Cornelius Hennch

I am 18 years old and a High scholl student at Bunsengymnasium Heidelberg. Since 2007 I am a member of the Heidelberg Life-Science Lab. At first I was very interested in physics, but by getting an insight to various fields of biology I got more and more interested in molecular biology.  In 2008 I participated in the microbiology and biophysics working group, which gave me the possibility to gain some real working experience in a biological laboratory. For my last two years’ activities in the Life-Science Lab I focused on molecular and cell biology by starting my own scientific project. My teammate and I studied the radiation response mechanisms of Fibroblasts at low dose gamma irradiation to figure out the mechanisms behind adapational and bystander effects. We designed and implemented our own experiments in cooperation with scientists of the German Cancer Research Center.

In this project I gained much working experience with standard and advanced biological methods such as cell culture, flow cytometry, gel electrophoresis, various types of staining, RNA-extraction and DNA-microarray technology. The project was highly awarded with a special prize in the nationwide competition for young scientists of Germany called „Jugend Forscht“. 

The price included a journey to China, which gave us the possibility to compete in an international contest for young scientists in Guangzhou and to travel around China and visit Hong Kong and Shanghai.

After my graduation I will have an internship at the Lab of Prof. Dr. Matthew Scott at Stanford. In his research he is focusing on the correlation between the Hedgehog signaling pathway during embyogenesis and infant glioblastoma.

After this internship I want to absolve my social year in a foreign country, hopefully in Hong Kong.