This is a full immersion experience where students live on campus in the university dorms, spend their weekdays working in university laboratories, and their weekends hiking, visiting beaches, parks and culturally significant places around the island of Oahu, Hawaii in the U.S.

Summer of 2023 marks the 9th year Wells students entered the CTAHR labs, working under research professors, aiding PhD and Master’s level graduate students carry out their research addressing global and local challenges faced in tropical agriculture. 

From sequencing genomes of pathogenic bacteria, to dissecting maize plants, to measuring compounds and compositions of tropical foods, the labs give students first hand experience in high-level investigations that have real-world implications for our food systems. Their reflections below give insight into the spark of lifelong learning provided by this summer travel opportunity.

Students Reflect on the Life-Long Learning 

I had an opportunity to visit Hawaii for six weeks for a science program and had new experiences while doing lab and outside activities. I used dry matter, acidic detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and gross energy to analyze nutrients. In addition, I learned how to identify cell patterns, structures, and tissues by hematoxylin and eosin staining. It was meaningful to have time for in-depth questions and answers about what I was curious about up close, and it was a good opportunity and experience for me to gain expertise. Also, it was worthwhile to meet and communicate with people from many different cultures and make good memories.

– Seeun (Ally) Gu (â„… 2025)

This summer was a great summer as it was a great experience which brought the best out of me. I was able to gain great experience in working in the labs. In the labs I was able to learn how to do things like running PCR’s, gel amplification, colony PCR confirmation, plasmid extraction and much more. Working in the lab wasn’t the only thing we did as we were able to explore the island of Oahu by doing various activities like surfing, hiking, shopping and much more. On this trip, I felt I was able to bond closer to the other people who I went with and this made us all really close to one another as we were united. This trip also helped me grow more as an individual in the sense where I became more independent and less dependent on others. This summer will always be one of my most memorable ones and I hope the others who go in the future years will be able to have a great experience, too. 

– Veeranan Luthra (â„… 2026)

Hawaii Summer Camp 2023 lasted six weeks in total. I’ve learned a lot over my six weeks in Hawaii, both inside and outside the lab. I learned about many different aspects of phytobacteriology in the lab, but the different stages involved in PCR (polymerase chain reaction), DNA extraction, Gel elution are some experiments I will never forget. During our six-week stay in Hawaii, we had free time after lab and on the weekends to explore the island.This helped me grow as a person, helped me learn how to follow directions, and helped me become a “leader” to my friends. On top of that, I consider myself really fortunate to be learning volleyball in Hawaii and receiving training in skills like blocking that I was unable to fully learn back in Thailand. This summer will always be one of my favorite memories with all eight students that had taken part in the summer science camp. Overall, I’ve changed a lot as a person and learned a lot of new things, and having this experience has helped me develop as a person who is beginning to be humble and open-minded.

– Jimin An (â„… 2025) 

During the summer, I spent my time in Dr. Muszynski’s lab and I learned a lot of different things and had a lot of different experiences. There were three main things that I learned during the summer. First was dissection of plants. It helped me with my technique because if I want to become a doctor, then dissection would be a really important part of it and I feel that dissection has given me tons of experience. The next thing that I have learned is DNA extraction. I felt that I would not be able to find other places where I would be able to practice doing DNA extraction on our own. The lab taught us everything we needed to know and that made us able to do it on our own. I have also learned how to use the PCR and how to make the samples. I have not only learned how to make the samples but i have also learned on why each chemical had to be added inside the mixture in order for it to work and process. There were also so many other facts that I have learned during my time at the lab. I felt that this had helped my base for science become a lot stronger and I think that will benefit me a lot because I want to pursue a career in medicine. My time in the lab had also made me learn about all the equipment in the lab and how to do everything inside the lab. By going to the lab everyday it has also helped me experience college life, by making sure I get there in time, by making sure I know what I am doing, and I feel like it has made me a lot more independent instead of relying on others all the time. So I felt like I have grown a lot as a person, too, because I had to talk to adults and that made my communication much better as well. To sum it up, this summer I learned so many things such as PCR, DNA extraction, and more. It made me grow so much as a person and it has expanded my knowledge by a lot.

– Alan Khorana (â„… 2026)

This Hawaii Summer program is an amazing life experience full of memorable moments that I will never ever forget. Being exposed to new circumstances, interacting with different people, and trying out new activities together did not only stretch me to improve academically, but also personally. Staying apart from the space and people around me was not an easy decision to make; however, it was definitely an opportunity that I would have seriously regretted if I missed it. The word ‘nematode’ was once meaningless to me before as an unknown living organism; but through different experiences I had as a part of the Plant Nematology lab, it became the most exciting species to be passionate about. Starting from estimating the nematode population using the microscope to performing PCR and sequencing on Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), there were a number of activities related to entomology and agriculture that I could participate in in both the lab and the field. During my time outside the lab, I could fully feel the nature of Hawaii by engaging in a variety of outdoor activities like hiking, surfing, and snorkeling. Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling experiences I have ever had in my life! With all the new adventures I had, the amazing people I met, and the energetic activities I did, Hawaii will forever be remembered as the most beautiful island on Earth.

– Seoyeon Park (â„… 2025)

This summer, I have gotten the opportunity to study at the University of Hawaii lab at Manoa, due to the summer science program that our school offered for Wells students. It was a summer program in which students from Wells were able to actually go and learn more about science (specifically plant science) while working in an actual professional lab in the University of Hawaii. During my stay for 6 weeks in Hawaii, I learnt various things, not just things related to the field of science and just labs, but also was able to have the opportunity to experience what “university life” would be like. Before going to UH, I never really had the experience of working in a proper science laboratory before, so I was pretty nervous when I had to work in the lab, especially since I am not the best at science. I was really nervous and anxious about working in the same lab as graduate students and masters students, as I knew that the level was very different from my own understanding and level of science. Talking more about our lab, our labs were more on the side of plant science, such as agriculture. My lab specifically was researching Tropical plants and soil sciences. In this lab, I was able to learn many different new types of plants and allowed me to further understand how and why specific plants form this way. We were able to learn about mechanisms of the many different types of plant all around the world, and we had also researched about how the flowering time of plants are different depending on their inbreds, and many more. Our lab really liked corn, as our lab researched and studied mutant forms of corn with different types of leaves. With many different types of leaf shapes and its appearance, the corn can be very different with each other in different ways. In order for us to further understand this scientific process, we had done many experiments and lab work with corn. We did many different experiments such as PCR, DNA extraction, dissection, and many more. We had to extract DNA from different types of corn that have different types of inbreds. In order to do this, we had gotten parts of different types of corn leafs before they fully grew as a grown up corn. I had extracted DNA by through the process of DNA extraction which included grinding the leaf, pipetting different liquids in order to actually be able to extract the DNA and more.

