One Day Closer

By Lynn McCain | April 10 2023

One Day Closer Attendees Gather on March 11th.Saturday, March 11th dawned as a typical early Spring day in Michigan, but the day was anything but routine! The North Campus Research Complex (NCRC) at the University of Michigan was teeming with high school students and their parents or guardian, eager to learn more about careers in cancer research. Students learned from career panels as well as through mock tumor boards, DNA extraction activities, and tours of research laboratories.

Sponsored by the Rogel Cancer Center, the One Day Closer annual event engages students early and encourages their interest in biomedical research. The Department of Pathology has more than 40 faculty who are members of Rogel and our Molecular and Cellular Pathology graduate students work in many labs affiliated with the Center. This year, several of our MCP graduate students participated in leading tours of research laboratories at the NCRC.

MCP Graduate Student Noah Puleo introduces students to a research laboratory.Coordinated by Noah Puleo from the Analisa DiFeo Laboratory, graduate students led teams of high school students and their parents through various research labs. Once the tours were completed, they held Q&A sessions for the students before guiding them to their next rotation. In another rotation, students conducted DNA extraction exercises on strawberries, which was a big hit with all involved.

One Day Closer organizers are always looking for volunteers to assist with this event. If you are interested in learning more or getting on the volunteer list for next year’s event, contact RogelTrec@med.umich.edu for more information.