Summer Vacation in the Lab

25 students from Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land secured one of the few places at the Basel Summer Science Academy 2024 at the Biozentrum. The program was established in 2019 to give high school students insight into the research at the Biozentrum and hands-on lab experience already during their school time. The initiative also addresses a serious issue: In view of the current antibiotic crisis, bacteriophages, which are found everywhere in our environment, are considered promising candidates for fighting bacterial infections.

Just as diverse as the world of phages are the phage hunters this year: They come from 10 different nations. They all share the same reason for participating. “I find it super interesting that we can work directly in the lab and search for phages,” says Roni Potlar from Gymnasium Liestal. “You simply don’t do proper pipetting or work with agar plates in school,” adds Liv-Marit Hansen from Gymnasium Oberwil.

“I find the topic of antibiotic resistance extremely fascinating,” says Ben Alidema from Gymnasium Kirschgarten. And perhaps, in the end, one of the phages discovered during the course will help combat the antibiotic crisis. “Moreover, it's a great way to find out if I want to study biology in the future,” explains Prabha Navaratnam from the International School Basel.

It was mostly their teachers who recommenced the course to the participants. “In addition to the biology classes in school, it offers a lot of practical experience and you also get to know Basel as a life science city,” explains course coordinator Dominik Buser. Tutor Fanny Eggeler, a postdoc in the Mango Lab, is also convinced that it is perfect for students interested in science: “When I was at school, I attended a similar course. That was the reason I decided to study biology.” Indeed, many past participants of the Summer Science Academy have gone on to study biology at the Biozentrum later.

This year, Dominik Buser is once again impressed by his new group members: “The participants are really motivated and don't get easily frustrated when things get a bit challenging in the lab.” However, it is important to remember: “They are all here voluntarily, and this during their holidays!” Even Fanny Eggeler is learning new things: “I’m doing things now that I’ve never seen before.” Besides the research experience, it’s also important to Dominik and his team that the group mixes well and has fun together. And the plan seems to be working: “It almost feels like I’ve made more new friends here than at school,” laughs Roni. “Maybe because we all share the same interest.”

And the research results of the Summer Science Academy are not only a benefit for the Biozentrum: after participating in the Summer Science Academy in 2020, Nora Artico wrote her high school thesis on phages in Alexander Harms' group at ETH and received several awards for it.