2007 Project SEED Students

The American Chemical Society’s Project SEED Summer I program provides a $2,500 fellowship to economically disadvantaged students to participate in summer research at an academic, government or industrial laboratory. An important feature of the Project SEED program is its emphasis on career development and its motivation of students to pursue higher education in the natural sciences.

Sharese King, a student at the School of the Arts and Ashley Vacchetto a student at the Bioscience and Health Careers Academy at Franklin High School, both entering the 12th grade in the fall, have been selected to do chemical research this summer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College, respectively. King will work under the direction of Professor Thomas Smith who is investigating the potential of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/imidazole polymer composites in proton exchange fuel cell membranes. Vacchetto will be directed by Professor Timm Knoerzer on the design and synthesis of peptidomimetic transcription factors.

Professor Smith has served as a Project SEED mentor for the past three years and Professor Knoerzer for two years. Although ACS provides no monetary compensation for the researchers, Smith and Knoerzer feel the program is worth the extra effort. Smith says, “for those of us who have had the privilege of spending a lifetime exploring the molecular basis of all that is around us, there is perhaps no greater joy than to have the opportunity to enable promising young students to experience, first hand, the joy and excitement of discovery, invention and visualization of molecules.”

Knoerzer adds, “I enjoy working with the Project SEED students because they are enthusiastic learners with a passion for science. By working alongside our Nazareth College undergraduates, SEED students experience firsthand the process of scientific discovery and gain confidence in doing research. The SEED experience is unique because students simply learn things the average high school student does not and they have the opportunity to advance considerably in their knowledge of chemistry in a very short period of time. As a result, Project SEED allows us to tap into a valuable resource right here in Rochester and to inspire the next generation of scientists.” King was nominated to do research by Margarette Douyon, chemistry teacher at the School of the Arts. Vacchetto was nominated by Dorothy Java, chemistry teacher at the Bioscience and Health Careers Academy.

Dalton LaBarge, a 12th grade student at Wilson Magnet High School has been selected to continue his research at the University of Rochester. As a member of the 2006 Project SEED program, LaBarge was invited to participate in the Project SEED Summer II program. He will work with Professor Hong Yang to synthesize novel multifunctional nanoparticles for polishing media applications.

The Project SEED II program provides a second summer of scientific research experience to former Project SEED students who continue to meet the financial guidelines of the program as well as a $3,000 fellowship. These students may continue their research with their mentor from the summer I experience or to begin a new research project with a different mentor. Additionally, Summer II students are eligible to receive a $100 grant for travel to an ACS or other scientific meeting to present their research findings, contingent on the availability of funds from ACS.

Hong Yang has served as a mentor for Project SEED students for the past four years. Although ACS provides no monetary compensation for the researchers who work with SEED students, Hong Yang feels the program is worth the extra effort. He stated “it is a very rewarding experience to see Project SEED students going through the lab and continuing to pursue promising careers in their life. Last year Aaron Frazier, who worked with Prof. Yang for two summers, went to Harvard University with a full scholarship.” LaBarge was nominated to do research for a second summer by Dr. Yang.