While most teenagers are lying on the beach or hanging out at the mall this summer, rising seniors at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in Hartsville are knee-deep in research.

This includes Kelly Martin of Orangeburg.

Martin is participating in a plant gene study at the University of South Carolina’s Department of Biological Sciences. She is researching ways to place nutrients into more edible parts of a plant, with the idea that the iron in a plant could be used as a substitute for meat.

“There is no better way to understand the world of research and its impact than to be immersed in it,” said Dr. Murray Brockman, GSSM president. “By positioning themselves on the cutting edge of new or existing research projects, our students are going boldly where many students will never go.”

Known as the Summer Program for Research Interns, this six-week experience, which also happens to be a graduation requirement, currently is taking place in a variety of research settings throughout the state such as the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the Savannah River Lab, just to name a few.

Students choose topics they are interested in researching and are then paired with mentors who also happen to be professionals. Some are professors, some are scientists and some work in corporate research environments.

The culmination of this six-week program will take place on Friday, July 20, at universities and research labs across the state. This event marks the end of the summer program and showcases the interns’ research efforts.

Located in Hartsville, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics is a public, residential high school for academically talented juniors and seniors.

For more information on the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, call 803-252-9152 or e-mail jacqulyne@scgssm.org.

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