's like, they'll sit down and kind of help you and guide you through. Uh, those like first two weeks because they they just think that you don't know anything in terms of what they're doing or like the particular research. So I don't think anyone expects you to know anything.

Janellie 40:26

Yeah, kind of adding on to that. I also applied without any research experience and I feel like every lab is so different that you're gonna like you're gonna have to adjust into every lab that you're in and like nobody's expecting me to know very much at all. So, definitely like come as yours.

Rosie 40:42

Yeah.

Rosie 40:43

Um, so again, combining a few What are the days like? Um, and what are the typical times for a work day? When you're doing your summer research?

Ranya 41:00

Uh, I can start. Um, So I actually Had two very different experiences, so when I do public health research, my days were typically like 10:00 to 4:00. And I had a lot more flexibility in, like, where I, where I had to be to do work. Um, but then, when I did clinical research, my days were like nine to five basically every day and then that came along with like shadowing as well like different things that I did throughout the week, but it was pretty consistent. It's just gonna depend on the lab you're in.

Eileen 41:29

I agree with that. My days were pretty similar. So my first year I was in the clinical lab and so that was from nine to five. I worked in the Pediatric clinical trials, office, a more of an office setting. So it was like, everybody was coming in like nine to five and then my second summer, I worked in wet lab research, so that was more. So like when my lab supervisor would be there. So I tried to get there when she would get there and also leave around the same time, that way we could work together. So that was also nine to five.

Rosie 42:02

Um, okay. So what what are some of the more difficult parts of participating in eyes? What was challenging for You all?

Ximena 42:13

I think for me, the most challenging part was being able to accept that. I didn't know everything like coming into the program since I didn't have that much research experience. It was kind of hard to Um, just be like kind of thrown into it but again I just had to kind of like come out of my shell and be able to ask questions and that helped me like build a closer relationship with my mentor. And it also allowed me to like, further my research and then I felt like more confident towards it by the end of the program.

Janellie 42:43

Yeah, I completely agree with Ximena. Same thing with same thing for me. I think for me, personally, it was, um, asking for help or not being afraid to ask for help and so I feel like, that's what I really struggled with my first year, was kind of Feeling afraid to look dumb in front of others, especially since they were older and more experienced than But I feel like that's definitely the point of this program. And I have to ask for help and advocate for myself, and I feel like once I was able to my second year, it definitely felt better. And I felt like I Could be a better researcher because I asked for Um, for me again, like, I was in a wet lab, so, a lot of my time was spent, like working under the hood doing, like, technical things. And I thought, like, the technical things weren't, as hard as like, learning why stuff happens like why reactions happen. That's where, like, the real science comes in. So, just like, reading like papers understanding, like, why stuff happens the way it does. That was like the hardest part for me.

Eileen 43:49

I think for to be one of the biggest challenges is that this summer just flies by so fast, like time in the research lab. Like sometimes I'll run experiments. Um, especially my second summer while I'm over and over again. But one piece of advice that, uh, one of the mentors gave me in the program was like be willing to try make mistakes and then ask questions and try again. And that like, really helped me push through those moments especially when sometimes like the experiment just doesn't work. Especially when we're working with like living cells.

Rosie 44:20

Yeah, definitely. Um, Quick question. So, can TAs who teach the discussion section of a class? Fill out the recommender form. I think that again just goes with somebody, who knows you? Well, Um, I think having one from a teacher, Is is that is that a requirement Megan?

Megan 44:42

Yeah. Yeah, you know, TA is fine if you want to count that as your teacher, If they know you, well,

Rosie 44:54

Um, okay, some of these will come up in the Next part. Uh if you're a sophomore in high school but you're 15. No, you have to be 16 on the first day of the summer program.

Rosie 45:14

Um, which program field involves a wet lab. So really all of them can molecular mechanisms is probably like majority wet lab. But there's still some cases in that category that aren't but that's something that you can indicate to us. If you prefer like a wet lab experience, we can kind of pair you with a lab that has that within each of those fields.

Rosie 45:42

Um, I think Megan, maybe we should go to the next part and then I can We can pull out some of the questions that we're going to answer anyways.

Rosie 46:01

This is

Megan 46:02

The application tips. Yeah.

