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# System prepended metadata

title: SSF'25 Overview

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# Sankofa STEM Fellowship '25 Overview
###### *Mode: Virtual*

## My Goals for You
These goals are meant to be ambitious. You don't have to meet all of them to be successful in the program. They are just a guide to help you develop your own goals.

But if you would leave this fellowship with nothing else, I want you to have learnt, at least, that **you are not too young, or naive, or dumb, or timid, or slow, or ... (*fill this in*) to engage deeply and meaningfully in STEM.**
### General Goals
* Learn about basic research in the life sciences
     * Introduction to animal models and cell lines in biomedical research
         * Common animal models and cell lines in Ghanaian labs
         * Animal models at Colby College (my school:sunglasses:)
         * Increase appreciation for the role of animal models in biomedical research
         * Increase familiarity with the drug development process
    * Non-model organisms in ecology, evolution, development, and immunology research
        * Bugs
        * Seasquirts
        * Birds
* Increase observational skills
    * ==Weekly Assignment:== Go out into nature weekly (the same spot every week) and journal what you notice----the time, the weather, the cricket chirps, the flower scents, the thorns, the bird poop. Note the thoughts and feelings they inspire in you, and note how the scenery changes each week. You will give a summary of this activity as part of your final presentation. *The goal of this exercise is to get you comfortable with owning up to your own observations, a crucial skill in science.* 
* Learn basics of scientific illustration (using insects or leaves)
* Learn email etiquette


### Technical Goals
* Learn microscopy----preferably with dissecting scope; compound-light scope might work
* Learn DNA extraction
* Learn quality control (Q/C) for extracted DNA----Agarose gel electrophoresis
* Learn about PCR
* Introduction to Data Science/Statistics

### Communication Goals
* Introduction to science communication in writing and presentation
* Learn to search for and read scientific literature
* Bonus: Writing and filming for The Sankofa Echo

### Career Goals
* Increase awareness of career opportunities in STEM, both locally and overseas, with a focus on academia, biotech, and medicine
* Become more familiar with the path to a doctorate in STEM or a medical degree
* Gain more clarity on intended career path (by confirming or eliminating interests)



## (Tentative) Schedule
The Lab will go from Monday, August 4, 2025 to Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Official hours each weekday will be 10 AM GMT (6 AM EST) to 4 PM GMT (12 PM EST), with about 50 minutes reserved for lunch break.
### Weekdays
|Week# / Day|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|
|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|1<br>(8/4&#160;&#x2011;&#160;8/8)|<ul><li>Icebreakers</li><li>Fill pre-fellowship survey</li><li>Introduction to bio lab space & equipment</li><li>Fun STEM demos\* and/or games</li><li>==Schedule first individual (15-minute) meetings to discuss goals==</li></ul>|<ul><li>Intro to science and the scientific method</li><li>Stats session 1 with [Jerzy Wieczorek](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerzywieczorek/) \| Time: 1pm GMT, 1 hour</li><li>Anatomy of a scholarly scientific article</li></ul>|<ul><li>Note-taking reminder</li><li>[Science Buddies video on Scientific Method](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxm_beTs2LU) \(less than 10 mins\)</li><li>Reminder about journaling assignment</li><li>Email Etiquette</li><li>Early break</li><li>Scientific illustration with [Serena Graham](https://www.colby.edu/people/people-directory/serena-graham/), session 1 \| Time: 12pm GMT, 1hr</li><li>Stats session 2 with [Jerzy Wieczorek](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerzywieczorek/) \| Time: 1pm GMT, 1 hour</li><li>Intro to reading scientific literature</li></ul>|<ul><li>Scientific illustration with [Serena Graham](https://www.colby.edu/people/people-directory/serena-graham/), session&#160;2 \| Time: 12pm GMT, 1hr</li><li>Intro to Microscopy</li><li>Individual meetings to discuss goals</li></ul>|<ul><li>Individual meetings to discuss goals</li><li>Scientific illustration with [Serena Graham](https://www.colby.edu/people/people-directory/serena-graham/), session&#160;3 \| Time: 12pm GMT, 1hr</li><li>Reading scientific literature</li></ul><ul><li>DNA extractions from [strawberries](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p015/biotechnology-techniques/strawberry-dna) <!--Duration: < 1 day--> or [cheek cells](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/2809_genome.html) <!--Duration: 45 minutes; change protocol if sth doesn't work--></li></ul>|
|2<br>(8/11&#160;&#x2011;&#160;8/15)|<ul><li>Reading scientific literature</li><li>Career snapshot session with [Dave Angelini](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-angelini-560b1b64/) \| Time: 12pm, 1.5 hrs</li><li>Stats session 3 with [Jerzy Wieczorek](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerzywieczorek/) \| Time: 2pm GMT, 1hr</li></ul>|<ul><li>Stats session 4 with [Jerzy Wieczorek](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerzywieczorek/) \| Time: 1pm GMT, 1hr</li><li>Assign statements and stances for debate/open discussion tomorrow</li></ul>|<ul><li>Debate\/Open Discussion about STEM and high schoolers</li><li>Reading scientific literature</li><li>Intro to scholarly scientific writing</li><li>Career development workshop -- Resume-building</li></ul>|<ul><li>Career development workshop -- LinkedIn profile</li><li>Group meetings to brainstorm and select FP</li></ul>|<ul><li>Student-in-STEM snapshot with [Diego Shetreet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-shetreet-0a0012226/) \| Time: 1pm GMT, 1hr</li><li>Group meetings to brainstorm and select FP</li></ul>--------------------------------------<br>==*Close of workday today is the deadline to select FPs*==|
|3<br>(8/18&#160;&#x2011;&#160;8/22)|<ul><li>Data on the fly activity</li><li>==Student-requested activity \#1==</li><li>==Student-requested activity \#2==</li><li>==Schedule group project-in-progress (PiP) meetings==</li></ul>--------------------------------<br>==*Everyone should have selected/finalized their projects by now*==|<ul><li>Work on FP</li><li>==Student-requested activity \#3==</li></ul>|<ul><li>Cell lines & Animal models session(s) with [Perez Frimpong Danso]()==*(to myself: put sth in the link)*==</li><li>Data on the fly activity</li><li>Work on FP</li><li>Group PiP meetings</li><li>==Student-requested activity \#4==</li><li>==Student-requested activity \#5==</li></ul>|<ul><li>Data on the fly activity</li><li>Presentation workshop</li><li>Work on FP</li><li>Individual PiP meetings</li></ul>|<ul><li>Presentation workshop</li><li>==Presentations!!! and Q\&As==</li></ul>|

