Seniors Set to Spend Time in Nemours Lab

Each Sanford senior spends the last two weeks of May completing a special capstone project; and since 2016, Dr. Langhans has generously opened her lab to Sanford seniors for this experience, first to Taylor Samuels and again in 2017 to Paige Amendum. When Stefanik approached Dr. Langhans about possibly accepting another Sanford senior this year, she was surprised and pleased when Dr. Langhans offered to work with two students. Explained Stefanik: “I know that having high schoolers in a lab setting is not easy given their lack of experience. Dr. Langhans is very busy working with her own PhD and postdoc students, her research, and producing results. Yet, she continues to foster this partnership with Sanford, which I greatly appreciate.”

Dr. Langhans is the of head of the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at A. I. duPont Hospital for Children and is a senior research scientist at the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research (NCCCR). She is also on faculty at the University of Delaware in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Langhans’ lab aims at developing innovative approaches for the therapy of pediatric brain tumors with a special focus on medulloblastoma. Dr. Langhans explained her reason for opening up her lab by stating: “I just like to share my excitement about research with students who still have their whole lives ahead of them. Maybe one or two of them will pick up on that.”

Stefanik’s AP Biology students were all given the chance to be considered for this placement. Lindsay Colgan and Santina DeMaio, based on their academic interests in science, their curiosity about working in a lab setting, and their ability to articulate their reasoning in an essay, will use this opportunity as a culminating Sanford experience that may help launch them into a science major in college. “These young ladies will definitely take their senior projects seriously. They will undoubtedly walk away with so much insight into and motivation for their future careers. I could have never imagined that such a positive and lasting connection would have developed from my own time in Dr. Langhans’ lab,” shared Stefanik.

In her essay, DeMaio noted that she has “always been fascinated with the ability to connect the basic principles of science to everyday life. As an aspiring doctor, I focused my senior year around the study of science, especially biology. Along with my academic interests, I also have intellectual interests, which include making contributions to help solve the issues that conflict society. Working in a molecular biology lab doing pediatric research would satisfy both my academic and intellectual interest in making a difference.”

Colgan shares a similar interest in science and explained in her essay: “Completing pediatric cancer research in a scientific lab with Dr. Langhans would allow me to communicate with and work alongside intelligent scientists who have a common passion for helping others. This opportunity to complete practical research in a professional setting will help me to prepare for college classes, internships, and future jobs. For the more immediate time being, this experience will help me to become a more independent researcher and thinker, as well as strengthen my lab techniques.”

Stefanik, who holds a master’s degree in genetics from Penn State, will work with DeMaio and Colgan prior to their senior project to ensure that they are well prepared for the experiences that await them. “My goal is to make certain that this opportunity is a positive one for my students. Santina and Lindsay are strong scientists and dedicated students. Both have expressed an interest in pursuing undergraduate work in research, and I know they are going to take this senior project seriously, walk away with insight and motivation for their future careers, and truly love being in the lab with Dr. Langhans and her students.”