Investing in the Next Generation of Science

How local funding helped Farmington High School students experience real-world research at UConn Health

When you give locally, you don't always get to see exactly where those dollars go. At the Farmington Community Chest, one of our goals is to make that connection a little clearer. This past summer, some of those dollars helped Farmington High School students step inside real research labs at UConn Health.

The Farmington Community Chest provided funding to support FHS students participating in the 2026 Cutting Edge Research Internship Program at UConn Health. That support helped ensure students could participate at no cost to themselves or their families.



Beyond the Science Classroom

Cutting Edge is designed to give students an experience they simply can't get from a textbook. Instead of only learning about scientific research, they had the opportunity to take part in it,  learning laboratory techniques, conducting experiments, analyzing results and seeing firsthand how researchers work through questions that don't always have predictable answers.

For two weeks, students weren't simply reading about scientific research or learning concepts in a classroom. They were working in labs, learning new techniques, analyzing results, asking questions and seeing what the research process actually looks like, including the trial and error that comes with it.

One student described the difference this way:

“Reading about a technique or process in a textbook is very different from actually performing it and seeing your results firsthand. This gave me a much deeper and hands-on understanding of the material.”

Another called learning directly from a researcher “an experience that you cannot normally get anywhere else.”

And for one student, getting to see the results of an experiment unfold in real time was a highlight:

“I loved being able to actually see experimental results occur in real time and being able to analyze and interpret them. Not only that, but knowing that this is an actual unknown part of science that you are being able to discover and learn about for the first time is an incredible privilege.”

The experience also left students thinking differently about what might come next. Eight of the 10 students who completed the program evaluation said they were more interested in pursuing a career in scientific research after participating in Cutting Edge. The other two reported the same level of interest as before.

Making Opportunity Accessible

For the Farmington Community Chest, that's an important part of why this program matters. Opportunities like Cutting Edge can introduce students to careers they may never have considered, deepen an existing interest or simply give them the chance to find out what working in a research environment is really like.

“Our funding ensured that participating FHS students could access the program without their families having to absorb the cost,” said FCC President Chris Andrews. “Removing that financial barrier helped make an exceptional educational experience available based on a student's interest and curiosity rather than their family's ability to pay.”

“We are incredibly grateful to the Farmington Community Chest for their support,” said Steve Netcoh, Coordinator of Extended Learning Opportunities for Farmington Public Schools. “This funding allows us to support authentic learning experiences for FHS students while they work on cutting-edge scientific research under the guidance of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at UConn Health.”

Local Giving, Local Impact

The Farmington Community Chest has been supporting our community since 1931. Sometimes that means helping a neighbor through a difficult stretch. Sometimes it means supporting local seniors, families or community programs. And sometimes it means giving a group of high school students the chance to spend part of their summer working in a research lab.

Cutting Edge is a great example of how local giving can create opportunities right here at home. Students came away with new skills and a better understanding of scientific research, but they also came away with a clearer sense of what they might want to pursue in the future.

For one student, the experience sparked an interest in potentially pursuing scientific research. Another entered the program thinking about software engineering or cybersecurity and left interested in exploring the research side of technology instead. That's exactly the kind of opportunity we're proud to help make possible.