Unveiling the Sugary Armor of Mycobacterial Cells (Morita Lab)

Our competitive Research Intensives program places high-achieving high school students in professional working labs alongside distinguished faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

Research Intensive in Unveiling the Sugary Armor of Mycobacterial Cells: Its Impact on Cell Growth, Antibiotic Resistance, and the War Against Tuberculosis Pathogenesis (Morita Lab)

Mycobacteria cause many diseases including tuberculosis and leprosy. The Morita lab uses techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics to decipher the mechanisms employed by mycobacteria that make them survive in our human body and persist even after a long antibiotic treatment. The students are expected to work on mutants of a nonpathogenic model Mycobacterium species to investigate how mycobacteria grow and survive under stress conditions. Students will learn skills in basic microbiology and cell biology.

The Morita Lab can host 2 students. Learn more.

Program Overview

During this program, high school students will assist UMass faculty and graduate students in research labs while learning about research methodologies and contributing to ongoing research studies. Each student will create and present a research poster to faculty, fellow students, friends and family at a poster session at the end of the program.

Students will come away with an introduction to the field of Microbiology, firsthand experience with university-level research, and an understanding of opportunities that exist for undergraduate students at a major R1 university such as UMass Amherst.

Applications

For all Research Intensives applications: In your statement of interest, please include 3 lab choices from our list of available labs along with a brief explanation of your interest in each one.

This course is offered at the UMass Amherst campus as a residential program. Local students may apply to attend as a commuter.