I had also learnt how to do PCR, which was a scientific process in order to look at the results of our DNA that we extracted. However, my favorite thing that I learnt during the summer was dissection. Dissection is a process in which you dissect plants in order to find the things you are looking for in the plant. In my case, I had to dissect a corn leaf before it turned into a corn, in order to find the stage of the meristem. I probably dissected about more than 80 corn plants during the summer, and although it was really tiring to do, it was definitely one of the best things I learnt and did during the summer. I also had the opportunity to be able to go to the lab’s greenhouses and the corn farm, which allowed me to know what it was like working in a farm as well. My graduate students even took me out for lunch and some of us even had dinner together and surfed together! It was one of the best times I’ve had in my life, and in the future, I would like other Wells students to have the same experience I had, as it was a really good experience as well as a new challenging step for me in life. I would really like to thank the school, Ms.Katherine, and my parents for allowing me to have this opportunity to happen. I hope I will get to meet my professor and the lab members again one day, as I already miss going to the lab and doing lab work everyday! Thank you so much once again!

– Anne Fukuura (â„… 2026)

Hawaii was a great experience for me. It is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a field that isn’t offered at our school. I was able to explore nutritional animal science which was related to poultry feed.  I learned things from the lab and I was able to incorporate it into my IB life.

– Puard Kasemsuk (â„… 2024)

More has happened in these 6 weeks than the past semester of this year. Hawaii was a wonderful experience, I was able to experience things I’ve never considered doing. Flying 17 hours away from home and living alone for 40 days, surfing at Waikiki beach, hiking up Koko Head, snorkeling at Hanauma bay, all of which were very new and exciting for me. Being able to be so close in touch with nature was, in my opinion, the most worthy aspect of this trip. By all means, working in the lab was equally rewarding. 

At UH, I worked in a food bioactive compound lab, in which I learned how to extract and test for total phenolic compounds in different samples, then interpreting the data (a LOT of math) to make it more applicable for the general public. Fortunately, I was able to work on an individual project during my time there; I worked with Hawaiian pineapples and used several tests to determine the amount of phenolics, sugar, or water content per gram of pineapple. I really enjoyed the talks with my professor and conversations with my graduate student, as they helped me understand the life of a scientist. Additionally, I was able to attend several seminars and defenses which allowed me to meet more people and essentially watch how academic research is evaluated. Overall it was a great time, and I miss it already. 

– Krittika (Grace) Luangyot (â„… 2025)

Some of our students stepped out of their comfort zone and tried various activities, including hiking in the mountains and surfing in the cool Pacific waters at Waikiki beach. 

Acknowledgements (Shout outs!)

We must give our greatest thanks to all the faculty and staff, the graduate and undergraduate students at UH who opened their labs, projects, and hearts to our ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ students this past summer. It is their generosity and willingness to take on these high school students that Wells students experience inquiry and exploration in science, as well as making real world connections, and building important soft skills in learning how to work with others. Also, many thanks to our Head of School, Mr. Ray, for keeping committed to providing this opportunity through the collaborative efforts with his former Hawaii student, Clesson. Thanks to Clesson Higashi for helping continue this once in a lifetime experience for our students here in Thailand to visit the U.S. and work in university labs. We also couldn’t experience the fullness of Hawaii without our friends there, Amber and Justin, who both were graduates of UH CTAHR and have continued to help us see the beauty of Oahu and get beyond the city life. Thank you everyone!

Students are happy and nostalgic as they are saying farewell to Oahu island after their summer in the UH science labs and exploring the nature and culture of the unique U.S. state of Hawaii. 

Hikes for sunrise views of the Pacific ocean, tourist attractions like the popular Hawaiian shaved ice and famous Waikiki beach are among the many trips that students took on their weekend breaks from the science labs at UH. 

University of Hawaii (UH) professors, graduate and undergraduate students, and Wells high school summer scholars gather together in front of the St. John building on Manoa campus, part of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) in July 2023 for a final farewell after six weeks together in the labs. 

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is an organization that focuses on supporting young adults with learning disabilities. The organization runs its own vocational training center that works with educating and preparing young adults with disabilities to enter the work field. They also run their chain of coffee shops with integrated bakeries that are located in various locations in Bangkok and even one in Phuket. A select group of students and myself were given the opportunity to intern for the Steps With Theera Cafe with positions that entailed positions from being a barista, working as a kitchen assistant, as well as customer service and being a communications liaison. The students from Wells that have been working with Steps With Theera, are Hrithi, Rhea, Mook , and Soumili (Class of 2021).

The biggest factor that prompted me to apply for this internship was the ideals and vision that Steps stood for not only because it is a gluten-free and vegan cafe, but also because they provide opportunities for trainees from their very own vocational center to get fulfilling life experience by working in the cafe. Although it would have been an invaluable experience to gain some life skills and experience by working in a real cafe, our original plans suffered some alterations due to the unfortunate pandemic that changed the entire course of 2020. These alterations affected the roles of the interns and due to the enforced lockdown and quarantine, my peers and I had to work around helping the cafe in other ways. The pandemic allowed for us to shift to a virtual internship where we had new roles of creating reviews of various products made in the cafe, writing blog posts for the Steps With Theera website, as well as making translations from Thai to English of interviews, and experiences of volunteers.

Personally, I focused on the review aspect of the internship, where Steps With Theera delivered some of their best selling items as well as baked goods that we interns personally picked out and tested. Some of the absolutely delicious baked goods that we tested were the Gluten-Free Vegan Fudge Brownie, Vegan Chocolate Cupcake, Energy Balls, and Vegan Cinnamon Roll. I chose to work on Tik Tok, as it is a very popular App among young adults, and uploaded two videos on there, a food review video where I tried 3 of the products, and another “What I Eat in Quarantine� video that featured two other products. This experience, although it was not what I initially expected, was still very enjoyable for me because it gave me more experience working with Tik Tok, and gave me a sneak peek into what life as a ‘vlogger’ could be like. However, most importantly I was given an opportunity to help out with this amazing organization, and its cause. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Katina, and Max, the owner of Steps With Theera, for presenting this unique opportunity to me, as it is one that I’ll remember forever! Lastly, I encourage everyone to please try Steps With Theera’s products and support their cause. 

