School is out which means SPARK is in for the summer!

It’s mid-June, which means that school’s out for the summer! While most students are cheering about their newfound freedom from the classroom, a special group of high school students are cheering about the start of the CIRM SPARK internship program. SPARK is CIRM’s high school educational program that gives students from underrepresented communities the opportunity … Continue reading School is out which means SPARK is in for the summer!

Baseball’s loss is CIRM’s gain as Stanford’s Linda Boxer is appointed to Stem Cell Agency Board

One of the things that fascinates me is finding out how people end up in the job they have, the job they love. It is rare that the direction they started out on is the one they end on. Usually, people take several different paths, some intended, some unintended, to get to where they want … Continue reading Baseball’s loss is CIRM’s gain as Stanford’s Linda Boxer is appointed to Stem Cell Agency Board

Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

As part of our CIRM scholar blog series, we’re featuring the research and career accomplishments of CIRM funded students. Shannon Larsuel is a high school senior at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena California. Last summer, she participated in Stanford’s CIRM SPARK high school internship program and did stem cell research in a lab that studies … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

Teach your kids about stem cells and science with Think-A-Lot-Tots children’s books

It's never too early to start learning. When it comes to teaching science to kids, here’s my advice: don’t shy away from talking about topics like mitochondria or nuclei. Children are curious and intelligent. They can understand complex scientific concepts if you engage them in the right way. So it’s time to set aside the … Continue reading Teach your kids about stem cells and science with Think-A-Lot-Tots children’s books

Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Making blood and muscle from stem cells and helping students realize their “pluripotential”

Stem cells offer new drug for blood diseases. A new treatment for blood disorders might be in the works thanks to a stem cell-based study out of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s hospital. Their study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The teams made induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from the skin … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Making blood and muscle from stem cells and helping students realize their “pluripotential”

Results are in: The Winners of our 2017 #StemCellResolution Campaign

We asked and you answered! In January, we launched our first Stem Cell Resolution campaign to raise awareness about the importance of stem cell research. We challenged scientists, students, institutes and the public to make a #StemCellResolution and share it on social media. The goal of our campaign was to start a larger conversation about … Continue reading Results are in: The Winners of our 2017 #StemCellResolution Campaign

Discovering stem cells and science at Discovery Day

Someone stole my thigh bone. One minute it was there. The next, gone. I have narrowed down the list of suspects to the more than 25,000 people attending Discovery Day at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. To be honest, the bone was just a laminated image of a bone, stuck to the image of a person … Continue reading Discovering stem cells and science at Discovery Day

Investing in student researchers now for future stem cell therapy homeruns

Even though my San Francisco Giants didn’t make it to the World Series this year, I still watched Game 1 two nights ago between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. As each batter stepped up to the plate for their first at bat, I thought about all the years of training and in-game experience … Continue reading Investing in student researchers now for future stem cell therapy homeruns

Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day with SUPER CELLS!

To all you stem cell lovers out there, today is your day! The second Wednesday of October is Stem Cell Awareness Day (SCAD), which brings together organizations and individuals that are working to ensure the general public realizes the benefits of stem cell research. For patients in desperate need of treatments for diseases without cures, … Continue reading Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day with SUPER CELLS!

Science and Improv: Spotlight on CIRM Bridges Scholar Jill Tsai

As part of our CIRM scholar series, we’re featuring the research and career accomplishments of CIRM funded students. What do science and improv have in common? The answer is not a whole lot. However, I recently met a talented student from our CIRM Bridges master’s program who one day is going to change this. Meet … Continue reading Science and Improv: Spotlight on CIRM Bridges Scholar Jill Tsai