Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School senior and science research student Erhumwunse Eghafona is one of only 14 students across Long Island school districts who was selected for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Partners for the Future internship program.

Partners for the Future provides an opportunity for high school students to have hands-on experience in biological research at Cold Spring Harbor’s state-of-the-art international laboratory facility. This highly competitive and selective program is open to high school students entering their senior year. Candidates are put through a rigorous process which includes nomination and referral by the science chairperson, an extensive application portfolio, references and interviews.

After an intense vetting process, Erhumwunse was selected, the first student from Copiague School District, and began the program in August. While most high school students spend a minimum of 10 hours per week, September through March, conducting authentic research with a scientist, Erhumwunse’s commitment is evident in the excess hours he spends in the lab since the summer when he started research early. The program culminates in a highly publicized prestigious symposium, in which students give oral presentations to a platform of experts in the field including doctors, scientist, mentors and lab administrators. Erhumwunse is working on cutting edge cancer immunotherapy; specifically, isolating antigens to produce antibodies for pancreatic cancer cells.