Written By: Soumili Kar (Class of 2021)

Intern Reflections

“During my steps experience, I got to write about how COVID had an impact on smaller businesses, but from an outside perspective. It was really interesting for me to see how well they were handling the effects of the pandemic and I am more than grateful to have had the chance to work with them for both promotional and blog work.�

~Hrithi Bhattacharya (Class of 2021)

“My experience of working with Steps was awesome. I helped them with translating some interviews and some information to promote the cafe and the program they offer. I also did the product review and posted the video on my social media platform so it reaches more people and gets to promote their cafe. I’m glad that I could help them promote their cafe and their training systems.�

~Jidabha (Mook) Bhothirungsi

“My experience for Steps was fun but also a bit overwhelming as I was nervous about messing up the documents.  I had to do a translation from English to Thai about what Steps is and how to become a partner with them, which was pretty challenging as it was a lot of important information. However, I also had to do a few transcripts which were actually kind of fun. Max was really helpful and easy to talk to. Thank you Steps for a wonderful experience!� 

~ Rhea Gandhi (Class of 2022)

Special Thanks

¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ extends a special note of appreciation and thanks to Max, the owner, and the Steps with Theera team, for providing our students with valuable learning opportunities and relationships, as well as opportunities to learn from different perspectives and gain real-world experience.

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This summer, a group of our science-minded high school students had the unique opportunity to engage in internships in collaboration with professors and graduate students of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University.

The students dedicated four weeks to this experience, working closely with professors and graduate students in Mahidol’s biomedical engineering research labs. The topics varied from cardiology to brain computer imaging to artificial organs!

Wells would like to extend its gratitude to Professor Norased Nasongkla and the Biomedical Engineering Department to opening its doors to our students, and giving them invaluable, hands-on experiences and inspiration this summer.

Below are student reflections detailing their internship experiences:

Sasha, Class of 2020:

“I ended up interning in 2 different labs: Biopolymers and Nanoengineering for Drug Delivery and Molecular Imaging (BioNEDD), and the Center for Biomedical and Robotics Technology (BART). For the BioNEDD lab, we were introduced to different methods of drug delivery, and how there were different parts to the entire procedure. The carrier (niosome) for the drug had to be prepared beforehand. We used the thin film hydration method. We also had to calculate the efficiency of the drug once it was delivered into the cell. We learned about cell culturing and the extraction process. It was a lot to take in over the course of two weeks, but it was much easier to understand when we could apply this knowledge into practical, laboratory work.

At the BART lab, we learned about Arduino, which is a coding platform for microcontrollers and microprocessors. We learned how to connect motors, sensors, and LED lights together, coding it so they work together as one robot. We put our new mini robot into a teddy bear so that the bear could move its arms if you wave your hand in front of the sensor. The most challenging part was getting the sensor to work, as you had to cut a small hole in the front of the bear. Apart from what I learned during the labs, I also got to push myself out of my comfort zone, like working with new people from different age levels, both older and younger. This was a new experience for me, and overall I enjoyed it.�

Ern, Class of 2020:

“I participated in the program at the BioSENS lab with my partner, Om. We worked on a project called “Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticlesâ€�, in which we learned to produce gold and ways that we can detect nanoparticles. We also got to use a machine called “UV Vis Spectrophotometerâ€�, which I’ve only heard of in class, but never got to use it or see it. It was cool to see the advanced technologies that are used to carry out in depth research in action. In addition, we carried out research on how to synthesize the nanoparticles so that they don’t vary in shape and size as much after finishing the first experiment. As a result, we found a chemical called EDA that reduces the variation of sizes and shapes of gold nanoparticles. 

To sum up my experience at this internship, it was an eye-opening journey and I am thankful that I did not pass up this experience because I got to meet a lot of intelligent and friendly people, not to mention gain so much knowledge about this area of study. This summer has been meaningful and knowledgeable for me.�

Nimaan, Class of 2022:

“My partner and I were placed on the BART lab. During the internship we had learnt how upcoming technology can be used during operations in order to help the doctors save the patient’s life. We were them introduced to one of the software which can be used, Arduino. The professor had taught us the basics of it an how to use the software an ocde a robot. We were then given a project, we had to make a robot and put it into a teddy bear in order to move the bear’s body in a certain motion.

The things learnt in regard to this internship were way more difficult than our school studies, because it was at university level. After the first day, I adapted and  learnt new things from all of them. After this internship I noticed that I had more knowledge into the tools used in labs and about robotics and how it is used in helping doctors. Overall, this was a great experience and it helped me realize whether I want to pursue a career in genetic engineering or not. I’m also really looking forward to more opportunities like this in the future and would like to thank Wells and especially the science department for making this internship possible.�

Om, Class of 2022:

“When Wells presented an opportunity to work at Mahidol University as a summer intern, I decided to take it as I have always had a passion for this kind of stuff. I spent four weeks at Mahidol in total, two of those weeks I spent in the BioSensor Lab and the other two weeks in the Brain Computer Interface Lab. I always had great support from the other people in the labs and they were always happy to answer questions. This internship didn’t just change me academically it also made me very open-minded because I got to meet a lot of new people. 

In my BioSensor Lab, me and my lab partner, Ern, worked on a project called the “Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles.� Gold Nanoparticles or AuNPs are being used by scientists all around the globe because of its vast number of applications such as: cancer therapy, radiofrequency therapy, angiogenesis therapy, antibacterial therapy and drug vectorization. In the end, we successfully made the gold nanoparticles and we tested it on a “lab on a chip.� In my BCI Lab, me and my lab partners, Nicky and Nacky, studied about the various parts of the brain and their functions. We also did some experiments on the EEG and ECG machines in the lab and read a bunch of research papers. Our main project was to find a disease which is quite common and cure it by using one of the machines in the lab. I chose the disease “congenital amputation� which is basically, someone who has a missing limb and I had to explain how to cure this by using a prosthetic arm. In conclusion, I had a lot of fun doing this internship and I gained a lot of valuable experience in my time there.�

Uday, Class of 2022:

“Splendid is one of the few words that exist, to describe my experience in the Mahidol Salaya campus. I learnt numerous amounts of skills in the internship, but most importantly, the internship helped me appreciate the art of engineering as a whole, and made me look forward to my career in it. Along with helping my grow a spark in my career in engineering, it also gave me a unique life experience. I was assigned to the BART Lab (Biomedical and Robotics Technology), where me and my peers had built and coded a miniature robotic skeleton that was able to fit inside a teddy bear. 