Megan 46:15

So the application is is pretty straightforward. It's not super long. It's the red cap form that we mentioned, there's a link to it if you go to our website on that, The Intel packet, you'll find a link to it. It's going to ask you for some basic information about the school that you go to. And there's I think I think we had it done with three essays this year. I'm trying to cut back again and make this easy and straightforward for you. So those essays are going to ask you things. Like you know why you know of all the opportunities that you would have, why are you choosing to apply to this program in particular? You know what experiences have you had to prepare you for this kind of programs, and is there anything else that you'd like us to know about you? That's all the application is. Before you fill out that application please again. Double check on those eligibility eligibility criteria. You need to be a sophomore Junior or senior in high school or a freshman or sophomore in college right now. And you have to be 16 before the first day of the summer experience, before we put you in those research environments. Um and you have to like sirens uh you have to be a citizen or permanent residence for this program. Again if that is an issue for you, please let us know and we can help connect you to that opportunity. Um, check that you're available for all the program dates, again to have a reasonable expectation that you could commit to the full two-year program. Submit your application on time. We do not take late applications from the student. We will take late recommendations, but it might be that you've missed the first rounds, it comes late, which is, it's not, you know, to your advantage. So submit your application on time arrange free recommended recommenders to submit on time as well. Um, I mentioned those three essays, you know, for us, we weigh the essays really heavily. So our advice is always just to take some time thinking about those to give yourself enough time that you can write them and maybe have someone else read them before you get some feedback. And, you know, the thing that we're looking for, as we're reviewing, those essays, um, It is a really compelling reason, for why this program is right for you, right now? So usually we're looking for what you're thinking about doing with your future, we're looking to hear more about like the opportunities that you've had available to you that you've taken advantage of. What you've made of those and how this is the right Next Step. But then we also pay a lot of attention to the kind of opportunity that you haven't had yet. Like, you know, if, if you haven't had research experience, for whatever reason, or you haven't had the opportunity to meet someone who, who's involved in this line of work. Like, you know, that's, that's what this program is for. It's designed to provide those opportunities. If you have had a lot of research, then you need to explain to us why this program is going to benefit you. If you've already done a lot of cancer research or research in another area, like you know, this could be the right fit for you still even if you have a lot of experience but you need to make a case for why, why? That's so Um, We do look for why cancer. So for some people coming into the program, you know, they are committed to cancer as a career usually because they have had the traumatic experience of losing a loved one to cancer or they have had the experience of, of going through cancer treatment themselves like Sometimes it's just, you know, they understand that this is a disease that affects millions and millions and millions of people and that this is a, you know, they want to have an impact in health and well-being. And this is the right field because it's so prevalent. And there's so many different kinds of diseases. Sometimes people are not really especially interested in cancer, but they appreciate that cancer because it's really prevalent, because there's so many different kinds of cancer research that this was a really great field just to get some exposure to Scientific research and care. So, whatever your reason is, you know, this is a cancer program, you need to give us some reason for why you're interested in in this. We're looking for evidence that you are ready to perform in a professional research environment. Again, that doesn't mean that, you know, how to do the research yet, but it means that you're going to show up, it means that you're going to be Dependable. It means that you're going to ask questions or like you you know how to you advocate for yourself maybe um, You know those are the kinds of things that that we're looking for so we might get some of that from your essay, we might get some of that from your recommendations. Um, Uh, two two more things that I'll say and then I'm curious to hear from Rosie. And I would like to hear about how our students kind of approached the application process. And if there's things that really they did that they thought were really effective or maybe somebody that could do differently. Um, Two two things to really consider. The one is when you're answering the question about why, this is the right program for you, or why you're interested in this program? What a lot of people do is say that well like I'm a Pioneers program because I'm going to get access to these mentors and I'm going to get Hands-On research experience and I'm going to get career exposure and I'm going to get you like I want all these things and this is what the program is offering and that's really going to benefit me. And we hope that that is true because that's why we've designed a program the way we've designed it. But the thing that you need to realize is that everything on that list could be put in anybody else's essay and also be true, which makes it really hard for you to stand out or for like really hard for us to justify picking your application over anybody else's. If everything that you've said could be true for everybody else. I hope that made sense. So you think about about getting more personal than that? You like why what is something that you could say about your interest in this program or about your interest in this field and how this program is going to benefit you? That nobody else can say. So, you know, maybe our students can think of an example of something that they really wanted to communicate in their application. Because clearly, they did it effectively experimented the program. Okay, so that's one trap to consider. Um, the second thing is that third essay is, is there anything else important for us to know about you? It makes it sound like it's an optional essay, but I will tell you that that is probably the one that we we love the most and that really sticks out for us and it really sets you apart from everybody else. We get all kinds of responses, you know, like all kinds of information. Some of them are directly related to this program, it might be, you know, my by really struggled Sophomore year of college for this reason. But I've worked really hard to come giving us some kind of explanation for performance or background or something. It might be. Oh, Oh, all kinds of stuff. Um, sometimes it's just like I really like to paint. I like to make mushrooms on a Saturday and this is why I'm like yeah, those kinds of things are really interesting for us to know too because we're thinking about about you as a scientist. Are you your future scientist? Future clinician. We're also thinking of you as part of this group and this ice family and what you're going to contribute to that um, Any of your skills and your interests, we know are much broader than science, so it's fun for us to read about those things, too. Uh Rosie anything to add about that about how we've been approaching these applications.

