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High school students from three Gwinnett County schools are getting hands-on research experience at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) this summer thanks to an innovative program targeted toward youth with underserved backgrounds. The American Chemical Society’s Project SEED summer program brings students to college and university campuses for eight-to-10 weeks at host institutions like GGC, where they work alongside faculty to conduct scientific research.

The mission of Project SEED is to advance and enrich the chemical science enterprise by providing sustained STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) research, learning and growth opportunities for high school students with diverse identities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

GGC started its Project SEED program in 2017, and 15 students completed the program by 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 and restarted in person this year with six high school students participating in three different research projects:

• Studying the medicinal properties of Australian violets, which is part of a research grant from the National Science Foundation.
• Designing antimalarial molecules and antivirals that can resist the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Synthesizing and characterization of pharmaceutically active self-healing, soft materials.

The students work from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with Drs. Ajay Mallia, Neville Forlemu and Simon Mwongela, all GGC associate professors of chemistry. The students hail from Shiloh High School, Peachtree Ridge High School and The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology.

The real-world experience looks great on the budding scientists’ resumes and gives them a taste of what their lives as scientists will be like, said Mallia. There is also a tangible monetary benefit as each student receives a $3,200 stipend for their eight weeks of research.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, as GGC shares knowledge about its research programs by participating.

“Since 1968, the Project SEED program has given research opportunities and career guidance to more than 11,000 high school underprivileged students, thus helping them to learn problem-solving skills,” said Mallia. “This program helps GGC to publicize its research programs to students and the community, and is well-aligned with the mission of GGC and its School of Science and Technology.”

Mallia, who has active with in the program since 2011, said every student who has participated in the GGC program has gone on to college. What’s more, Project SEED students who join a chemistry or biochemistry-related undergraduate program are eligible to apply for up to $20,000 in college scholarships.

“This project is exciting because it isn’t just a controlled experiment created for an educational purpose; this is research that can genuinely impact the field when done right,” said Jane Yoo, a rising senior at Peachtree Ridge High School (PRHS) in Suwanee. “I learned so much the past few weeks by working on this project, which helped me develop more confidence in my learning ability. I am not the same student I was two months ago, and working on research this summer has inspired me to work even harder in school as my trust in what I’m capable of grows.”

Yoo’s fellow Project SEED participant Rahul Pandit, a rising junior at PRHS, said obtaining practical knowledge and conducting genuine research was very appealing to him as a prospective medical student.

“Project SEED is the perfect foundation to develop my extracurricular academic career,” said Pandit. “I've had my most productive summer and set myself up with numerous opportunities to grow in the future. The program also provides several benefits most people don't consider. For example, the program's educational structure has helped me maintain the academic routine I developed during the school year, helping me stay focused as I head into my last two years of high school.”

Pandit said being mentored by Mallia, Forlemu and Mwongela has been especially rewarding.

“Their guidance and high standards have helped me grow as much as possible. I would love to see the program expanded in the future so more students can get involved.”

View and download Project SEED gallery photos.

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