University of Pittsburgh
07/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/30/2026 08:19
High schoolers are doing research at Pitt, too
It's impressive enough for undergraduates to do research and contribute to the scientific literature. But participants in Pitt's Gene Team summer program get an even earlier start than that: as early as the summer before their sophomore year of high school.
"Each summer, the amount of growth we see in our students in four weeks is incredible," said Becky Gonda, teaching associate professor and director of outreach for the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biological Sciences. "And we're able to form relationships with them that last beyond those four weeks. It's great to be a part of their STEM journey."
The Gene Team started at Pitt in 2006, and Gonda has been there since the beginning. A graduate student at the time, she served as a teaching assistant for the program and stayed on when she finished her PhD to do outreach for the department. Over time she took a larger role in the Gene Team and now serves as its director.
More recently, the program was accredited by the Middle States Association - which was a key step, Gonda says, to convince admissions officers that Gene Team students come with experience that goes above and beyond other college applicants.
"By the end of the program, they're doing at least undergraduate-level work," Gonda said, "They're gaining these important transferable skills like critical thinking, problem solving, experimental design, all these things that we look for in our undergraduates."
This summer, the program hosted 15 students from across the region, ranging from rising sophomores to seniors, investigating questions of immunity in freshwater sponges with help from Tara Levin, assistant professor of biology in the Dietrich School.
Students tested how bacteria affected the growth of sponges, crafting experiments, culturing bacteria and more. That meant learning data collection skills and laboratory techniques like micropipetting as well as building their confidence to talk about their research. Several students even discussed the program on a WCRT radio show.
Most importantly, Gene Team students each year learn what it's like to really do science, equipping them to go on to other universities or even return to Pitt for the next step in a research career
University of Pittsburgh published this content on July 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 30, 2026 at 14:19 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]