Rosie 53:20

Um I'm trying to think I'm reading through a lot of the questions and a lot of it is just coming up with like how to stand out when there's like You know, 12 spots for What is now 188 people on this webinar? Um and I think like you really covered it. It's it's just showing us who you are. Um, like we said, we don't care about your GPA, we don't require a transcript. It's not about those like scores or anything. It's more about um who you are showing us that you Um, have this interest in this drive, um, and that you will be like a responsible contributing member for the program in the summer. Um, and that this can Help you with whatever it is that you might want to do next. Um, Yeah and so I also one of the questions in here as well is like what kind of careers does this kind of program align with or career goals? Um so maybe I'll stop sharing again and we can hear from our panelists about Maybe, what their goals are, maybe how this program has shaped their Career plans.

Megan 54:36

Before we do that, okay? Just two more things about the application piece, but one is like, you know, I told you, we're gonna get 250 to 300 applications for this thing, do not reject yourself. Like don't you make the decision that you're not the right person for this program by not submitting an applications? That's our job and you don't know what we're looking for. We don't know what we're. Okay, so we read through these things. So your application will will be read by two to three people on our teams. You know, we look for different things, we pull out different people and then we won't fight for you. So, You know, this is a, this is a team process, this is an iterative process so please don't you decide that you don't deserve to be in this program. Um, send in your application. And I do want to give I'm wondering if our current like our panelists have Reflections on how that process went for them. You know, things that they think that they they did. Well, or, or even like reflecting on you, you've applied to colleges. Now you've applied to other things. Since you've applied to the eyes program as well. Like, do you have advice? For people sitting where you were 2 years ago.

Um, I can go first. Um, I can say I was really, really nervous to apply especially

Aaishah 55:41

When I was reading statistics and like, I came to this webinar and I was like, oh my God, like should I do this? And one thing that I would definitely say is don't sell yourself short and don't think about what people want to read as much as like, like represent yourself and be yourself in the essay and just like, get that across and try to be somebody. You're not like, they want to see who you are and what you're interested in. So, if there's a lot of background noise, I Hope you guys can like, hear me. Okay. But, um, just make sure that you, you Are coming across and you're being as true to yourself, as you can be in your application and don't cut yourself out. Like like Megan said, like there are so many different text people in the program and that's what makes us like so diverse and so fun. So definitely like try your best and everybody has a shot.

Megan 56:28

I fully agree with like Aaishah said, I remember I was also attending this webinar I was super nervous like to apply. I was like, should I even do this? Like um, just hearing about the whole application process, but I'm so grateful that I ended up applying and I totally suggest that you apply as well. If this is something you're interested in, I think for me the main thing through the application process was reflection and really, it was a good opportunity to also consider like what my goals were for the future. How this program aligned with that and also reflecting on what type of experiences would prepare me as well.

Janellie 57:04

I think um, for me it was kind of different, I think. And maybe the panelists or the other panelists here, but I applied as a sophomore in high school and I actually didn't get in the first time I applied. And I remember that, I kind of Like I was like maybe I'm not good enough for this and it kind of stole myself short and I think during the interview I got to my interview stage and I actually think I did sell myself short. I think I probably just had imposter syndrome and I found out that there was teachers on the same Zoom link as me. So I think I completely just froze at that point and so I kind of reflected on who I was as a person. I reached out to Megan specifically and asked like maybe what I could improve on and how I could possibly get in next year, what I could do Um, within that same year. And so once it was time to write my applications again, for my junior year, I kind of feel better and I feel like being able to go through that kind of failure. For me at first, it kind of showed me that I can't tell myself short and I really can't You know, be afraid to show who I am. Because I think that's also what I lacked with being afraid to show other people who I was. Um, So I feel like that second time I was able to kind of go more at it be myself not telling myself short. And I think that's possibly, what helped um, even in my essays, I was more specific. I kind of gave more detail about who I was and not like I didn't really write about what I thought they wanted to hear. It was more about me. Um and why I want to go into research rather than just the typical essay responses. So I feel like and if that happens to one of you, please don't give up and try again. But yeah.

