Biochemistry Research Program

Justin Lai
He is an 11th grade student who is interested to work on a Biochemistry Research Program, specifically on cancer vaccines.

Justin is an award winner in the Shanghai Science Fair and he has interned with a chemical company, Henkel, working on developing new plastics. He co-authored a Chemistry-related paper which will soon be posted in the International Journal of High School Research.

University admission result

★ University of Southern California
★ University of Wisconsin–Madison
★ Case Western Reserve University

Scope of the program

Program Overall Structure

The main objective was to write a review article on “cancer vaccines”. Each session focused on reviewing the new content and strengthening the previous content. Literature review and discussions also occurred every session with recommendations on what to focus on next.

Learning objectives

• To explore a new field of study
• To learn how to gather and summarize complex information
• To learn how to connect ideas from different sources and to interpret them
• To learn how to write an academic research article
• Emphasize the importance of academic research in immunology and in healthcare settings in general
• Focus on writing and communication skills

What challenges did he face?

• Justin struggled the most with communicating his ideas effectively. While he always understands the concept, he struggles expressing this thoughts clearly.

How did our program help him?

• He learnt to write a review academic article. Each session focused on reviewing the new content and strengthening the previous content.
• Justin also learnt to connect ideas from different sources and to interpret them

Matched Professor in Biochemistry Research

The mentor is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in Biochemistry at University of Pennsylvania. He is well-versed in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, UV/Vis Spectroscopy, Protein Purification, Protein Expression, Gel Electrophoresis, Fluorescence Microscopy, Western Blotting, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Analytical Skills and Research.

“I highly recommend Justin pursue higher education in elite universities. His aptitude to learning and his willingness to face challenges is exactly the mindset needed to succeed in highly competitive spaces.”

Mentor from University of Pennsylvania