Two of the students are from Saipan, two are from Tinian, and one is from Rota.
As part of the program, the student chooses a topic to research with the intent of presenting their research to a panel of scientists in the mainland.
The students are each assigned a mentor who guides them throughout their research.
For her research, Gottwald has chosen to trace the history of diabetes all the way back to World War II.
She tells Variety of a few of the other ongoing researches: the student from Rota has chosen to do research on sea cucumbers while the student from Kagman High School is conducting nematode research under Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service.
The students will continue their research until Aug. 9.
On Aug.10 they will travel to Washington, D.C. to present their research to a panel of scientists and their peers. The panel will judge their research and give criticisms.
The pacific region’s Step-Up program is funded by the University of Hawaii.
The students’ airfare, hotel stays, and transportation are all provided for them.
In addition, the students receive a stipend of $1,500 for the summer.
“The experience so far has been interesting,” Gottwald said.
“I’ve learned a lot about diabetes. Most of my research goes on at the lab on campus [at NMC] or at the entomology lab.”
She is eager to continue her research and elated to be a part of this magnificent opportunity.
