Project Developed at Jackson Lab Leads Philly Student to Intel® ISEF Win

Date: May 24, 2005

Bar Harbor, Maine – Philadelphia Central High School senior Michael Segal credits his success at the 56th Intel® International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Ariz., to a summer spent at The Jackson Laboratory.

Competing with entries from the world's best young scientists and inventors in the largest international pre-college science competition, Michael’s project was selected as First Place and Best in Category in Biochemistry, for which he received awards totaling $16,000 and a notebook computer.

Michael’s winning project focused on using bioinformatics (the application of computer science to biology) to identify the regulatory factors that control stem cell function, with an aim to bringing researchers one step closer to using stem cells as a tool to understand and treat diseases.

Entitled "Bioinformatics Discovery of Novel Stem Cell Regulatory Mechanisms," the project was developed during his time in The Jackson Laboratory’s competitive Summer Student Program, under the guidance of Associate Research Scientist Rong Yuan in Senior Staff Scientist David Harrison’s laboratory.

“I’m ecstatic! None of this could have ever been remotely imaginable, let alone possible, without the help and support of Rong Yuan, David Harrison, Jon Geiger, and everyone at The Jackson Laboratory,” Michael said. “I can’t thank them enough for the experiences and opportunities I was exposed to as a summer student. My achievements are also very much a testament to just how remarkable The Jackson Laboratory really is.”

The Jackson Laboratory's Summer Student Program, now entering its 76th year, offers qualified high school and college students the opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of a sponsoring staff scientist. Michael's participation in the 2004 Summer Student Program was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.

The Jackson Laboratory, founded in 1929, is the world's largest mammalian genetics research institution. Its research staff of more than 450 investigates the genetic basis of cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, glaucoma, diabetes, and many other human diseases and disorders. The Laboratory is also the world's source for nearly 3,000 strains of genetically defined mice, home of the Mouse Genome Database and many other publicly available information resources, and an international hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education.

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Contact(s):

Jade Harmer, 207-288-6051, jade@jax.org

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Email: news@jax.org