One of the most important skills I took away from this internship was teamwork skills. This is because, whilst working in a team of 3, many conflicts rose up. Moreover, many of my peers disagreed with my methods and ideas, in completing the project. Likewise, I too disagreed with my peer’s methods and ideas. However, as time went by, we all came up with a mutual solution to the problem and we all finished the project together with satisfaction. The following problem greatly helped build my teamwork skills, a skill I believe will be very useful in the near future.�

Nicky, Class of 2022:

“We got to open our eyes and observe a day in the life of college students. Furthermore, we learned the format of a thesis, tasks or research accomplished daily by Mahidol students. Everyday was a fresh start and an opportunity to learn something new. We got  the chance to try to measure EEG and get to see the result. During the second week, we got to learn about research papers and tried the ECG machine. Mahidol students were capable, friendly and helpful.They even shared their experience at Mahidol university and gave information about the Biomedical Engineering Department at Mahidol University. In conclusion, this internship is a great opportunity to learn more about the Biomedical Engineering department. It has been memorable and one of the exceptional chances to explore Mahidol university, have fun with your friends and learn at the same time.�

Nacky, Class of 2022:

“I have learned many things over the course of my two week internship at Mahidol university. I was an intern for the Brain interface (BCI) lab. At the beginning, the days and activities showed me the daily life of Mahidol Biomedical engineering students. It showed me a different side to what we have seen in highschool. For instance, the ways that university students have their projects, assignments, and the way they write their thesis. I like how they provide us some quality time to be able to learn the basics of BCI and parts of brain before getting into the course and experiments.

We also got to learn EMG and many other machines in the lab.It was exciting to see.We even got to try the EEG cap and look at the results of our EEG. During the second week,  we read research papers and learned how to make presentations, and learned about ECG. We had to make our own presentations and present in front of the students in the lab. Mahidol students were nice and friendly. They encouraged me to learn and participate in activities. They even provided us information about their university and the biomedical program in terms of what we learn in each year. .Overall, it has been  a great experience to learn new information that can be applied both in and outside of school.�

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This summer, some of of our science-minded high school students had the unique opportunity to engage in internships in collaboration with professors and graduate students of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University.

The students dedicated several weeks to this experience, working closely with professors and graduate students in research labs. The topics varied from cardiology to brain computer imaging to artificial organs!

Wells would like to extend its gratitude to Professor Norased Nasongkla and the Biomedical Engineering Department to opening its doors to our students, and giving them invaluable, hands-on experiences and inspiration this summer.

Below are some student reflections detailing their internship experiences:

Kavishi Sheth

Class of 2019

The opportunity to work at the biomedical department of Mahidol University of Bangkok for a summer sparked my knowledge about the medical engineering side of the sciences. This opportunity not only helped me gain more knowledge in the area of biomedical engineering, but also gave me a different and unique life experience. I spent 4 weeks as an intern at the Mahidol University Biomedical department Salaya branch. I was assigned to work at the cardiology department with a colleague, Shradha. My supervisor was Dr. Phornphop Naiyanetr, who was a great guide throughout the internship.  At the biomedical department, I researched about the engineering part of the cardiology lab. To give an overview, I learnt about various electrical instruments, electrical systems, simple circuit, gain, the Heart and its functioning, General overview of ECG and how it works, Filter Circuits, and the ECG circuits.

Through this internship, I learnt about various electrical instruments such as amplifiers, resistors, capacitors, breadboard, oscilloscope, power supply and electrodes. The content of the information was high level information, but it was really fun to learn about. Further, I learnt about the Electrical systems and created a simple circuit, as well as filter circuits. I already had some information about the heart and its functioning due to having taken IGCSE biology, but through this researching and interacting with the ECG machine, I gained a deeper understanding about how the signals of the heart maintain the functioning of the heart. Shradha and I actually made an ECG circuit using different electrical appliances. Apart from the Cardiology department  I also visited and learned from the Brain-Computer Imaging (BCI) and Biomedical and Robotics Technology (BART) labs.

To conclude, I would like to say that I had a fantastic experience and I feel really fortunate to have this experience to work in the biomedical department of Mahidol University, especially during this particular time of life, as I would have to choose my undergraduate major now, so having this experience really helps me in choosing my major. I’d recommend it to any high school student interested in biomedical engineering and has a exploring spirit to come experience this exciting and insightful experience.

I would like to thank my teacher Ms. Katina and Prof. Norased Nasongkla to give me a wonderful opportunity to work in the biomedical department of Mahidol University. I would like to thank Prof. Norased Nasongkla to come to our school and give us a presentation about the University, which led me to show interest in the internship. I would also like to thank my supervisor Dr. Phornphop Naiyanetr who taught me about various aspects of the cardiology department and guided me throughout the Internship project.

Shradha Silori

Class of 2021

The experience of working in Mahidol University as an intern was fascinating. I was introduced to this opportunity last academic year through our biology teacher. The professor and students from Mahidol University came to visit Wells to share about the programme they offer at their campus. I interned for a total of 3 weeks starting from 19th June to 13th July. I worked on the Artificial Organ lab (AO lab), which was a part of the biomedical engineering department under the supervision of Professor Phornphop Naiyanetr. The objective of the artificial organ lab is to make devices that alternate natural organs to restore a specific part or function of that organ. Some of the current research areas that the master students are working on are blood pump, artificial heart, ventricular assist device and heart valve. I was working with another student from Wells, Kavishi, who is currently a senior. With the help of her prior knowledge of the certain topics we were exploring during the internship, I understood my work easily.

During the experience, we had to learn a lot of Physics concepts in order to understand the engineering perspective of our work. During the first week, we were introduced to the topic of Electrocardiogram, or ECG. It is a machine which computes the electrical activity in your heart to show whether it is functioning normally. An ECG collects data by recording the heart’s pattern and activity on a screen. We were asked to make a circuit which could assist in running the machine. We also got the opportunity to meet Dr. Riaz Akhtar, a professor from Liverpool University, United Kingdom.  He presented the programme from the University of Liverpool and talked about the project he was working on with his Phd students which was to understand how the nano- and micro-scale properties of biological tissues alter with ageing and disease. Over the course of this internship, we also presented topics relating to the ECG. By the end of the 3 weeks, we completed our ECG circuit and also made a presentation on what we learnt over this course of time. Even though I had to travel for about 2 hours one way, it was all worth it.

