X-LABS empowers the next generation of scientists
By Cam Buchan
Photography by Megan Morris
Arezo Azizi at work in the lab.
Arezo Azizi moves comfortably amidst the centrifuges, microscopes and other complex equipment in the laboratory, conversing easily with the PhD students about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and Chinese hamster cells.
Not surprising really, except that Azizi is heading into Grade 12 at Montcalm Secondary School in London and a PhD program may be several years away. But Azizi’s confidence in the lab comes from her keen interest in science. It has also led to a new realization of the broad career options available in biomedical science with some of the country’s top research labs at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Azizi is part of a talented group of 22 students from London and area high schools participating in Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s X-LABS program - The Experiential Learning Academy for Biomedical Sciences. Now in its second year, X-LABS introduces talented high school students from diverse backgrounds to potential careers in the biomedical sciences via an immersive two-week program where they participate in everything from lab work and research to observing state-of-the-art demonstrations and establishing relationships with world-renowned faculty and student leaders. Students also experience university life firsthand, making higher education more accessible and less intimidating.
X-LABS a glance
- 22 students who were in Grades 10 and 11 this year
- Nine returning from last year’s X-LABS program
- 12 London and area high schools represented
“I’ve always been interested in science, but the only career path that I knew was becoming a doctor,” said Azizi, who has been tracking a protein called EEF1A1 in cells as part of a project on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease under the supervision of Nica Borradaile, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. “But now I want to do my PhD here and then work in industry, focusing on curing diseases. My goal is to help patients and the community.”
‘These talented students have earned the opportunity to be here’
X-LABS is a collaboration between Schulich Medicine & Dentistry researchers and secondary schools in the Thames Valley (TVDSB) and Avon Maitland (AMDSB) District School Boards
The long-term goals of the program are to enhance science education in secondary schools, empower communities through youth leadership and support opportunities for talented students from diverse backgrounds to pursue post-secondary education and careers in the biomedical sciences.
Students Ella de Oliveira and Soloman Jackman.
"Not everyone has access to the same enriched opportunities and experiences that can lay the foundation for a career in science,” said Jefferson Frisbee, PhD, professor and Chair of Medical Biophysics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and creator of the program. “With X-LABS, we provide these experiences for talented students who might not otherwise have the opportunity. The students all show excellent promise in biomedical sciences. Here they can get involved in scientific research at a university level, introducing them to the labs and connecting them with future mentors. These talented students have earned the opportunity to be here.”
Personal ties
Solomon Jackman
Azizi and fellow participant Solomon Jackman both agree in their desire to help people.
But for Jackman, that motivation is intensely personal.
Jackman talks about his grandfather with obvious affection. The elder Jackman was a big influence in his grandson’s love of the sciences.
“I’ve always heard stories about how my grandfather excelled in every single science class,” said Jackman. “He was so smart and hearing my grandma or my dad talk about him made me want to be in the sciences, too.”
But Jackman has another, even deeper tie to science and the X-LABS experience.
Born deaf, Jackman has cochlear implants in each ear. Now, thanks to the passion instilled in him by his grandfather, science helps him better understand how his implants work, and how research in this field can also help other people with hearing deficits. His ultimate goal is to become an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Jackman is in the lab of Jessica Prodger, PhD, a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, under the guidance of fourth-year PhD candidate Lane Buchanan. While the lab’s focus is on HIV/AIDS, Jackman has been brought onboard for a number of projects – from growing nasal epithelial cells for a graduate student who studies COVID-19 to identifying bacteria sampled from clinical swabs.
“This is our second year hosting Solomon for the X-LABS program. We have him learning all about the bacteria which live on our bodies and throughout our environment,” said Buchanan, who noted the experience gives Jackman exposure to a wide range of lab techniques used for microbiology research.
“In high school, students often perform very basic labs, which can be quite different from how things operate in a real research enterprise,” said Buchanan, who went to Listowel District Secondary School and now sees students from his school in this year’s X-LABS program. “It’s exciting to see students from my high school gain exposure to research that’s going on at Western.”
Mentoring a new generation
Beyond the foundational experiences X-LABS provides for high school students, there are also important benefits for the PhD students involved in mentoring these budding professionals.
Farah Kamar, part of the MD/PhD program and doing her graduate work in medical biophysics, and Natalie Li, doing her graduate work in biomedical engineering under the guidance of Mamadou Diop, an associate professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics. Together, they are introducing student Shyla Elijah, who just finished Grade 10 at Saunders Secondary School, to the world of biomedical optics.
In one project, Elijah will be simulating near infrared spectroscopy on breast tissue, a technology that uses light in the near infrared range shone into tissue that could be used to non-invasively determine the state of the tumour.
The X-LABS experience is something both Kamar and Li wish they could have had during their high school years, but for different reasons.
“Like most science students, I wanted to be a doctor: ‘Med school or bust!’” said Kamar. “Once I did research in university, I realized I was better suited to doing something in the research field because that’s where my interests lie.”
“Some of my friends think that science is all about sitting in the lab and doing experiments, but no, there's so much more to it. It’s amazing.”
-Arezo Azizi
Li added the importance of mentoring young women in the scientific fields.
“I feel really lucky to be able to mentor a student like Shyla,” said Natalie. “It’s a great opportunity to give back. When I was in high school and undergrad, I didn’t have those role models in engineering or research.”
Kamar echoed that point.
“It would have been easier for me to choose that path, had I seen other people doing it.”
‘It’s amazing’
Coming from a family where the expectations for academic achievement are high, there is plenty of motivation for Azizi to succeed in a research-based career. And she looks ahead to the challenge with enthusiasm.
“Some of my friends think that science is all about sitting in the lab and doing experiments, but no, there's so much more to it. It’s amazing.”