\* might need extra funding/resources

#### shorthands
FP - Fellow's project
PiP - project-in-progress

#### <u>Options for student-requested activities</u> (meant to promote autonomy in learning)
* Literally anything, as long as it is STEM-related, easy and affordable to execute, and exciting!
* More (virtual) talk sessions with medical doctors, physician scientists, life scientists, graduate students in STEM, medical students, and undergraduate students in STEM, both local and overseas
* A STEM-event happening nearby. If the time conflicts with another scheduled activity, check in with me----we might be able to swap things around.
* Nothing; spend the time working on your FP or LR project or doing personal stuff

#### David's walk-in policy
If you ever run into a problem (which you will!) and need to check in with me, first check if I'm on standby on the [zoom](https://colby.zoom.us/j/99820248181?pwd=jKZec5oobyQhdcNdQ148ECMUaOCIAg.1). If I'm not, [send me an email](mailto:<david.t.tawiah23@gmail.com>). I will reply as soon as I can and if need be we can [hop on a call](https://colby.zoom.us/j/99820248181?pwd=jKZec5oobyQhdcNdQ148ECMUaOCIAg.1) to talk about it. If you need a quicker means to reach me for something urgent, find a way to let Mr. Tawiah know and he will connect us. Perhaps he might be able to address your issue without having to call me.

#### Essay contest
To incentivize participation in the FP project, you will each summarize your project----its premise, methods, results, conclusions and future directions----in a short microPub-style but IMRAD-formatted article. It would be due a week after the fellowship ends (Friday, August 29, at 11:59pm EST). Each article will be entered into an essay contest for a chance to win one of three awards elaborated below. A panel will review the essays and select the three most well-written articles.
* First place - GHS500
* Second place - GHS300
* Third place - GHS150

#### Post-fellowship
##### <u>Stuff due</u>
* Fill and submit the feedback form at your earliest convenience (but as soon as possible while your experience in the fellowship is still fresh).
* Submit a microPub-style IMRAD-formatted article summarizing FP project. *Due Friday, August 29, at 11:59pm EST | Email it to me at <david.t.tawiah23@gmail.com>.* 

