On October 24, 2025, the Department of Genetics hosted a group of 10 students from Wake Tech Community College (WTCC) who are part of the Stem Academic and Research Training (START) program.
The goal of the START program is to increase student retention and to improve scientific, engineering, and quantitative literacy. With these goals in mind, the START program has partnered with local universities, including UNC, to provide hands-on research experience to students with guidance from faculty mentors. Multiple UNC Department of Genetics faculty have volunteered to provide research internships for WTCC students.
The day started with a department overview from Dr. Christopher Gregory, followed by research presentations from Drs. Martin Ferris, Christoph Rau, and Karen Mohlke. The students were given a tour of the SOM research buildings by Malini Bommiasamy and Kerstin Baran, both Department of Genetics Research Project Managers. Then, Dr. Piotr Mieczkowski provided a tour of the High Throughput Sequencing Facility (HTSF) while explaining the importance of next generation sequencing (NGS) and the steps involved in the NGS workflow. The START students participated in a panel discussion with UNC undergraduate students from the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP), and the visit ended with current graduate students discussing their experiences and paths to graduate school over lunch.
Special thanks to Carolyn Hoffman and Alain Ayangma (WTCC Professors), Riham Mohammed and Amos David Romero Castro (C-STEP students), Rachel Syzmanski and Ryan Salcido (UNC Genetics & Molecular Biology graduate students); Dr. Martin Ferris, Dr. Christoph Rau, Dr. Karen Mohlke, Dr. Piotr Mieczowski, Dr. Sarah Schoenrock, Cara Marlow, John Cornett, Pam Rosenberg, Malini Bommiasamy, Kerstin Baran, and Dr. Chris Gregory for their planning and support of this important partnership effort.