Megan 58:52

But it's been there. You also took advantage of our SHE in oncology program then, right? So you had applied didn't get into eyes. The first time, we had the sheet program and Janelli was in that, and it was a great way for For you to develop some skills and build connections with our team and then kind of, um, you know, prepare yourself for the following or worked out great.

Um, okay, so Rosie's question

Rosie 59:16

Really quick, because we have a ton of questions, we keep getting. Uh, if it's paid. There is a stipend, it is a paid opportunity. So we, we pay you to come spend time with us in the summer. And for the academic Year activities.

Megan 59:31

Just to clear that, you know, that that money is designed so that it's supposed to eliminate not eliminate, but help to mitigate opportunity costs. If you know some of you are deciding between a program like this and getting a full-time job in the summer, which is really important. So, you know, to mitigate some opportunity costs for you. And then also costs that could be associated with Transportation and new other participation costs for the program. So the way that that's going to work this year again we have, you know, new funding So ladies, I'm sorry, we've upped the state Now that you're gone. Um so it's 5,000 for each summer. Um to again to help with those participation and opportunity costs.

Uh do should we talk about career options and what are panelists are thinking about that? And how it's helped? Maybe give them insights to careers, or, you know, help to prepare for careers that you already kind of. Hot on your list.

Rosie 1:00:28

Yeah, I think that would be good.

Aaishah 1:00:38

Okay, so I commit for the program actually really interested in exploring more like of the MD pathway and I was kind of interested in looking more into the PHD pathway too and it was really cool because I got to see more of like like strictly PHT stuff, my first year in the public health lab and that was cool because a lot of people in in the programs who did wet lab research, which is also like really, really interesting. But I was more interested in like dry lab stuff, like computer, like just regular data and not Like pipetting and like the other technical skills that a lot of our other panelists were talking about and that was really cool because I got to see the PHD side of things and I was like okay like maybe this could be something that I'm interested in the future and a lot of people I know too will come in and they'll be like instead of doing just an MD I want to do an MD PhD or instead of PhD I'll do an MD and then my second year I got to Shadow and worked with in mdphd plastic surgeon and she was super duper cool and that also helped me a lot to figure out like do I want to focus more on just like D or do I want to do both? And my doctor was really interesting because she did her MD and then she went and got a PhD after she did a combined program and I was like wow this is so interesting and you get to talk to so many different people and that helps you get a lot more insight into what different people's career Pathways look like. Because a lot of people will have non-traditional Pathways even our own like posts have really non-traditional Pathways into their careers too. And you'll get to hear a lot more about that and you just get so many different perspectives and it helps you to see that like, maybe, maybe, if Pathway. Then it start out a certain way. Like, what everybody else's look like, you can still end up where you want to end up. It just might take a little bit of a different route than what you think.

Ximena 1:02:21

Ahead. Sorry. Yeah, I was in the same boat that Aaishah was in the sense that I was between like an empty or like MD, PhD, I was in between those two but I think being in the program for the solidified like my MD route and like how I was going about that during like my undergraduate experience as well. I was able to talk to a lot of people and it's something that I really like about the program is that they do cater it to like your interests. So like this uh, past summer, I was actually one of the um I don't even know how to wear this, but one other people in my lab was actually, um, doing her fellowship in Gynecology oncology. So I was able to talk to her, which is the field that I was like very interested in going into. So I was able to like talk to her and just kind of see like what she did on a daily basis. So I think it really puts you into perspective on like what they're doing and what the daily life looks like and I feel like it just gives you opportunities that you wouldn't necessarily get otherwise unless you're like out seeking for them. So I think it was like a good combination of what I needed in a sense to just kind of solidify my choice.

Ranya

Um, so I'm a public health major on the pre-med track at my University and I also really enjoy doing research because I also do that at my University. So I kind of went in thinking, like, I had to choose between like the three like either public health or MD, or research. Um, but Um, we had like a Wednesday session where Dr. Chong spoke. Who stole gastroenterologist at the University of Chicago. And I reached out to him after his presentation. And he, let me Shadow him and he's like a, he's a doctor in Academia, and he, he literally showed me that, like, you can do all three at the same time. Like he does research, he sees patience and he also, um, Like studies Public Health on the side. So I guess like going into the program, showed me like there's so many different like career outcomes and it's not just like limited to like either one thing or another and that's something I really appreciated.

