WEST AT UI

BY GRACE BARTLETT AND SHANZA SAMI DESIGN BY TAELIM YOON

2.1 miles — a seven-minute drive to the University of Iowa from West High — so close that students at West could walk to the UIowa campus. The close proximity of a university is not an advantage many high school students receive, so West High students make the most of it. Many students volunteer and conduct scientific research at the university, taking advantage of the accessibility to high-end equipment and resources to solve problems and aid patients. The university offers many pre-college programs, allowing advanced high school students take college classes at the University of Iowa and count the credits, be it in mathematics or science, in addition to facilitating high school volunteering and research opportunities through providing numerous tools, programs, and resources. Students with an interest in the medical or research fields can interact with patients and gain access to unique equipment. Aviva Fraer ’23 details her rigorous lab work at the university, “I helped gather data. I was also in charge of a couple of experiments, so I carried out the experiments and synthesized the data.” Michael Lee ’24 conducted research at a university lab during the summer. “[My research] is about breast cancer cells, specifically triple negative breast cancer, which is a very serious subtype of breast cancer. Using these cells, I analyzed the effects of diet on cancer cell health.” Adam Salem ’26 is another West student that conducted independent research at the Salem Research Laboratory. “My research was on biodegradable particles; it’s a little bubble that contains a drug. Instead of having to do booster shots, [the drug] will do a release over time, eliminating the need for repeat vaccines.”

Aside from enabling student researchers to tackle a variety of scientific issues, students at West have also used the volunteering and research opportunities to prepare themselves for future endeavors and college preparations. Volunteering enables students to interact with University faculty, getting to know professors who can help answer research questions and help with the Volunteering and conducting research at the university isn’t only convenient as a result of the proximity, but also because of the numerous types of volunteer and research opportunities, with an easy application process.

“I chose the university because they have a pretty good system down in place, and everything is well organized. I knew that I’d be comfortable there,” Fraer notes.

Gaining experience to these amenities firsthand also helps students develop certain life skills that will be useful to them in the future. “I’ve had to put myself out of my comfort zone so much, to the point where I feel like I’m a completely different person, and it’s really helped develop my social skills,” explains Micheal Lee ’24, a junior at West who has conducted research at one of the university labs. “[Volunteering] has helped my people skills a lot because I’ve had to interact with a lot of patients. It also inspired me to be an EMT, so right now I’m taking the classes for that,” Aviva Fraer ’23 recalls.

Getting involved at the University of Iowa isn’t as daunting of a task as expected. Through simply reaching out to a professor, students can gain access to labs. “Look into the field that you’re interested in researching, find someone that’s the head of the department, and send them a quick email. I guarantee that they will probably respond and tell you exactly how to set up your meeting,” Salem suggests.

Many students form close bonds with the professors they work with, helping them develop their research skills or discover new career paths. “I got to know my professor pretty well. I expressed interest in what the professor was doing, because she reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested in helping me volunteer and spreading cultural awareness?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds pretty neat.’” Lee recalls.

All information on how to volunteer and conduct research is easily accessible on the university website. The systems at the university make it easy to obtain college credit that otherwise might have been very expensive by accepting courses from a local community college ad by offering college preparatory classes/camps available to all. To read more about volunteering opportunities and the University of Iowa, go to their website uiowa.edu. The ready access to the University of Iowa’s multitude of programs can often be an overlooked opportunity for many West students. “Use your resources. If you have people around you that have done it, reach out to them. If you know any teachers that know something about it, reach out to them,” Lee suggests. The unique opportunities that arise because of the University of Iowa’s proximity should be utilized by students at West to its full extent.