On July 30, 2026, fourteen local high school students marked the completion of their summer research experience at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute. Joined by family, mentors, teachers and friends, the students gathered to present the work they completed during the Glenn W. Bailey STEM Education & Outreach Programs Kenan Fellows summer program.
The annual Kenan Fellows Summer Symposium gave students an opportunity to share their research and reflect on their experiences through lightning talks and a poster session, followed by a reception celebrating their accomplishments. Courtney Miller, Ph.D., director of academic affairs and professor of molecular medicine and neuroscience at the institute, welcomed the attendees, and Annie Bryan, Senior Grant Officer with the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, joined virtually to congratulate the interns.
Throughout the summer, the students worked alongside researchers at the institute to pursue an individual research project. The Kenan Fellowship offered an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and conduct scientific research firsthand.
Meet the 2026 Kenan Fellows, explore the research they conducted this summer and see photos from the symposium below.
| Student | Lab | project title |
|---|---|---|
| Sophia Chen, Martin County High School | Ayako Makino, Ph.D. | The Role of Connexin 40 in Regulating Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Permeability |
| Alexandria Cogle, Jupiter Community High School | William Ja, Ph.D. | Body Mass Change Under Time-Restricted Feeding in Drosophila Melanogaster |
| Johanna Daugherty, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | Jason Yuan, M.D., Ph.D. | Developing a Cellular Model to Study the Effect of Piezo1 on Pulmonary Hypertension |
| Emily Dillon, Oxbridge Academy | Patrick Griffin, Ph.D. | Evaluating RORβ’s Tumor Suppressive Role in Osteosarcoma and Neuronal Cell Lines |
| Lily Feiner, The Benjamin School | Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, M.D. | The Effect of a Novel Monoclonal Antibody, ALT-100,in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Pulmonary Fibrosis |
| Heather Garcia, Jupiter Community High School | Jason Yuan, Ph.D. | Developing a Cellular Model to Investigate the SARS-CoV-2 E Protein Function |
| Aria Kaul, South Fork High School | Thomas Kodadek, Ph.D. | Molecular Cloning of Death Receptor 3 in Escherichia Coli for Potential Drug Targeting |
| Devesh Kumaresh, American Heritage School | Sathya Puthanveettil, Ph.D. | SLAMR lncRNA-Protein Interactions During Protein Synthesis |
| Emily Linder, Oxbridge Academy | Gavin Rumbaugh, Ph.D. | Spine Morphology in Mice with a Cognitive Enhancing Variant of the Syngap1 Gene |
| Aidan McCorkle, The Benjamin School | Matthew Disney, Ph.D. | Discovering Small-Molecule Binders of miR-155 and Developing a Method to Map Their Binding Sites |
| Cathryn Murray, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | Mauricio Martins, Ph.D. | Characterizing Immune Cell Infiltration at the AAV Injection Site Following Intramuscular AAV-bNAb Therapy |
| Stefanie Ratchev, Suncoast High School | Timothy Spicer, Ph.D. | Implementation and Validation of Spectral Shift Analysis for Automated uHTS |
| William (Brady) Spanks, Suncoast High School | Thomas Bannister, Ph.D. | Optimization of Small Molecules for Lassa Virus Infection |
| Melany Suarez Ibarra, Suncoast High School | Luiz de Carvalho, Ph.D. | Functional Investigation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis GuaB3 (Rv3410c), an Uncharacterized IMPDH-Family Protein |
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