Janellie

Um, I think for me personally, I kind of was able to solidify every environment I would like to be when I'm older and I definitely was able to realize that I did want to go into all oncology for sure. If that's something I was not necessarily questioning but I just kind of wanted to get a feel before. Hopefully, get my foot in there. Um, so I feel like for me, yeah, I was able to figure out the environment that I want to work in. Also, I realized in my first lap like computational data and staring at the screen all day, can be definitely difficult. And I realized okay maybe this is something I don't want to do and then my second lab was more patient interaction like more clinical data and that's something that was helpful to me for me to realize that that's definitely something I want to do more critical. So even though the first lab wasn't necessarily successful in terms of, Um figuring out that's what I wanted to do. I also was able to gain some new skills but realize kind of I'm not questioning the question it in the future that like solidified, what I did and didn't want to do, which is a really help.

Eileen 1:05:42

Yeah, so like going into my first summer. I was like really interested in working in the clinic because I volunteered in the hospital prior but just getting to learn more about the research side and also seeing how that also could correlate like with the work that is happening in the clinic and how both like inform and support each other. Um, especially my first summer in the Pediatric, oncology Clinic, really affirmed like my passion to want to go like the MD route. And so this is like the summer after my junior year. So I was also doing College applications the same Time. And So currently at my University, I end up matriculating into a dsmd program which is a direct eight-year program. So it's four years of undergrad and four years of medical school. And I think that without the support from my mentors in the program, like I would never have like a boldness to apply for something like that or even want to commit to a program like that. So I'm just, like really grateful and also think that's a great opportunity to also Ask questions to like everybody around, you're surrounded by so many people who even though like we might say, like, oh, there's like MD and the PHD, but like Ranya was saying there's so many different options of what that really looks like. So just getting a glimpse of that, um, in all the seminar sessions, um, shadowing was a great opportunity.

Rosie 1:07:00

Awesome. Um,

Megan 1:07:01

Just say really quick Rosie too. Like you this is also exposure to some opportunities that you could have right out of undergraduate too. So like there's technician positions there's like clinical research positions you know some of our some of the people that we try to connect with over the summer are professionals in science. Communication like another job is about communicating science or community outreach and there's people who are professionals, who do that kind of work too or policy related work. We try to we try to give you the breath Because there's a lot out there that's related to science.

Rosie 1:07:37

Um, so another question that's easy to answer. This will be recorded for everybody who's asking that um, and it'll be posted on our website. Um, you can also access our application and the recommendation forms through our website. Um, so I'll post the link in the chat in a second. Um, and then, in terms of the number of people we invite to interview, It's going to be less than 20. Um so those are two easy questions and then one question that I'm seeing too that I think would be great to hear from our panelists is um Did you ever experience imposter syndrome and kind of what did you do to overcome that?

Eileen 1:08:19

I mean, coming in, especially in High school like the first summer, I felt totally like nobody in my family did medicine, or anything related before that. So, just coming in, I was really nervous, but I think just like, shifting my mindset from like focusing the attention on me, like, oh like, what am I gonna do in this space? Like and these people are so smart to like, then thinking of it, like this is such a wonderful opportunity to get to learn from all of these. Professionals in the program and also it's so awesome. How we have such a supportive cohort as well. And then it just really became such a joy to get to meet everybody and have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more.

Janellie 1:08:58

Oh yeah, to kind of add on to what Eileen said, it's definitely about a fix and a growth mindset. And so I think with the fix you're kind of coming in probably thinking that you're not going to be able to get a hang of the lab or you're not going to be able to do well, but it's kind of like uh you have to kind of ship to a growth mindset where it's like I'm able to grow. I learned these people. Um, they're gonna benefit me in the long run even if I don't necessarily understand like I'm a high school student who's able to learn from PhD students or what? Oh, I feel like Um, you definitely have that support system in your lab as well as With the coordinators for the program itself like you know you have Megan or you have Rosie or Michelle uh all of your mentors that you gain. So yes you kind of come in with an impo or with an imposter syndrome but as you go you figure out that you have a lot of people to support you.

Aaishah

And it's also like um in addition to like the pi of your lab, who's the principal investigator, who's kind of like the boss of the lab, you get usually paired with like um someone who's younger, like a research Mentor and they've recently gone through like the same process of like starting a lab so they really like feel that imposter syndrome themselves and like mine at least did like a really great job of like reassuring. Me like I don't have to know everything and he did a great job. Like guiding me in the right direction and then like outside of like your lab. You also, Get like mentors who are like postdoctoral fellows. Usually. Not sure what age is, but, um, Brian was also really great just like reassuring me and like meeting with my small group making sure everything's going. Okay, so the program does a lot to like make you feel welcomed and make you feel like you know what you're doing even if it doesn't feel like it. I was like I completely agree. I think it's very easy to feel and positive room especially when you're in like such a different environment, like Eileen said, but also like you get so many opportunities to talk about it and like um, Like Ronnie said, there's such a great support system but then on top of that too, every single week we'd have these Wednesday sessions in the afternoon. We had to talk with a lot of different people and we get to like kind of regroup with our cohort and talk with like everybody else that's in the program and it just makes me feel a lot less alone, which is nice.

