Pacific High School Students Present Summer Research at 2025 STEP-UP Symposium

Twenty high school juniors and seniors from across the Pacific region presented their summer-research at the 2025 Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP) symposium, held virtually on August 8. The annual event highlights the accomplishments of student researchers who participated in summer internships hosted by partnering universities, colleges, and research institutions across the Pacific.

Representing Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, students showcased projects on a wide range of biomedical and social science topics. Research included comparisons between traditional medicinal plants and conventional pharmaceuticals, investigations into risk factors associated with gestational diabetes, the isolation and identification of endophytic bacteria from black pepper plants, studies on the viral load dynamics of emerging SARS-CoV-2 subvariants, and AI driven vaccine design against HIV.  A key component of Pacific STEP-UP is its focus on the One Health approach — recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Students were encouraged to consider how their research aligns with this framework and what potential impact their findings may have on their local communities across the Pacific.

The Pacific STEP-UP program is part of a national program funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health, and recently by a private donation from W.S.Fong Family Fund.  It provides high school students with hands-on laboratory experience while emphasizing biomedical science and the scientific research process. Working closely with mentors, students develop hypotheses, design and implement research methods, and analyze their findings. The goal of this program is to foster curiosity and encourage the pursuit of careers in biomedical, clinical and social/behavioral science research.

Congratulations to the 2025 STEP-UP student cohort for their outstanding work and dedication to scientific discovery.

Visit the STEP-UP Gallery for more photos and student presentations.