CEDARBURG, Wis. — A group of Cedarburg High School students will present their cancer research project to biochemistry experts in Washington, D.C., this March, marking the school's first national science conference appearance since before COVID-19.
Junior Ella Craft is leading a small group of students who have spent the school year modeling a specific protein called Hypocrates that can help detect inflamed cells, which may serve as early indicators of cancer.
"Detect cancer early on — we can make treatment and diagnosis more effective," Craft said. "We discussed its implication into cancer research because inflammation can be an early sign or precursor of cancer."
Their work has earned them recognition as one of 10 "SMART Teams" selected to present abstracts to the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's March conference.
Science teacher Karen Tiffany emphasized the educational value of the project, even if groundbreaking discoveries are unlikely at the high school level.
"They are adding to the body of knowledge," Tiffany said. "They are not discovering something new, but they are discovering how science works."
For Craft and her teammates, the conference represents a chance to engage with professional scientists and develop presentation skills in an academic setting. Most science students don't get such an opportunity until grad school, according to Tiffany.
"These are obviously experts in the fields of biology and biochemistry, and we're in high school, and this is really our first time," Craft said. "It's going to be a really good opportunity to practice presenting and communicating in a scientific setting."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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