Ximena

Yeah, I don't really have any anything else to add because you guys basically said it at all. But yeah, I completely agree. I feel like the whole program is structured in a very supportive way and I feel like the mentors as well, like they do reassure you or at least me and I think I looked very nervous coming into it. So, I got reassured that like, it was totally okay that I didn't know everything in coming into the program and she was even like, uh, because my mentor was a female, but she was saying that, um, like like She didn't even know what she was doing when she had come in. So she was just kind of reassuring me that this is a normal like human experience. And that's something that everybody goes through when they just when they start research for the first time.

Rosie 1:12:09

One question, we keep seeing a lot of is what are the interviews like? And how did you prepare for them?

Megan 1:12:17

I can tell you about structure quickly and I can tell you what we're going to ask you. Yeah, so we, we bring everybody together on the same day because we do a really quick question to answer session. Info session that is just so, everybody hears and gets to ask like here's the same questions and here's the same answers, then we bring our alumni and students back Google sit with you so you can ask them more questions while we invite you in for a 10-minute individual interview. So each of you will be interviewed individually by two members of our team. Usually, what we ask is, how did you get to campus today? That's kind of our way of figuring out like, you know, are you going to have a hard time getting to, and from campus, we have people coming from the whole Chicago area. Some also, you know, coming from out of state Um, but how did you get to campus just to make sure this is a feasible thing for you? Why are you here, why did you apply this program? Why do you want to do this? What are you most excited about based on everything you do to the program? What are you apprehensive about? Do you have any concerns? What kind of research do you? Think you want to do and is there anything else you want us to know? That's the whole interview. Tell us about what it was like for you ladies.

Ranya 1:13:27

Um, so I was in Michigan while I was having my interview. So mine was a little bit different. Mine was on Zoom, but it was pretty much like the same questions. Megan was asking just like an individual basis.

Aaishah 1:13:41

Um yeah. Uh I had my interview on Zoom actually, but it was it was really nice. I was just really, really nervous beforehand. So I definitely say practice and prep, I prepped with my friend beforehand and um, I just tried to like review. What I was gonna say. I ended up not really saying, well I planned to play in the interview but it went. Okay. As long as you just like, try to calm down and like express yourself and be yourself in the interview.

Janellie

Yeah, I agree with Aisha. Mine was also on Zoom so I didn't have like the whole in-person experience, but I did also practice with my roommates a little bit and I also think that it not going exactly the way that you practice makes it a little bit better, just because your authenticity and like, genuineness actually comes across a little bit better. In my opinion, I felt like I was actually able to like connect with Megan when I was interviewing my first time around. Yeah I agree. I think my my first interview was online and I feel like I prepped so much that when they asked me some questions, I was like oh I didn't prep for this one so it kind of made me nervous and Almost lose my train of thought because I didn't necessarily know how to compile since it wasn't in my prepared script. Um, But I think the second one well it was in person so I kind of had to be authentic. It's not like I could Of notes next to me or try to remember what I was going to say. So I kind of not necessarily that I didn't stress it because of course, I was nervous but I didn't really prepare anything. It was more so that I just let my authentic self run and I kind of just thought of it as like if I'm into being the program it'll be. And that's why I just have to believe that I can do it without necessarily having to do like a mock prep interview. Um, about questions that I Think they'll ask me.

Eileen

Yeah, so my interview process is a little bit different because I was in person And I don't know if it's going to be the same this year but we were in gcis. So we were in like a smaller room waiting area and I got to meet so many of the other applicants. During like waiting for the interview process and that we also had a eyes like alumni who was there too. So I think for me I wish something that I remember doing was like, coming up with questions to ask beforehand, as well, which is really helpful and it was also wonderful to also meet like the other program applicants as well. And I remember still like two of them that I met there. Became my friends in the program and we're still really close to this day.

Rosie 1:16:16

Awesome. So I'm gonna fly through some more like Logistics questions and then we can get to our last slide. Talking about other opportunities. Um, both at uchicago and Throughout, I mean, nationally even Um so is there a field of research that heavily aligns with the policy aspect of the program? Um so that really again will kind of depend on your research interests and we would pair you with a lab that can meet those those goals. So we would try to align that closely with your goals. I wouldn't say one specifically. Aligns with policy. Uh, will the program run on weekends? No. Easy. Um can we apply

Megan 1:17:00

One exception? Sorry. Might like the one exception might be some of our enrichment activities over the course of the Academic Year like our South Side science festivals on a Saturday. But you know, if you can't do that we'll work around that. Yeah, in the summer.

