Victory Early College High Student Shines at Premedical Research Symposium

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Diamonds Banks, a junior at Victory Early College High School, participated in Baylor College of Medicine’s Annual Houston Premedical Academy Research Symposium held Jan. 17. The Annual Symposium, a consortium of the DeBakey High School for Health Professions, the University of Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), was established to further enhance the preparedness of academy participants for medical school, and to stimulate as well as cultivate their interests in research and careers in academic medicine.

Banks was matched to work in the of lab of Dr. Michael A. Grusak, a BCM faculty member that currently holds a grant through the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Grusak’s laboratory is involved in both plant physiology and human nutrition research.

The culminating activity was for students to present their poster research. Banks received third place for her research on “Characterizing Micronutrient Density in Polished Rice Grains.”

Banks is seen above with Dr. James Phillips, whose office sponsors the Saturday Morning Science program. Saturday Morning Science is a community outreach program aimed to motivate inner city kids from the seventh to the 12th grade to reach their highest potential. The program emphasizes the importance of a good, solid education and exposes youth to summer enrichment programs and careers in the biosciences. Most of the lectures and workshops are conducted on the campus of Baylor College of Medicine on Saturday mornings starting in early January and ending in May. The sessions stress the importance of math and science in a creative and fun way and are taught by physicians, scientists, astronauts, and medical and graduate students.

Below are more images from Banks’ experience at the symposium.