Twelve students from Ball High School and Ball Preparatory Academy who were selected for this year’s UTMB Scientific Research & Design: Bench Tutorials Program met their research mentors for the first time at a special event held at MOD Coffeehouse on Postoffice Street downtown. They were accompanied by UTMB’s Lauren Scott, who coordinates the program, and Ball High School teacher Michelle Puig. The Ball High School UTMB Bench Science Program offers high-achieving high school students the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research projects with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at UTMB. The program is administered by UTMB’s Center for Environmental Toxicology’s Community Outreach and Engagement Core and the Sealy Center for Environmental Health and Medicine.

Ball High/Ball Prep Academy Bench students are Gabe Christensen, Kate Dannenmaier, Margarit Delaney, Krystal Fuentes, Hannah Hall, Rachel Mathers, Autumn Nolte, Mehrunisa Sohail, Keziah Thomas, Maritza Villamil, Heather Yang, Jesse Zapata.