Seattle-Eleven 7th and 8th graders visited Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI, now PNDRI) today to become scientists for a day. The students are all winners in the annual essay and poster contest--"Biomedical Breakthroughs"--sponsored by the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR).

More than 500 students from middle schools and junior high schools in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon participated in this year's contest. The winners come from schools as widespread as Everett, Renton, Payette (ID), and Portland. Together with their parents and teachers, these students were welcomed to PNRI and recognized for their achievement in a formal awards ceremony.

In addition to receiving cash prizes and certificates, the students took part in state-of-the-art diabetes research, guided by scientists from three different PNRI laboratories.

The lab group of Dr. Paul Robertson taught the students how to isolate islet cells for studies of the mechanisms of beta cell function. In Dr. Peter Dempsey's lab, students examined beta cell structure and development with the help of a confocal microscope. Dr. Vincent Poitout's lab guided the students through the process of extracting and amplifying DNA and identifying its genotype with gel electrophoresis.

"We put a fluorescent protein in a virus," one of the student winners said, "and then infected a cell, which made the cell glow. That was really cool. And then we picked islets from a blended up pancreas. That was really fun. It was like fishing."

This is the third year contest winners have visited PNRI. It is the fifth year of the contest. NWABR education manager, Jeanne Chowning, says, "I think it's great from all different perspectives. The scientists get to interact with middle school students. And this is a very impressionable age. These students haven't made up their minds yet about what they think about science. They're still open to new ideas and new ways of thinking about things." One of the contest goals is to help enrich students' understanding of science and the valuable contributions it has made.

"PNRI is pleased to partner with NWABR in this valuable program," says Institute President and Scientific Director, Paul Robertson. "NWABR makes a great contribution to the public understanding of biomedical research. In Biomedical Breakthroughs and Scientist for a Day, it works creatively to improve science education in the region's schools. We are glad to be part of that effort."

For more information, visit www.wabr.org/education/contest.html.