Words: Thomas Hitt
On March 23 and 24, Centennial senior Jocelyn Mathew competed in the Baltimore Science Fair and won the grand prize, meaning she will be traveling to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona from May 12 to the 17.
Mathew’s project was on helper T cells and how they can be used in fighting pancreatic cancer. She conducts her research at Johns Hopkins and has been researching for the past two years now. Mathew collects data on mice and cell assays, testing whether certain proteins are activated by immune cells in a vaccine.
In regards to the event in Phoenix, Mathew continues to collect data hoping to conduct a study testing the impact vaccines have on tumor growth. The event hosts about 1800 kids from 75 countries, and doctoral leveled scientists judge the work provided by the students. Mathews will be competing for awards ranging from internships to even scholarships up to $50,000. Mathews will be competing in a category of Cellular Biology, in the subgroup of Cellular Immunology.
Mathew was surprised she won when she received the news from her dad.
“I wasn’t really thinking about winning, I kind of just went [to the fair] because I wanted to discuss my research with people who might be interested,” said Mathew.
Mathew, excited that she won, is thrilled for the competition in Phoenix.
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