Nineteen undergraduate students rigorously selected by the Stowers Graduate School completed an eight-week immersive research program geared toward aiding aspiring biologists. The 2025 cohort of Summer Scholars conducted hands-on research in Stowers Institute labs and Technology Centers, gaining critical research experience, laboratory skills, and new knowledge to make them competitive candidates for graduate school.

Funded by the Stowers Foundation and administered through the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, each Summer Scholar presented their research projects at an all-Institute poster session on July 25, 2025.

Three Summer Scholars are remaining at the Institute to continue conducting research. As the rest return to their universities spanning the globe to complete their undergraduate degrees, several shared their experiences working directly in a lab at a premier scientific institution.

Jacob Klipfel from Rockhurst University in Kansas City interned in the lab of Stowers Associate Investigator Randal Halfmann, Ph.D. “I felt like a true part of the Institute,” said Klipfel. “The program improved the way I think about research where open-ended questions mean we have much to learn.”

“This experience gave me a sense of not only what it is like to be a scientist but also what it is like to be a part of an institution that emphasizes creativity and collaboration like the Stowers Institute,” said Roman Bichot, a Summer Scholar in the lab of Investigator Alejandro Sànchez Alvarado, Ph.D. Bichot also valued learning how to effectively communicate his research, and the opportunity clarified his desire to pursue a career in science.

Augustin Au, a Summer Scholar in the lab of Investigator Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D., said that because it was his first experience in a lab, his preconception of scientists as simply stern was incomplete. “There is another side to scientists — they find a lot of joy in what they are doing,” he said. “I would encourage anyone interested in a scientific career to apply to and participate as a Summer Scholar. The program has solidified my goal to earn a Ph.D.”

Congratulations to the 2025 class of Summer Scholars!