High school students learn about pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences during research exploration opportunity

When Maria Ehsan started her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at U of T, she was amazed by the breadth of the field and the opportunities available for a keen student to pursue. “I realized there is a whole world of research that you can devote your time to,” she said. But, while exciting, this discovery also came with the recognition of how little she knew about these pathways as a high school student before starting her program. “I understand how difficult it is to access resources when you are in high school, and I want to devote my time to giving back and exposing students to resources that I wish someone had told me about.”

Motivated by her experience, she joined the U of T branch of a national organization called STEM Fellowship, which provides mentorship and experiential learning opportunities in STEM for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. A key part of the organization’s vision is to advance diversity and accessible education in STEM fields. “A lot of people get discouraged from STEM pathways because they are competitive and rigorous, and the time to complete the degrees can be long,” said Ehsan. “If you want to ignite a passion, programs like these are helpful, and the STEM program is free, unlike many others. Through this program, we can show interested students that there are opportunities and that they will eventually get there.”

“From touring first-class research facilities to shadowing professors, attending lectures, and participating in experiments using state-of-the-art equipment, every moment was a step closer to understanding the exciting field of research.”

Through the week-long research exploration opportunity organized by the Research Office at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, high school students were introduced to a whole new world of possibilities. For many, it was their first time in a university-based lab. “We were immersed in the world of research, gaining hands-on experience and exploring various facets of scientific inquiry,” said Saniyah Farzeen, a senior at Don Mills Collegiate Institute who participated in the program. “From touring first-class research facilities to shadowing professors, attending lectures, and participating in experiments using state-of-the-art equipment, every moment was a step closer to understanding the exciting field of research.”

As part of the day, students compounded a topical carbomer-based gel in the Patheon Pharmaceutics Teaching Laboratory. Using hand blenders, they incorporated the carbomer powder into water, and watched it magically transform into gel when the pH was raised. Tablet pressing was also demonstrated using the lab’s 10-station rotary tablet press.

“Students love getting their hands dirty in the lab and learning about some of the basic processes involved in pharmaceutical compounding,” said David Dubins, Director of the Specialist Program in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

The students also participated in a protein purification activity in a lab led by Associate Professor Keith Pardee. The lab works at the intersection of synthetic biology and human health, developing portable, affordable tools that enable low-cost and distributed healthcare. Led by lab technician Quinn Matthews, the students purified green fluorescent protein produced in a cell-free system using affinity spin columns. They also purified a polymerase for use in molecular diagnostics and used it to perform a mock Malaria disease test.

“It’s important that, as part of our scientific work, we actively reach out to students who are showing an early interest in health and life sciences research,” said Tim Corson, acting associate dean of research, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. We are looking ahead to creating more of these opportunities and working further with STEM Fellowship.