“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

For two weeks this summer, we glimpsed “beautiful dreams” envisioned by those working at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), where researchers and students spent hours of their valuable time painting their visions of the future.

Graca Almeida-Porada, MD, PhD, described the potential of routinely treating disorders such as thalassemia, sickle cell anemia and bubble boy syndrome in utero, dramatically improving the lives of these patients. Hooman Sadri-Ardekani, MD, PhD, banks testicular tissue with the hope of enhancing the reproductive future of young men afflicted with cancer or other diseases. Emmanuel Opara, PhD, encapsulates pancreatic Islet cells as a step toward future treatments of patients with diabetes to eliminate their need for insulin. Thanks to these individuals and many others, we saw science fiction becoming science fact at WFIRM.

Another piece of the dream at WFIRM was students from universities all over the United States spending their summer under the tutelage of these forward-thinking scientists. Each student was given a short-term project to conduct and complete in the lab, ending the summer with a professional poster and oral presentation. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment during the experience was infectious. The internship at WFIRM has helped these students prepare a canvas and paint “beautiful dreams” of their own to be fulfilled in years to come.

As high school teachers, we learned about amazing advancements in regenerative medicine. The excitement of the scientists at WFIRM was compelling. We were able to create lesson plans for our students that merged with NC Essential Standards, 21st Century Skills and cutting-edge science. Thanks to this experience, our new-found knowledge allows us to share and encourage young scientists to imagine, and perhaps, realize their own dreams of the future.

Lisa Sunshine teaches at GTCC Jamestown Early/Middle College and Melanie W. Stancill teaches at Davie County High School, STEM Center. They completed a 2015 summer externship through a partnership between WFIRM and NC New Schools.