Journeys in Science Symposium inspires St. Tammany students to imagine futures in science

For the third year, the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center (TNBRC) welcomed high school students, teachers and parents from across St. Tammany Parish for its Journeys in Science Symposium, an annual event that connects promising students with scientists and research professionals and encourages them to imagine their own futures in science.

Supported by the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, the symposium brings together students in grades 10-12 who are nominated by their teachers for excellence in science. This year, more than 60 guests from 12 St. Tammany Parish schools gathered on campus for an evening of conversation, reflection and inspiration.

The symposium is rooted in a simple idea: There is no single path into science. Careers in research and veterinary medicine are shaped by curiosity, mentorship, persistence and a willingness to keep going when the way forward is not yet clear. This year's speakers, Robert Blair, Namita Rout, Adam Myers and Sallie Fell, each illustrated that in a different way.

Blair, a veterinary pathologist at the TNBRC, reflected on finding his place in a field that turned out to be different from what he first imagined. Rout, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology in the School of Medicine who studies HIV, spoke about failure as an essential part of learning and discovery. Myers, a clinical veterinarian at the TNBRC, shared how he found the work that truly energized him and built a career around it. Fell, the first doctoral student in the School of Medicine featured at the symposium, offered a perspective from an earlier stage of the journey and spoke about balancing two passions, discovering that she did not have to give up one to pursue the other.

Together, their stories gave students a view of science that felt honest, accessible and relevant. Parents said they appreciated that the speakers were open about the challenges of finding their way while also being engaging and inspiring.

Following the presentations, students continued the conversation during a question-and-answer session and a reception, where they met additional members of the biomedical research center community and learned more about the many roles that support science and research.

Fell said the event left an impression on her as well.

"I wish this had been offered to me as a high school student," she said. "The whole experience felt so real, wholesome and encouraging."

By opening its campus each year for the symposium, the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center creates a point of connection that extends beyond the typical field trip, giving students a broader view of where science can lead through the stories of those who have gone before them.