Overall, the experience was one to remember, considering the new knowledge we gained, not only in terms of studies but also in terms of interacting with elders and peers. It was indeed inspiring seeing the students work hard to pursue their passions and dreams at the university and I hope to do the same in my near future. At the end, I shall remain thankful to the entire team of organizers, Mahidol University, ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½, students, teachers, and professors for finding me capable of being a part of this internship.

Muskan Manoj Gurbuxani

Class of 2021

The internship that took place over the 2018 summer break, was a 4 week experience that took place in Mahidol University Salaya. This was the first internship I participated in, and it was a great one. A total of 9 students attended this internship from ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½. Everyone was put into groups of 2-3 and we were given choices on what we wanted to work on. My partner and I chose biomedical engineering. Our job was to remake a model of a wireless car. During the first week, we made the plans and we decided on separating the work. During the second week we started making the model by using the guide book and looking at the made model. During the last week, we started coding, using multiple different apps like Fritzing. Our final result was a model that could move by the app’s orders and it could go both forward and backward.

Throughout this whole process, I learnt how a machine functions and also I gained a better knowledge of coding. One important thing I learnt was teamwork, through these few weeks, I met a bunch of new people, everyday we were learning with a new person, either a PhD student, or a intern. Some of the challenges I faced were language and level of difficulty. It was hard to communicate with some people due to language barriers. We used many people as translators and we also used google translate a few times. Another challenge I faced was the level of difficulty. The things learnt in regard to this internship were way more difficult than our school studies, because it was university level. But I met so many new people and learnt new things from all of them. After this internship I noticed that I had more knowledge into the tools used in labs and I have a good amount of knowledge on biomedical lab safety rules and also how to use these tools. Overall, this was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in my entire life. I’m really looking forward to more opportunities like this from multiple different universities. Thank You Wells.

Poorvi Daga

Class of 2021

It was an amazing experience being an intern in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Mahidol University for 3 weeks. The professors and students from Mahidol University came to visit Wells and talked about their department. Also, they shared their experience working in different labs. This internship made me experience different things like building robots as I was an intern in Center for Biomedical and Robotics Technology (BART) lab. I was being supervised under Professor Songpol Ongwattanakul along with my friend Muskan. We learned about Arduino, motors, different techniques including soldering, and overall we gained a lot knowledge. Lastly, I am really thankful to the professors, teachers, organizers, and both Mahidol University and ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ for finding me capable of this internship.

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At University of Hawai’i at Manoa

This past summer, high school students from ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ once again participated in the Hawai’i Summer Science Program, a joint-venture between Wells and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH). During the 6-week program, thirteen students were given a unique opportunity to work with professors and graduate students in different research labs, in various science fields ranging from entomology, virology, horticulture, bioengineering, food science and nutrition, phylogenetics and nematology. This was a wonderful chance for students to experience real-world, professional research and to develop the skills required to become a successful scientist.

In addition to their work in the labs, students were also immersed in an American college-life experience, where they shared rooms with peers in the dormitory, dined at the university cafeteria and took advantage of membership in the on-campus athletic and fitness facilities. On the weekends, our chaperones organized outdoor activities, including hiking scenic trails and discovering secluded waterfalls, snorkeling, and relaxing beach trips, as well as visiting historic sites such as Pearl Harbor, Iolani Palace and the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

This year marks the fifth consecutive year Wells and UH have offered this program, with over 50 student participants since 2014. Many of the program’s alumni are now pursuing degrees in the sciences and technology at some of the top universities around the world, including Caltech (Arlindo, Wells ℅ 2016), Georgia Tech (Namo, Wells ℅ 2016), New York University (Mona, Wells ℅ 2017), Hong Kong University (Sami, Wells ℅ 2017) and UC Berkeley (Puru, Wells ℅ 2018).

Overall, this program has not only been opening doors into the world of science at the professional level, but also has been providing a glimpse of the often complex life skills, responsibilities and independence required of students living away from their home countries.

The following are reflections from this year’s cohort as they convey their personal thoughts about their summer experience.

Yanisa “Ern� Vetchayanvivat, Wells Class of 2020

It is safe to say that this summer science camp holds the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. Since it was my first year attending the program, I was nervous for what was to come; for example, having to go to university and living halfway across the world from where I used to be made me quite scared. However, as soon as I arrived in Honolulu, my anxiousness was replaced by the feeling of excitement right when I saw the beautiful blue ocean. From that moment on, my views opened up and allowed me to explore fearlessly.

On the weekdays, at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, we went to our assigned labs, which was where I got to work with Dr. Sipes and one of his graduate students, Ismet Acar, in the nematology lab. Luckily, I have Zarina, a fellow classmate, who teamed up with me on this lab experience. We experimented on EPNs, aka Entomopathogenic Nematodes, which are biological control agents; they help eliminate pests that harm plants and could possibly be used instead of pesticides. The aim for this lab was to find the right chemical that would protect EPNs from drying out in the sun, similarly, it is like finding the perfect sunscreen for EPNs.

As for the rest of the week, we went on remarkable hikes and swims at beaches. My favorite places were the hike to Lulumahu falls, jumping off a 25-feet rock at Waimea bay, the extremely tiring Koko Head hike, and the secret beach at Kauai. All through this camp, I’ve learned to communicate more professionally with my professors, teachers, labmates, and others. This summer camp did not only expand my knowledge on the sciences, but it also helped me develop as a person. It gave all of us a good glimpse of how university life would be like and for the first time, I actually felt like I had come out of my shell. This once in a lifetime experience in Hawai’i is something I will and can never forget.

Dong Hoon Lee, Wells Class of 2020

The UH Summer Science Camp is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn and go further ahead in the field of science with the provided help from professors and graduate students. This was my first year to participate in this amazing summer science camp, where I was able to live a temporary life as a university student. As I got off the airplane and took my very first step in Hawaii, I felt extremely excited for the upcoming 6 weeks of experience at the lab I chose, which was the UH Honey Bee Lab. It was their first time contributing to the summer science camp, therefore I was their first student from Wells to join their lab. Ever since the first day when students and professors introduced themselves to each other, I became very nervous. The factor might be because of the environment and the atmosphere of a university. However, the friendliness and kindness of people in Hawaii, especially the people in the Honey Bee Lab, made me feel at ease.

