James Hur (right), a student from Harvard-Westlake School, describes his research on healing radiation wounds at the USC Early Investigator High School (EiHS) & USC CIRM Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Colloquium and Poster Presentation on August 2.

Hur is one of 20 local students enjoying a summer of hands-on experience in stem research laboratories through the EiHS and CIRM STAR programs.

“I’ve always been interested in stem cells, and I want to get more lab experience, so this program is a perfect fit,” he said. “I’ve been most surprised by the level of independence and the freedom that our mentors give us. The experience has cemented my desire to enter research science.”