Achievers

By KELLY PREW
Staff Writer

For one John Tyler High School student, the door to higher education just got a little wider.

Seventeen-year-old Kemian J. Fry always thought he would study kinesiology in college after graduation in 2009, but an internship at the University of Texas at Tyler biology lab this summer has him thinking about new opportunities.

"I was strictly kinesiology before I came here," Fry said. "I never even thought about (biology) as a major."

Fry spent eight weeks this summer working on a project, "The Glassy Winged Sharpshooter: Quantifying the Levels of Chemical Pigments Involved in Color Changes within the Forewings," as part of Project SEED.

For 40 years, Project SEED has given high school students from economically disadvantaged families the opportunity to experience a career in chemistry-related science through eight to 10-week hands-on summer internships in academic, industrial or governmental research laboratories, made possible by the Bayer USA Foundation.

Earlier this year, the Bayer USA Foundation awarded a grant to the American Chemical Society to expand Project SEED, its Presidential award-winning summer internship program, to two Texas cities -- Tyler and Houston -- giving two high school cities a rare opportunity.

The dual issues of diversifying the country's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pipeline and reversing under-representation by women, African-Americans, American Indians and Hispanics in STEM fields are key concerns to Bayer, according to information from the company.

"As a global science-based company, diversity is key to Bayer's success," said Rebecca Lucore, Executive Director of the Bayer USA Foundation. "We understand the benefits that different perspectives, ideas, talents and creativity have to our various businesses."

At UT Tyler, Fry studied under Dr. Blake Bextine in a research lab on campus. The focus project involved the Glassy Winged Sharpshooter, a pest that has a major impact on agricultural economics in certain areas across the United States.

"This project is a good way to bring students at the high school level in and show them what research is like," Bextine said. "Sometimes, freshmen get lost and miss out on opportunities. Next year, Kemian will have an idea and a head start."

Working together with college students, the research led to identification of the red pigment of the insects' wings, which can help determine the age of the insect.

"The only way of knowing how old they are, the traditional way, was to cut them open," Bextine said. "Now, we can tell by the wings."

The research on the insect will continue to correct a growing problem in the wine industry, called Pierce's Disease, in which the sharpshooters infest the crop, Bextine said.

"There is a lot of work to be done, and a lot of things we need to understand," he said. "Our goal is to stop Pierce's Disease from being a problem."

Fry's research experience this summer could mean more opportunities at UT Tyler or at any university in the country.

"The only school I had thought about was Stephen F. Austin," Fry said. "My mom told me to be open, so I'm still looking."

Bextine said Fry has done a great job and learned quickly. His name also will appear on published works pertaining to the research. That alone could get his foot in the door of any college.

Fry spent 40 in the lab each week in addition to his job at McDonald's. He said he has enjoyed his summer and will consider a major in biology.

He said owes the experience to his chemistry teacher, Lueva Collins.

But despite all his work, convincing his friends he's a college laboratory researcher seems a harder task.

"Most of them don't believe I work here," he said. "I have gotten to work with microscopes way more advanced than the ones we have at school and centeruges I didn't know existed."

SHARPSHOOTING STUDENT: Kemian J. Fry, right, has discovered biology through Project SEED, made possible by the Bayer Foundation.
(Courtesy Photo)