Buhach Colony students get closer look at UC Merced’s cancer research

A group of students from Atwater’s Buhach Colony High School visited UC Merced last week for a lecture on a recent melanoma study and a tour of the school’s science labs.

Fabian V. Filipp, an assistant professor of systems biology at UC Merced, talked to students about his research project, in which he set out to find the genomic factors that give rise to cancer.

By comparing the genetic material of more than 300 melanoma patients, Filipp and his research group confirmed the top genetic drivers of the skin cancer and identified new melanoma genes.

Filipp also told students about his academic path and about the long hours that go into research.

“The goal was to inspire the next generation of scientists and give them some career advice,” Filipp said. “I wanted to give them a little preview of what hands-on cancer research is all about.”

The 11 students who visited Filipp’s lab are part of Buhach’s International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous two-year program in which advanced students take a standard set of courses and assessments.

The group’s biology teacher, Sharon Hill, said her class had just studied genetics when she learned about Filipp’s melanoma research. She reached out to Filipp in hopes that her class could meet with him and get a first-hand account about the work being done in the university’s lab.

Hill said that as part of the program’s curriculum, the students are to complete a 4,000-word essay. Five of the students expressed interest in writing their essay on science research. “They were so intrigued by the idea that you could find out what exact gene could cause mutation,” Hill said.

The high school students, who are no strangers to college-level work, used Filipp’s study as background information for their own research.

“These students are learning things that I didn’t learn until I was completing my master’s,” Hill said.

Students in the class have also taken trips to other universities, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis and California State University, Monterey Bay. But Hill said there’s something special about learning what’s going on in your own backyard.

The students enrolled in the advanced class are college-bound, Hill said, so the idea is to get an early start in helping them explore various professions.

Most of the students plan to go into careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Rajdeep Badwalz, 16, for example, aspires to be a dentist. Although Badwalz has his mind set on University of the Pacific’s dental program in Stockton, he thought Thursday’s trip to UC Merced was a unique opportunity to see innovative research being done so close to home.

In the lab, Badwalz and the rest of his class took a look at the progression of melanoma by looking at real patient samples under a microscope. With the help of Filipp, students were able to distinguish between different stages of melanoma.

“You usually think this type of research happens in bigger universities, but to know it’s being done right here is really cool,” Badwalz said.

Sanya Bedi, 16, hopes to attend UC Merced. She plans to study biology and go into the medical field. She hasn’t decided yet what specific career she wants to pursue.

“It’s good to know that students here (UC Merced) get a lot of hands-on experience because I’m pretty sure this is where I’m coming,” Bedi said.

Filipp said his melanoma research attracted national and international attention. He said the researchers got calls from oncologists, other scientists and schools, like Buhach Colony.

“I think it’s great that young students are taking advantage of the proximity to UC Merced and building relationships with professionals in academia,” Filipp said. “It’s always fun to work with students who are genuinely interested in the work we’re doing here.”

This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Buhach Colony students get closer look at UC Merced’s cancer research."