I’ve learned a lot of various things in our lab, covering from the health and diet of the bees to its diseases and viruses. There were several graduate students in the lab that were responsible for each project. I focused and worked mostly on the bees’ health, where the graduate student (Zhening Zhou) was in charge, throughout the camp. The professor (Dr. Ethel Villalobos) and the postdoc (Scott Nikaido) in our lab introduced me to different methods in checking the bees’ health and taught me interesting facts about bees too. Due to their incredible support, I was able to learn about parasites named Nosema ceranae and Varroa mite that harm bees and solutions to save the life of the bees. One of the main things I did was counting Nosema ceranae spores under the microscope in the bees’ abdomen, which was the graduate student’s (Zhening Zhou) project.

In addition, I was often invited to the lab’s field work, which was held at least once a week. The field work ranged from checking beehives in the lab’s apiaries, catching certain bees, and harvesting honey. The most memorable field work was the honey harvest, since I was able to learn about the formation of honey and to harvest bottles of honey as a souvenir for attending the summer science camp. The camp included not only about science, but also numerous outdoor activities that was planned by our supervisors (Ms. Chawisa, Amber). These activities included hiking, beach activities, movies, shopping, and a lot more. During these activities, I was able to spend memorable time with my fellow classmates, looking down at Hawaii from the top of the mountain. The view of nature and the land from the top amazed me every single time I went up hiking. It was somewhat tiring, however, the result of the hike was always remarkable.

As this camp was coming to an end, I felt two different emotions. I felt delighted and great for contributing my effort to this summer science camp, but also felt depressed thinking about leaving this place forever, since I will not be seeing our lab people again most probably. Throughout the camp, I realized how different Hawaii was from Thailand, in terms of the society and the place itself. The energies that people in Hawaii put in everytime made me comfortable in talking with them. This once-in-a-lifetime program gave me an opportunity to have such great experiences during the summer thanks to everyone in the Honey Bee Lab who volunteered their precious summer time in mentoring me for 6 weeks. After all, this summer was the best I had so far during the 16 years of my life.

Phantira “Zarina� Sirisachadecha , Wells Class of 2020

Going to Hawaii wasn’t just another trip for me, it is an experience that I will cherish forever. Growing up as one of the triplets, this was the first time I was able to be fully independent. I got to not only travel to another country, but also learned how to overtake new challenges without the help of my sisters, brother, and the rest of my family.

However, the main focus of the trip was on the science camp. Getting exposure from real research conducted by a Ph.D. student and being able to take part in helping them was a meaningful experience for me. I worked in Dr. Brent Sipes’ lab with a friend from Wells, a graduate student, and other lab members. Our lab is about enhancing biological insect control and protecting Entomopathogenic Nematodes against UV radiation and dehydration. During the first few weeks, we spent time improving the efficiency of the EPNs functions on the aboveground applications and finding the optimal concentration of barricade, fire blocking gel. Later on throughout the trip, we continued the lab by evaluating UV chemical protectants for EPNs and demonstrated enhanced insect control with EPN protected from UV and desications. I also got a chance to use new tools such as pipet, shaking incubator, and different types of microscopes.

Apart from the science aspect of the trip, there were multiple activities in which I took part. Some activities were completely new to me, for instance, snorkeling at the Hanauma Bay, going to the maze at the Dole Plantation, and going on countless hikes. Throughout the 6 weeks at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I’ve learned 3 essential things: responsibility, time-management and communication. These 3 lessons have taught me to be a better person and I would like to thank Wells for offering me this opportunity.

Takdanai “Tae� Ruxthawonwong, Wells Class of 2019

The si weeks at the Hawai’i Science camp was an exciting and eye-opening experience for me. During the six week camp, we each observed our respective professors, taking note of what they did and how they conducted each research. Each professor had a different research topic which comes with different projects that they are working on. During the time there, we were fortunate enough to be able to watch and even help out the professors with their respective projects. Through these things, personally, I was able to learn to improve upon myself by applying the knowledge that the professors have given us. While we were there, we stayed within the university dorm and got a glimpse of the life of an independent university student. We had to take care of ourselves, from waking up on time, to something as simple as doing laundry and going to lab on time. These things combined truly gave us the whole university experience.

However, if there was one lesson to be taken from this lab, it is that you need to have good communication skills. Because my lab work required me to communicate with many other people both in the field and in the lab, I found that communication and planning are skills that are often overlooked. Communication was the key part in interacting with both grad students and professors from other departments that shared the same field. I also found that planning is essential to almost everything because it could mean the difference between 2-3 hours of work and a full 6-7 hours of work. If something was planned beforehand, such as making a small screen-house to keep out birds, it would take minimal effort in making a more efficient way of completing the task.

I am thankful to the school, the professors at the University of Hawai’i, the grad students, and our chaperones for making this trip possible and creating this opportunity an out-of-this-world experience for us.

Nathakrit “Pew� Apithanangsiri, Wells Class of 2020

Just coming out of multiple tough, exams, I looked at this trip to Hawaii as a vacation; and for the most part, it was. Going to many beautiful beaches, hiking up mountains all over the island. I had a great time and was really pleased with the experience. Spending seven weeks in Hawaii was a really eye-opening experience for me. This being my first time in the States, it gave me a little glimpse of what life would be like there. Additionally, I also got the chance to feel what university life would be like internationally. Getting to live like actual university students —in all of the three different dorms since we had to move around a little— it was a completely new experience for me. Having to share living space with my peers for an extended period of time was new for me; however, I got used to it within a matter of days. Not only did we get to live like university students, but the science program made us able to work like one.

In my lab I got to work with Dr. Jha, the professor, and a few graduate students in the department. They were kind enough to spend their valuable time showing me around, introducing me to new equipments, policies, and many other things in the lab, which I was really thankful for, especially when most of my graduate students were extremely busy with their personal duties. The lab work itself wasn’t anything I haven’t precedingly anticipated. It was not a lot of work, but many types of work. As my professor informed us, a period of 6 weeks is too little to start an entire research project. So he decided to give me as much exposure as possible, meaning to have me aiding with the graduate student’s lab work, and using as many equipments as possible. While the professor himself will explain to me the science behind these activities. During this process I learned both how to use the actual equipments as well as the science behind these complicated instruments.

We also got the chance to use the university gym which was a gratifying experience for us all, knowing that sports and fitness is a big part of university life. Overall, this trip was an experience I would never forget, and one I would reflect back upon later on.

