Five Walker students conclude four-week CDC internships

Last week five Walker seniors concluded a four-week internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The internships are a component of the Public Health Concentration of Walker’s Guided Scientific Research program that begins with a semester elective class on Immunology and ends with a semester elective focused on guided scientific research that is then published and/or presented at a statewide competition at the Georgia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium hosted by The University of Georgia. 

Last year, seven of the 50 students selected statewide to present at the GJSHS were participants in Walker’s Guided Scientific Research program.  

During the CDC internship, students in the Public Health Concentration are paired with a scientist and engage in meaningful work over the four weeks and conclude their time with a presentation about their work. 

Walker Head of School Carl Carlson said he was impressed with the presentations and the command the students displayed of complex material. “The full spectrum of a Walker education was on display, and it was a very proud moment for me as Head of School,” he said. 

Carlson congratulated Casey Arkoette, Ryan Fitzgerald, Ben Merrett, Tessa Allers and  Emma Toro, and “congratulations to their mentor, Emily Adams, Walker Science  Department Chair/Innovative Teaching Chair, for her vision, work and guidance to develop  and implement such a unique opportunity.”