Rosie 1:17:13

No. Yeah. In Terms of your summer research. It won't be on weekends. Um, can we apply for both eyes and research start? So um, We mentioned those, you might not have been on at the time, but, um, Your eyes application can be considered for research start. If you are eligible for both, you would just need to select that on the research start application when it opens later. Um, if you live outside of Chicago, can you schedule a virtual meeting for the interview round? Um, yes.

Can the summer research be later presented in a different science fair. Um, yeah. So we actually we encourage it. I think in these slides, we had a photo of Rania presenting at University of Michigan. Um, so As long as your lab approves of it, and we know about it so that we can celebrate you. Um, You're encouraged to present your, your research. More widely. And that's why we encourage those conference attendance as well.

Um, is there housing available? No. So um That's why we kind of. Ask you about your interviews, how you got here? To make sure you'll actually be able to get to campus.

Um, is there help for alumni of the program in terms of providing resources to study for the MCAT connections for residency or programs of study? So, we're not directly like a med school prep program, um, but we provide a lot of support on going for our, um, Pathway program trainees for as long as they'll, let us be involved. Um we write a lot of letters of recommendation. We're always happy to connect for informational interviews and things like that, but we don't have specific resources for studying for themcat or things like that.

Um, if you're a dual enrolled for high school and college classes, if you're a high school student, you would be applying as a high school student. Even if you're taking college classes at the same time,

Um, Okay. We'll talk more about the programs. Two letters of recommendations. Is that a maximum or the requirement? Um, two letters of recommendation is the requirement

How much do you travel on campus? But

Megan 1:19:34

Also the maximum.

Rosie 1:19:35

Yes, both. It is both the maximum and the requirement. Um, if you will only look at the first two. Yes, yeah, yeah.

Megan 1:19:42

Do not ask for more.

Rosie 1:19:43

Yeah. Please don't

Megan 1:19:44

Send us things. We don't ask for. Yeah. We won't look at it

Rosie 1:19:48

So much reading.

How much do you have to travel on campus during the summer and school year? Um, so I think that means like getting to campus Um you're expected to be in person everyday of the summer, the school year as Megan mentioned, most of the programming during the Academic Year is virtual. And if it's going to be in person, you'll have plenty of notice. And we understand that, you know, especially if you're in college, you might not be based in Chicago and so we have virtual options available. For those programming opportunities. Um is lunch provided. So we provide lunch during the boot camp week during our training and then On Wednesdays during our Wednesday workshops. But when you're in the lab you're expected to Bring your lunch, eat lunch with your lab mates. Um, Kind of, Just independently.

Rosie 1:20:49

Um, Okay.

Rosie 1:20:55

And then, oh, are there two symposiums for the separate Summers? Um, or is there one for both Summers? Um, there's one at the end of each summer.

Are you able to miss a week due to a sports competition?

Um, so is it is it two days Megan or three days?

Megan 1:21:17

Um, so we know you're all busy, we know you are involved in a ton of different things. This is a really fast summer. My panelists. Could tell you eight weeks goes by in a Flash and especially to be able to Get a project at the end of it, like, we need you to be there for the whole summer. So we do allow you two days, no questions asked for, you know, sickness for emergencies, you have like a competition. Anything more than that, it's a problem. It's really hard to catch up. If, you know, of something that could potentially come up in the eight weeks in the summer, that is something to talk with us about during the interview If it is possible like and we can make a reasonable accommodation, we will try to do that. But if you tell us about it after you're enrolled after you're onboarded, after your match of the mentor and we're expecting you on campus in two weeks. It it's really, really hard to do. So if you think that's a possibility, if you still want participate in this program, you know, let's have that conversation when you're interviewing for the program, but you need to let us know through that process.

Rosie 1:22:26

That's all I

Megan 1:22:26

Had to say about that.

Rosie 1:22:29

Um, somebody said they can't find the link. I don't know if you guys can see it in the chat, um, but Um, if you can't find the link, um, just search uchicago eyes on cancer and you will be able to find the program website and that has the application links in it. Um, I think for the most part, we are ready to go to the next slide. So, To talk about other opportunities.

