Distinction

Rawalpindi:Over five intense weeks in Biochemistry during the 2021 Summer Science Programme, Anushay Anjum, a student at Prime Academy, Rawalpindi used wet lab techniques and modelling software to study an enzyme from a fungal pathogen, and to design a small molecule inhibitor to protect crops from that fungus, says a press release.

She participated in the Summer Science Programme (SSP), joining 35 other top science students from around the world online for academic challenge, collaboration, and personal growth.

Since 1959, this unique and highly selective programme has offered teenagers their first

taste of hands-on, collaborative experimental research. Years and even decades later, alumni describe it as “the educational experience of a lifetime.” Most go on to earn advanced degrees and leadership roles in their chosen careers.

Anushay and her colleagues spent over 300 hours collecting and analysing data in teams of three, overseen by experienced researchers. They also had the opportunity to engage with prominent guest speakers including two Nobel Laureates, physicist Eric Cornell and oncologist James Allison.

SSP is operated by an independent non-profit, in cooperation with host campuses New Mexico Tech, University of Colorado Boulder, Purdue University, and Indiana University, and academic affiliates Caltech, MIT, and Harvey Mudd College.