##### <u>STEM Engagement</u>
* Email listing? If people are interested, I can create an email listing to periodicaly share STEM opportunities for highschoolers----both local and overseas.
* I encourage you to create a group, maybe on WhatsApp or Discord (if you haven't already), to keep in touch and share opportunities with each other..
* Let's stay in touch! I am happy to write recommendation letters for you for any future opportunities.
<!--
NOTES to myself
- Dave and Serena are away for last two weeks of August
- Meet each student indivudually every week, not just first week. Meant to keep projects going. Will also help me know them individually.
- Bugs are typically not regarded as animal models, but...comparative physiology is expanding with novel unconventional models
- Introduce BioB blog on Friday of 1st week (for popular science)
- Bouncing back and forth between reading and writing scholarly scientific articles will give students both reader and writer's perspectives of communicating science
- Find out about interested activities and speakers during individual meetings
- Reason for including student-requested activities is to help students contribute to/guide their own learning experiences; autonomy
- Remember to establish housekeeping rules for open discussion
- Also get permission of students and guests to be recorded on zoom meetings, and students to have their pictures taken for possible future reference; I'll get students' explicit consent before I use them for publicity purposes
- Give speakers detailed summary of what I plan to ask them; don't pull any surprises. For eg., ask Diego if he's comfortable with me saying my opinion of him and his work ethic in my introduction of him
- Discuss rising unemployment in ghana, complicity of STEM, and brain drain. Have someone else lead it?
- To keep things organized, create a sign-up sheet (google sheet or calendar) for walk-in hours. Keep duration at 15 minutes
- After each presentation, spend some time tearing apart and critiquing the presentation; let the students know early in the program
- Consider using food-grade agarose; cheaper than lab-grade PCR
- Give students weekend assignments



### Weekends
==Would you like to have the weekends to yourselves or do you want us to plan some fun activities or a little bit of both?==
|Week# / Day|Saturday|Sunday|
|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|1<br>(8/8 - 8/9)|||
|2<br>(8/15 - 8/16)|||
|3<br>(8/22 - 8/23)|||
-->

## Fellows' Projects
### Groupings
Group 1 - Sadiq and Benjamin
Group 2 - Hayford and Emmanuel
Group 3 - Samuel Dodoo and Shaibu
Group 4 - Priscilla and Eugenia
Group 5 - Henry and Francisca
Group 6 - Samuel Foli and Faustina


### Projects List
All the projects are from the [ScienceBuddies website](https://www.sciencebuddies.org), as linked. You'll work in pairs for your projects, but each person will present their work independently.
==(*to myself: sort through projects later and remove less feasible ones*; also try and include different STEM fields)==

1. [From Genes to Genetic Diseases: What Kinds of Mutations Matter?](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioMed_p007/medical-biotechnology/genetic-diseases-mutations) :white_check_mark: 
\#MedicalBiotechnology #Genetics&Genomics #GeneticEngineering
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: Under $20-->
2. [Are Fingerprint Patterns Inherited?](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Genom_p009/genetics-genomics/are-fingerprint-patterns-inherited) :white_check_mark: 
\#Genetics&Genomics
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: Under $20-->
3. [Drugs & Genetics: Why Do Some People Respond to Drugs Differently than Others?](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioMed_p006/medical-biotechnology/genetics-why-do-some-people-respond-to-drugs-differently-than-others) :white_check_mark: 
\#MedicalBiotechnology #Genetics&Genomics #BigData
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: Under $20-->
4. [How Much DNA Can You Pack into a Cell?](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Genom_p013/genetics-genomics/how-much-dna-can-you-pack-into-a-cell) :white_check_mark: 
\#Genetics&Genomics
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: Under $20-->
5. [The Importance of Making Sure a Drug's Aim Is True](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioMed_p011/medical-biotechnology/drug-target-accuracy) :white_check_mark: 
\#MedicalBiotechnology #Genetics&Genomics #BigData #Pandemics----COVID-19
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: Under $20-->
6. [Genetically Modified Organisms: Create Glowing Bacteria!](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p049/biotechnology-techniques/genetic-engineering-glowing-bacteria-transformation-efficiency) :white_check_mark: 
\#Biotechnology #GeneticEngineering
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: $20-$50-->
7. [Make a Mood Tracker](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/HumBeh_p072/human-behavior/emotion-tracker) :white_check_mark: 
\#HumanBehavior #ComputerScience
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: $20-$50-->
8. [A Juicy Project: Extracting Apple Juice with Pectinase](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p010/biotechnology-techniques/extracting-apple-juice-with-pectinase) :white_check_mark: 
\#Biotechnology
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: $40-$80-->
9. [Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions— What Affects Their Rates?](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p011/biotechnology-techniques/enzyme-catalyzed-reactions-what-affects-their-rates) :white_check_mark: 
\#Biotechnology
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: $50-$100-->
10. [CRISPR Gene Editing of Escherichia coli](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p048/biotechnology-techniques/CRISPR-gene-editing-Ecoli)
\#Biotechnology #GeneticEngineering
<!--Duration: 2-5 days-->
11. [Separating Glitter with a Homemade Centrifuge](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p041/biotechnology-techniques/snow-globe-science-with-a-centrifuge) :white_check_mark: 
\#Biotechnology
<!--Duration: 2-5 days
Cost: $40-$80-->

\*partial instructions
<!--==*to myself: pick up from [here](https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-projects/biotechnology?p=3)*==-->

*This list is not exhaustive. If you would like to do a project that's not on the list, talk to me about it and let's see if it's feasible. You are also more than welcome to tweak a project on the list.*