Megan 1:23:01

Um, so we want you to apply this program. We think this program is great but we are not the only great program and, you know, we we can only take 13, we'd like to take more, we just we have a capacity issue and a funding issue. So Um, we want to make sure that if this is something that you want to do, you need to know that there are lots of other great opportunities out there and you should be applying for as many of them, as are interesting to you so uchicago, Cancer Center runs several pathway programs. We have our Shannon oncology program and our research start program for high school students. See our high school student, you'll check those out. You can also apply to those as Rosie said. The applications for those are very, very similar. There will be a box when you open up those applications where you can just copy and paste your Chicago eyes on cancer, but we'll figure out a way for you to do that. So you don't have to redo applications twice. So those are our two high school programs, diversity and cancer. Research is a program for undergraduate students. If you are currently a junior or a sophomore and undergrad that program is for you, we also have the Michelle LeBeau fellowship program. We have other options and opportunities for you through our Cancer Center. There are other summer programs at Cancer Centers in Chicago with UIC and Northwestern both have fantastic education programs through their Cancer Centers just like we do check out

Megan 1:24:19

Their Websites. There is a UIUC, there's a worldwide Youth and Science engineering program. Um, one summer, like, Chicago is another thing that you should be looking at after school matters. If you are a high school student has stem programming at all different levels, um, I think throughout the Academic year, but also in the summer. So, these are some things that you can look up. Take a screenshot this page. Um, there are also databases where you can search for other opportunities. So, uchicago stem for everyone is a site that I think has all of our programs at all. Different training levels available to you, you know, in our biological sciences division, which is where the Cancer Center lives. But also, in our physical sciences, and you across other Departments of the University, Rapid Illinois, I do not remember what the FN stands for, but that is a database that's being developed through a team at UIC. That is focused on careers in in medical Sciences. High school college. All different great. I think even Elementary School, they have, you know, listings of summer camp, summer programs, and giving job opportunities, my shy. My future is another one. And that's just a Chicago. Focus leadership Alliance is for undergraduate students. That's a coalition of I think, over 50 undergraduate institutions, including the University of Chicago. Yale Brown, you know, UCLA like programs, all over the country. Many of them offering residential opportunities. So if you are a college student interested in doing any kind of research, so, this isn't even just biomedical research. They also do Humanities and social sciences leadership Alliance would be a great thing for you to check out the Southside stem landscape. Rosie. I don't remember where that one is.

Rosie 1:25:58

Um, it's just another resource that kind of tracks opportunities available. On the south side of Chicago or nearby. Okay, so that's that's

Megan 1:26:06

More like a localized one. The American Cancer Society is a National Organization. They have a center for diversity and cancer research training. Um, they have high school programs and undergraduate programs across the country, some of their undergraduate, programs are residential. So if you are in Chicago or somewhere else, and you want to go experience, you know, a different institution, a different city for a summer, you know, those opportunities are available to you. The American Association for cancer research is another one that page is a little more challenging to navigate, but they try to keep a database of cancer-focused research programs for high school and college students. Also, some of those are residential most of these that I'm talking about are paid opportunities. They're like, they, they have the same mission that we do to eliminate some of those opportunity and participation costs. So there's a lot of stuff out there, a lot of cool teams, you know, a lot of really great opportunities for you. Um, so apply to multiple ones because they are competitive but again, don't don't you decide that you don't deserve to be a part of them? Apply. And take advantage of that. Uh, Anything else about that Rosie? Oh, somebody asked about so on the application there's a little box that asks if it's okay for us to share your information with um, Our partners who are offering similar opportunities that that will be like your name and maybe your email address. But what happens sometimes is that we have colleagues who are starting a new program or colleagues that have low application numbers for whatever reason they want to know, if we can help recruit for their programs. And then if with your permission we'll say, well, here's a list of people who applied to eyes, like, do you want to you advertise your, your opportunity to them as well? So that's what we do with that information. Um, you know, could be useful to you. Anything else about that? Um, can someone who uses crutches to move around? Have access to our labs and have access to our program? Absolutely.

When you pass cards be provided for commuting. Um no we aside from the $5,000 stipend per summer. We we're not able to provide additional support for housing or transportation.

We do it. I think we did it.

All right, and we're right on time, perfect. Very punctual. Um again thank you all for coming. We're always just so um Happy about the interest that we have in this program, we are really proud of this program. We love this program. As Rosie said, that the get-go. This is one of the favorite parts of our job. We love working with these amazing people and thank you all for being here to talk about your experience. Um, your best ambassadors for eyes for sure. Um so, you know, thank you again for being here tonight. Uh, we are gonna work on getting this transcript up on our website, if you'd like to watch this again or share with all your friends. Otherwise please get working on those applications and get them in by December. 2nd 11, 59 p.m.

Can't wait to read them. Yep. Thanks everybody. Good night. All right, bye.