The 10-week program was funded through a three-year, $382,064 grant from the National Science Foundation that is now in its second year. The fellow include Angelica Aguilar, Sonoma State University; Elise Courtney, University of Vermont; Alexis Fiedler, Washington and Lee University; Meiling Miranda, University of Delaware; Celeste Nobrega, Wheaton College (Massachusetts); and Alexey Rizvanov, Colby College.   

Due to the COVID-19 threat, the program was forced to abruptly pivot from a wet laboratory to a virtual format – a shift that yielded unexpected benefits that organizers plan to incorporate into future summer fellowships, after the threat of illness from in-person exposure is gone.  

“We were very pleased to welcome our 2020 class of summer fellows, even if we didn’t  have the pleasure of meeting them in person,” MDI Biological Laboratory President Hermann Haller, M.D., said. “By hosting these talented and enthusiastic young people, we introduced a new generation to the many rewards of a career in science.”     

In contrast to the broad scope of past programs, the 2020 program focused on the biology of regeneration and aging, which is also the focus of research at the laboratory. This year saw a larger-than-ever pool of applicants, which co-investigators Jane E. Disney, Ph.D., and Dustin Updike, Ph.D., attributed to the new focus.  

The fellows worked with faculty members Sam Beck, Ph.D., Joel H. Graber, Ph.D., Jarod Rollins, Ph.D., and Updike, all of whom conduct research in these fields.  

 Because of the shift to a virtual format, the coursework for the 2020 group concentrated on the bioinformatics, or computational biology, aspects of research in these fields rather than on bench laboratory experiments, said Disney, who oversees fellowship programs as director of research training. 

A new feature of the 2020 program was an expanded segment on bio-entrepreneurship and innovation that was highlighted by a workshop with Maine entrepreneurs, business counselors and economic development experts. Though the workshop was originally planned as an in-person event, it was successfully moved to the online format.  

In a mid-program focus group session conducted by a team of external evaluators, the summer fellows reported positive experiences with the virtual format despite concerns on the part of some that they wouldn’t learn as much as in a face-to-face setting. Here are some takeaways on the benefits of virtual learning from organizers and participants:     

Improved orientation – In addition to a virtual tour of the campus, the summer fellows received virtual introductions to faculty and senior staff in Zoom meetings, which gave them a more detailed and intimate understanding of the institution than they might otherwise have had. 

“A relaxed opportunity” – The use of small, virtual breakout rooms during a program-long course in communicating science provided a “relaxed opportunity” for students to ask questions and receive feedback, compensating in part for the casual conversations that would have taken place in a face-to-face setting  

Access to expertise – The virtual format frees fellowship organizers to tap into a larger and more diverse pool of guest lecturers and panelists for future innovation workshops instead of limiting the pool to those who can conveniently and economically travel to the laboratory’s location on the coast of Maine  

Asynchronous learning – The symposium that capped off the program was held online over several days, offering fellows the flexibility of accessing the material when convenient rather than at times that may not have worked with their schedules; they also delivered live presentations in an online environment.