Sapal Chapagain, Wells Class of 2020

The University of Hawaii Summer Science Camp was an experience that I will never be able to forget. Not only did I get an opportunity to learn and use my scientific knowledge in a practical setting, but I also learned lifelong lessons outside of the laboratory. The drastic change in lifestyle, in my opinion, harvested such lessons. I learned to project/ share ideas, and get along effectively with classmates, and most importantly, learn to live independently. I got a chance to live the life of a college student at the age of sixteen.

Weekend activities such as the Koko Head Hike challenged my athletic potential and helped me to develop my love for outdoor activities. The cliff diving experience at the North Shore Beach helped me conquer my fears of deep oceans and heights, and rather encouraged me to keep pushing past my comfort zones. Furthermore, my experience within the laboratory was also extremely positive.

During the 2017-2018 academic year, I took up the AP Seminar class. By the end of the year, I had likely read up to 100 research papers and the question of how these research papers are made, and how the experiments themselves are conducted was almost always on my mind. During the UH Summer Science Program, I got an opportunity to work head on with an assistant professor/ researcher to see and conduct a research myself. My research was based on propagating accessions of a native Hawaiian plant Melanthera Integrifolia (Nehe). I got an opportunity to design, conduct, collect data, and make a professional poster for my research.

To conclude, the experience I gained at the UH Summer Science Camp is an experience that I am very grateful for.

Kanit Mongkonrattanachai, Wells Class of 2020

Imagine that you are a person who has been living a relatively simple life, with groups of people accompanying you in everything you do in your daily routine. Then for a moment, imagine that you are put in a completely different environment, where you must do every single task by yourself with no one there to help you like before. It would honestly require massive amounts of change for you to be able to adapt to the new environment comfortably. Similarly, from the 2018 Hawaii Summer Science Camp, I had been through an almost exact experience to what I have previously mentioned but in a lower degree. It was on the first few days of the first week when I started to realize that living in the dorm here differed from my life back home in Thailand, as it required greater amount of discipline and responsibilities in every single day to achieve the daily tasks that were being set for us, and I knew exactly that this is what college life will be like. From then, I kept on progressing myself to perform well within the set of rules that were set and gradually learned to be more used to living in the dorm.

Beside this, I have acquired so much more knowledge and experience from my professor, graduate, and master students from the Department of Entomology at UH. Moreover, there was one main experiment that I was working on, which is about using “Entomopathogenic nematodes� as a useful biological agent to control pests. This experiment taught me how to use tools effectively in acquiring data samples for analysis, it taught me how to perform a “white trap�, which is a way of collecting the nematodes samples, and many more. Besides this, I was able to be involved in helping my master student to conduct his experiment by accompanying him to different locations to collect data such as collecting a branch of trees for an analysis on the quality of the tree, which are being collected in a table to observe and see the trend of the tree’s health monthly in relation to the chemicals that were injected into each particular tree. As time passed by, I was able to exchange ideas and progressively learned something new by communicating more frequently with my graduate and master student which was one of the best experiences I have had so far.

Furthermore, this camp allowed me to not only be engaged to the university life of a student, but I was also able to be exposed to the culture and to the different activities here in Hawaii. I really enjoyed going to different beautiful beaches and hiking trails where stunning views of the island can be seen. I have had so many memories from this camp with new people I met, the dorm life there, the beautiful beaches, and many more. Lastly, I would like to thank Wells for giving me this wonderful and breathtaking experience and I really appreciate how this camp provided balance to me by bringing me to experience different kinds of activities every week which makes this one and a half month long camp especially worth it to me.

Suraj Mirchandani, Wells Class of 2020

Those six weeks in Hawaii weren’t just the most enjoyable weeks on a school-directed trip but perhaps the most informative. It provided you with insight to all the nitty gritties of college life: the intense work, independence, and tremendous responsibility. I worked in Dr. Melzer’s lab where I worked in plant pathology, tissue culturing, and the farming of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles. My research duties in this lab consisted largely of diagnostic work, where I’d test different tissue samples for plant viruses like citrus tristeza virus or gemini virus. In addition, some days, I would tissue culture taro or sweet potato. Lastly, every Tuesday morning, I would work in a quarantine room raising colonies of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles for research purposes, since they’re an invasive species in Hawaii. In the process of all this research, I worked with my professor Dr. Melzer, 2 post-doctoral researchers, 2 graduate students, and an undergraduate student. Hence, I attained the ability to communicate with a wide-range of academics, in order to fulfill my research duties in the lab.

The main takeaway I had from my experience at Hawaii is that you’re going to make mistakes. A lot of them. However, these mistakes were invaluable to my experience as it allowed me to really understand and be capable of performing my lab duties. Sometimes it would be small mistakes like remembering to eject the tip of the pipette before doing anything else to avoid cross-contamination, or larger mistakes like not introducing any nucleic acids in a PCR cabinet to once again avoid contamination. These mistakes didn’t just help me fully understand the processes I had to undergo, but it also allowed for my professor and graduate students to trust me to work independently because after going through the initial mistakes with them, I wouldn’t repeat those mistakes.

So in the end, I didn’t just attain insight into life at college, but I learnt to become more responsible and independent all the while being able to handle the intensity of the work.

Achara Amy  Schroder, Wells Class of 2019

My experience this summer in Hawaii was anything but dull. Being involved in 3 different research projects, I definitely learned a great deal. My graduate student, Jessie Kai, was conducting research on the basis of finding the nutritional habits of Native Hawaiian mothers during the first months of feeding for their infants. This data will be used to compare feeding practices of ethnic minorities on the island, in comparison to ethnic minorities in the mainland – who have a different cultural background completely. In this project, I learned how to conduct surveys and interviews that require appropriate social skills.

The second project I worked on was also in the field of nutrition. Conducting academic research with a doctorate student and former professor from Brazil, Vanessa, I learned how to effectively gather information from published studies. We also investigated nutrigenomics, and how psychology as well as economy can affect nutrition.

My third and final project was completely different to the first two, as it was a lab that collected data from bees in the field. In this project, I learned to be careful when handling live samples, and that every life is precious. Most importantly however, I also learned that I am in fact, not allergic to bee stings.

