On the weekend of October 7th, I attended the Harvard Science Research Conference at Harvard University. The Harvard Science Research Conference (HSRC) is the frontier annual conference for exceptional high school students in the sciences. When my AP biology teacher invited our class to apply for a spot at the conference, I was thrilled, for biomedical research is one of my main topics of interest for the future. I went through the application process with Ms. Norris’ guidance, and managed to be accepted.
When I arrived at the conference, I joined approximately 50 other scholars, waiting anxiously for the conference leaders to share their opening remarks. After the kick off, we were divided into smaller, fifteen person groups and given a private tour of the campus, including Harvard’s Loomis-Michael Observatory and their Research Center. Not only did we have quite a view from the observatory, but we learned a great deal about the rigorous life of a research science undergraduate, and how they manage their lab work outside of their main courses.
After the tours, many keynote speakers presented their work to us. Some highlights included learning everything from the mystery behind the Instagram-famous blue/black versus gold/white dress (no longer a mystery, a professor taught us the scientific reasoning behind it), to how to map a zebrafish brain and the firing of their neurons using a jellyfish gene that causes bioluminescence, to even the creation of the Universe. The speakers, mostly Harvard professors, shared with us the devotion and passion scientist enjoy working in scientific research. No matter what field they were in or what research they had conducted, all of the presenters discussed with us their findings with such awe and reverence that one could tell how pleased they were to be doing what they were doing, and it made us want to do the same.
After this inspiration, each of us were split into even smaller groups and tasked with an innovation challenge. My group was asked to present a solution for discussing the ethical dilemmas of the gene-editing software CRISPR-Cas9 versus its groundbreaking uses in the world. The task proved strenuous, however, we worked together and came to the solution that social media was the only way to reach our modern-day society. Social media was the best vehicle, we argued, to help the world understand what CRISPR-Cas9 is and aid them in deciding what should be done about the moral dilemmas surrounding it. After our presentation, our team was cheered for our well-crafted answer, and the judges seemed more than content with our response to the challenge.
The Harvard Science Research Conference was one of the best learning opportunities I can imagine for an aspiring college scientist. For anyone who is passionate or interested in the research sciences, the conference was totally worth giving up a weekend, even Tabor Day weekend! I highly recommend it and I am grateful to my teacher for opening this opportunity to our class and for her support as I crafted my successful application. It is an experience I won’t soon forget.
