Mentoring Young Minds

When Pocono Mountain High School student Dan Serfass set out to conduct a microbiology research study for his class assignment, he didn’t know he would have the opportunity to work alongside a biomedical sciences expert to complete the task.

But then, through the school’s connection and partnership with Sanofi Pasteur, Dan received a call from Russell Higbee, MS, PhD, DVM, an employee from the company’s wholly owned subsidiary VaxDesign Corporation. It was the first of many calls between Russell and Dan over the next several months, as Russell mentored and consulted with Dan on his study’s progress. And through the help of others, Dan was connected with lab space and materials at East Stroudsburg University. Dan’s study, which tested his hypothesis of a possible connection between E. coli bacteria and the onset of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, proceeded to win first-place awards at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences. Congratulations, Dan!