Five Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) students have been selected for a competitive stem cell research internship program that will place them in laboratories throughout San Diego for the coming year.
John Assadi, Tanner Garvin, Lauren Mole, Jake Olson and Ana Noel were chosen to participate in the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges to Stem Cell Research Internship Program, coordinated through California State University San Marcos.
The selection marks the fifth consecutive year that MSJC students have been accepted into the program, which provides hands-on research experience in stem cell and regenerative medicine.
For Olson, the opportunity builds on an interest that grew after enrolling at MSJC.
“I was first interested in biology in high school,” Olson said. “I came here to MSJC, where a biology professor introduced me to the honors program. Through the honors program, I started a year-long project doing genetics research, and from there, I was introduced to the stem cell internship as an opportunity after MSJC.”
Olson plans to transfer to University of California, San Diego and pursue an MD-PhD in regenerative medicine. During the internship, he expects to conduct research involving vascularized neural organoids using advanced 3D-printed structures.
He encouraged students who are still exploring career options to take a variety of classes and remain open to new interests.
“My advice for incoming students, if you’re unsure of exactly what you want to do, is to take as many different kinds of classes as possible,” Olson said. “One of them you’re going to get interested in. And when you do, when you feel that, go for it.”
