Summer Student Program alumnus reflects on ‘the community that comes along with the science’

Travis Beckett graduated from the Summer Student Program in 2024. Here’s how his experience shaped his first post-JAX year.

As a member of his high school choir, participant in school musicals and drum major of the marching band, Travis Beckett SSP ’24 had planned to major in music — until he scored well on his advanced placement biology exam.

His score inspired him to pivot to a life sciences major with a focus on science education. And to teach science, Beckett wanted to understand the process of scientific research. So began his foray into undergraduate research opportunities at Indiana’s Ball State University.

Finding a passion for research

Beckett first studied animal behavior — specifically, the effects of microplastics on fish populations — and then shifted to a cellular biology lab where his passion for research truly blossomed. He received a first-place scientific poster award at the 2024 Annual Academy Meeting for the Indiana Academy of Science.

“I was studying biochemistry and protein control, making discoveries and mentoring other students along the way,” he said. “It was an exhilarating feeling.”

He funneled that enthusiasm into an application to The Jackson Laboratory’s Summer Student Program (SSP), where he was accepted and paired with Carol Bult, JAX professor and Knowlton Family Chair, professor and Knowlton Family Chair, to study disease models for metastatic lung cancer — cancer that spreads from the lung to other parts of the body. Beckett’s research involved looking at the current models to see how they might be adapted to mirror the end-stage of the disease in humans.

‘One of the highlights of my life’

Having grown up in Indiana, Beckett had never been further east than New York before arriving at JAX’s Bar Harbor, Maine campus for the SSP’s 10 weeks of mentored research and immersion in the JAX scientific community. The program, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary during Beckett’s summer, is one of JAX’s signature educational offerings for up-and-coming scientists.

His day-to-day work in the lab was rigorous and challenging. Yet Beckett said his biggest takeaway was “the community that came with the science.” The staff knew him by name on his first day in the program, and he and his classmates ended each day with friendly, genuine interest in one another’s activities in the lab. The strength and collaborative spirit of the JAX community was evident in every interaction.

“Everyone in my cohort came from such wide-ranging backgrounds,” he said. “It was rewarding to meet these people, to learn about their experiences and where they came from, and to see what they want to do with their future. It was one of the highlights of my life.”

Beckett graduated from Ball State this year and was named one of the university’s top 25 students for 2024-25. He teaches high school science (with a course load that, fittingly, includes AP biology) and works as a medical lab technician at Indiana University Health. His participation in the SSP has brought him new appreciation for the value of science, research, education and the ways in which all three converge.

“JAX researchers are so passionate about their work and so driven,” he said. “Programs like the SSP give young scientists like me a chance to express our intellect and learn skills that will serve us well no matter what field we pursue. Supporting research opportunities like this, and nurturing a passion for science, is more important now than ever. It is a true investment in the future of humanity.”

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