The Young Scientist Foundation

Mission of the Young Scientist Foundation

History

Connecting motivated high school students with passionate mentors, in order to provide those students a unique opportunity to embark on careers in science by engaging in meaningful medical research.

The Young Scientist Foundation was founded in 2011 when Chef Floyd Cardoz won a popular cooking television show and donated his winnings to start an education foundation. He realized there wasn’t significant funding available for high school students to work in biomedical research laboratories and denying a student an opportunity because of a lack of resources is something he and the founders of YSF wanted to change.

In 2013, YSF expanded its reach beyond placing students at Mt. Sinai in New York City to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Since its inception, YSF has expanded is reach from placing two students in 2011 to 22 students in 2016.

YSF in Action

What happens when you combine a passion for food with a passion for science?  Well, it’s a long story, but in short, you get a passion for the scientific mentorship of high school students, The Young Scientist Foundation.  We are determined to match highly motivated high school students with accomplished mentors, enabling them to perform meaningful laboratory research, question the status quo and make a real difference.  Most importantly, we yearn to ignite a life-long passion for science.  We believe that the solutions to numerous disease related issues facing the world today, specifically in the field of cancer, aren’t actually in the world yet; they’re locked in people’s heads, specifically those of our youth.  The sad fact is that there are less youth going into the sciences each and every day.  We exist to solve that problem.

We provide support to young investigators who are researching new ways to prevent, diagnose and/or treat cancer.  Some of the YSF investigators focus on specific forms of cancer while others conduct research on more general mechanisms involved in various types of cancer. This foundation is designed to nurture young scientists in the pursuit of obtaining the knowledge necessary to excel in biomedical research.

Our unique foundation enables young people to discover their passion for science and for helping society by working alongside accomplished researchers to develop new treatments for diseases. This hands-on experience provides high-school students and undergraduates with a rare opportunity to begin building a successful career in translational research, which turns new scientific discoveries into therapies that benefit patients.

Scientific research has never been more exciting. Our young scientists go far beyond a standard classroom curriculum to study, first-hand, the intricate pathways of the body and identify potential drug targets using mice models. Starting young people on a path of scientific discovery fosters creativity and inspires them to think of possibilities that can lead to innovative treatments.

The Young Scientist Foundation is committed to funding high school students to work in research labs in order to help them realize their passion for learning and research as well as to be able to further their dreams of working in a similar field.

We are helping them to develop and nurture their passion by fueling them with mentorship and guidance.  This gives them the freedom to believe that they can fulfill their dream and love for developing cures that will service mankind.  The Young Scientist Foundation is determined to make sure that that no motivated student will ever be held back by a lack of resources or finances.  Join us on our journey towards fulfilling this mission.