Ashley Lamb, who recently completed Marie Owens’ AP Biology course, spent her summer like few other rising high school juniors to be sure! She was selected from among North Carolina’s top students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to conduct research in life and environmental sciences at North Carolina State University and Appalachian State University. These fully-funded programs allowed her to pursue a variety of field study, lab analysis, problem solving and technical writing coursework. Ashley completed original research and presented her reports to faculty, students and members of the public. Even more, she is writing a scientific paper about her research, which involves the health of ecosystems following environmental remediation, for potential publication. Ashley has also accepted the opportunity to pursue college-level classes on genetics and disease during the 2018-2019 school year. Congratulations, Ashley, on your initiative and diligence!