Sunand Sethi, Wells Class of 2019

This was the second time I had been given the opportunity to participate at the summer science camp and I would like to say that it gets even better. I loved everything about the trip last year which made me eager of my return and it did not disappoint. I was given the opportunity to work with a number of distinguished professors and graduate students to really experience the application of everything we study in the sciences and have a glimpse into our futures as many of us want to pursue careers in fields like these.

Not only do we get to exposed to the research scene but we also learn about a university lifestyle. A way to experience independence that we carry throughout the rest of our lives. A place where we create bonds with new faces and experience a new environment all together. This allows us to look forward to something as we go through our final years at school.

I have gained so much from the trip that I cannot begin to explain all the little details and incidents that occurred that really made it special. In the lab itself I was given the opportunity to work on my own project and do actual science. I was able to contribute to multiple papers and projects taken up by people around me and really feel proud of the work I had done. This had given me an insight of what it was like to work in a lab, do research and really dedicate your time into something that you love doing.

Overall, it was a great learning experience for I made so many new connections and just had a good time with a lot of friends in Hawaii.

Sirut “Guer� Buasai, Wells Class of 2019

My second year in Hawai’i was a gratifying experience. It was great seeing familiar faces in Dr. Muzynski’s lab again. Although I worked with the same research team as last year, I definitely learned new things, both inside the lab and beyond it. I continued my work on maize genetics from last year. In addition to that, I was given a new independent project concerning the annotation of a maize mutator. In the lab this year, I learned to be my own research team, as I created and conducted my own experiments independently.

In addition to last year’s experiences, I learned several things through our activities and lab works. This year I had the chance to explore Oahu even more. We went to 5 hikes and 4 beaches. It was certainly refreshing to be surrounded by nature. As I was taking in the breathtaking views, I realize how lucky I was to have the opportunity to be there. Through my lab works, I learned to work independently and skillfully. While applying my knowledge in several fields including biology, math, and chemistry, I realized that although I may be working in one specific field, applying other disciplines such as math and chemistry allows me to come up with a better, more holistic solution to my experimental problems. This lesson can be applied to all life situations as one solution may not appear in one specific field but rather in different approaches.

Since this trip was my last year to be there, I learned to appreciate what I have and not take it for granted. It has been the most amazing and beneficial science camp of my life. I definitely have grown more mature, more attentive and more confident than last year. I have also become more independent, more appreciative, and most importantly, a better person.

Kasin Mongkonrattanachai, Wells Class of 2020

The past 2 months at Hawaii had been an enjoyable trip, full of great experiences and memories that I would treasure forever. Traveling  for 2 months and collaborating with graduate and PhD students at the University of Hawaii was surely a meaningful opportunity. At first, it was a little hard for me to be comfortable working with them, but throughout the camp I learned to communicate with them more effectively.

I was really lucky to be able to be part of Dr. Jha’s Animal Nutritional lab in Hawaii. I mainly worked with one grad student on his research on the feedstuff for chickens, basically to determine how different components of food fed to the chickens will affect their growth while maintaining the cost of the feed. His research can be applied to the food industry as this research can contribute to improvement and efficiency of chickens’ growth. In addition, this research can also be used as a comparison to the human large intestine. As chickens have 2 secum in their large intestine but humans have only 1. However, both of their jobs are to ferment the left over food, as there are mycobacterial in the large intestine of both chickens and humans. Adding on, my job in the lab was to squeeze out the ferments in the chickens’ secums and centrifuge it, separating the samples with different feeds for chicken. Then, we later on checked the percentages of different nutrients using the GC vile. From this camp, I’ve learned to handle a pipette and learned different uses of different tools and this knowledge will be with me for the rest of my life.

Although the main purpose of being in Hawaii was mainly for the science program, we still had chances to enjoy Hawaii’s vibe through activities such as hiking and enjoying the views of Hawaii’s landscape to bathing in the seawater there. Getting the exposure of the world outside of Thailand helped me develop as a person in various ways, for instance I’ve learned to be more punctual and confident. After the camp, I’ve learned that being on time is very crucial in college because it reflects who you are to others and that is why I’m trying to be more punctual as a person now. Another crucial skill I’ve developed over the month was self confidence as working with professors and grad students require us to interact with them, and to be able to do so we have to be able to communicate with them effectively. And these 2 skills will be with me for the rest of my life and I would like to thank this experience.

Yan Fuu “Jacob� Chang, Wells Class of 2019

After participating in the Hawaii Summer Camp for the second time, I can gladly express that my expectations from the previous years have not only been met, but were also far exceeded. This can mostly be credited to how all the desirable aspects of the camp from last year retained, while also being added onto or enhanced by other factors.

Working in the lab was a great pleasure as I once again got to experience not just the work of a scientist, but that of a scientist’s lifestyle as well. I was pleased to see that several identifiable routines from last year were maintained, which includes the emphasis on proper procedures such as the placement of compounds, tools, and even food, the usage of labels consistently, and other non-experimental practices such as retrieving mail or even discussing personal interests. This year also allowed me to interact with two other members to which I had minimal or contact with previously, which greatly enhanced the sense of community that I have enjoyed before. Perhaps the biggest takeaway as opposed to last year however, is that I learned the importance of failure. As of this year, the members of the lab entrust me to perform more tasks in both the greenhouse and as aid to their experiments, in which I would encounter issues in my methodology, lack of understanding and need to perform even simple actions repeatedly for acceptable results. This helped me further understand that within science, failure and setbacks are frequent and are usually part of the process in discovery or self-improvement. As such, I cannot thank all the members of the laboratory for their endless amounts of patience and faith in allowing me to handle some of their work.

The importance of self-induced balance is once again prevalent in the camp outside of the lab, as students were expected to handle their own diet, fitness hours, and leisure with only some supervision. This aspect allowed the camp to not only be one of learning about science, but that of training how to live outside of what we are used to as well. This year also had a surprisingly large amount of locations and activities that were done during the weekends, which is something I can’t be thankful enough as there were many unforgettable experiences on the beach, mountain, nature reserves, arcade, zoo, and shopping areas. I can say without a doubt that everyone, being the professor, the lab members, the supervisor as well as the other camp members and residents of Hawaii went above and beyond to create one of the most meaningful and memorable experiences I have had so far.

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°¿²ÔÌýFriday, March 9th, representatives from Mahidol University will be giving a presentation in the On Nut Campus auditorium from 11AM to 12PM regarding potential research internships for our high school students. They have several opportunities in their various research labs in the biomedical engineering department, and will be sharing the details during this session. Please join us if you are interested in this unique opportunity!

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