Biology students visit cancer lab

The Sisters Science Club (SSC) has touched the Sisters community in many ways since its inception a year ago. Recently, the club helped send a group of Sisters High School students for a three-day visit to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle, Washington.

SHS biology teacher Rima Givot, along with retired biology teacher Barb Schulz of Black Butte Ranch, and Scott Buchanan, SHS social studies teacher, traveled to FHCRC with nine SHS freshman and sophomore biology students for a three-day introduction to the intense studies of biomedical lab research.

The trip began when the SSC invited Dr. Beverly Torok-Storb, principal cancer researcher at FHCRC, to Sisters to speak on cancer and stem cell research. Typical of her focus on education, Dr. Torok-Storb returned the honorarium she received for coming to Sisters, and ear-marked it to be used to help bring SHS students to her lab in Seattle for the introduction to cancer research.

Students at the research center study a broad spectrum of techniques and equipment used in biomedical research, which allows them to receive lab experience they normally wouldn't encounter before the graduate-school level. Such efforts help train the next generation of scientists and increase the diversity of the biomedical work force.

School budgets today do not have the wherewithal to finance such an event, even with Dr. Torok-Storb's generous gift. Enter the SSC; they raised the rest of the money required to send the students off for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Fourteen applied; nine were chosen.

The first day in the FHCRC provided the students with an introduction to the use of sophisticated equipment used in cancer research, and how to use that equipment safely. They were introduced to the reasons behind the various research techniques using electrophoresis. Schulz and Givot helped Dr. Torok-Storb, along with Ph.D. candidate Patrick Mitchell, who is studying at FHCRC, get the SHS students going on the right track.

All morning long the students learned how exacting the science of cancer research is as they practiced the skills of measuring fluids in microliters up to 2 milliliters (less than a drop of water). In the afternoon the students had the opportunity to visit electron-microscope labs and the watch the operation of a confocal microscope.

The second day the students put into practice the techniques they learned in theory by setting up experiments teaching each other how to solve a mystery contained in tiny dye mixtures using electrophoresis techniques. The students also extracted their own DNA samples from inside their cheeks.

Each day at lunch the students were offered new experiences in cuisine from around the world: sushi from Japan, plus Thai and Greek food.

"The cultural experiences were just as important as the medical experiences," Givot said. "The students also gained insight through interacting with various researchers from around the globe conducting research at FHCRC."

The third day was spent observing bloodwork. With the help of Schulz and Givot, Dr. Torok-Storb helped the students prepare blood slides and learn how blood cells are used for stem cell research and in the field of leukemia research. After a session of summing up the work at the cancer research center, the students toured the city of Seattle, visiting the Seattle Library, Seattle Science Center, Pike Street Market, and rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

"The combination of learning in the lab and then getting to experience parts of Seattle created an incredibly rich experience for these freshman and sophomore students," Givot said. "Their eyes were opened to amazing new opportunities, and with the science focus, they interpreted experiences in the city with a different perspective. At one point we were finding triangles every direction we turned, and they were observing geometry in every-day life. This was an unforgettable experience for these students!"