September 2026
Caplan Award Winners
Student Awards
It’s been a busy month at Rise Up as we returned to our partner schools to introduce the Life as a Scientist program and help students begin brainstorming their research topics. This month, we’re also shining a light on some of the awards presented at our annual Journal Release Parties for last year’s students. With awards, prizes, and treats, we celebrated everyone’s success in completing their research projects and becoming published authors!
The Caplan Research Award for excellence in student scientific research is presented annually to one student group at each school that fully engaged with the Life as a Scientist program, demonstrated creativity and teamwork, presented their ideas confidently, and excelled in writing their research manuscript.
The award is named in honor of Dr. Arnold Caplan, a distinguished professor at Case Western Reserve University and a supporter of Rise Up. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Caplan made groundbreaking contributions to science, most notably discovering and describing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which became the foundation for many modern regenerative therapies. He authored more than 400 publications and remains one of the most respected figures in his field.
We are honored to carry forward Dr. Caplan’s legacy of innovation by presenting the 2026 Caplan Research Awards to the Pollution vs. Plant Growth group at Lincoln-West and the Is Healthiness a Factor in Sickness? group at Garrett Morgan!
Keep reading to learn more about these amazing projects!
JoYS release party
Lincoln West award winners
Is Healthiness a Factor in Sickness?
Marcus Smith, Queshon Dozier, Dynesty Leath, Sanaa Young, Cedrick Alers, and Mason Fluke
Can the food an organism eats affect how healthy, active, or sick it becomes? This team from Garrett Morgan investigated that question by studying earthworms raised on diets high in salt, sugar, or fat and comparing them with worms receiving a healthy control diet. The students observed the worms’ appearance, movement, survival, and burrowing behavior. They also conducted choice tests to see whether the worms preferred healthy soil or soil from their assigned diet condition.
The differences between the groups were striking. Worms receiving extra sugar became smaller and more energetic, while those in the high-salt group became noticeably thin. The high-fat worms initially moved more slowly, grew larger, developed a noticeable odor, and ultimately died early in the experiment. During the choice tests, most worms also preferred the healthy soil over soil containing extra sugar or fat.
This ambitious project earned recognition for its real-world relevance, thoughtful experimental design, and the team’s persistence in collecting several different types of data. Their work showed how diet can affect the health and behavior of a living organism and encouraged readers to think more carefully about how everyday food choices may influence long-term health.
You can read their full paper on page 47 of the Journal of Young Scientists!
Haleigh Paolucci
Janel Callon Outreach Award
The Janel Callon Outreach Award is presented annually to a volunteer who is dedicated to consistent and meaningful interactions with students in the Life as a Scientist program. It recognizes someone who encourages and empowers students while remaining actively involved throughout the scientific process. We are proud to announce this year’s recipient: Haleigh Paolucci!
The award was created in honor of Janel Callon, co-founder and CEO of the Ichigo Foundation, which focuses on expanding college access and success for people from under-resourced communities. A vital individual supporter of Rise Up, Janel has worked as a lawyer, counselor, college advisor, and foundation leader.
Haleigh is a PhD student at Case Western Reserve University and made an incredible impact across various parts of Rise Up this year. She helped guide students through the grant-writing process at both Lincoln West and Garrett Morgan, supported Garrett Morgan’s cancer research group throughout the entire school year, and hosted a Rise Up Scholar in her lab at Case Western over the summer.
Haleigh brought enthusiasm, plenty of patience, and genuine curiosity to every experience. She encouraged students and helped them navigate a difficult project week after week. We are thrilled to recognize her commitment to Rise Up and the students we serve!
Get to know Haleigh and learn more about her experience as a volunteer:
What is a fun fact about you, or something you enjoy doing in your free time?
In my free time, I love to fish, spend time with my dog, and read.
How did you get started volunteering with Rise Up?
I started volunteering with Rise Up because I kept hearing about volunteer opportunities from my PI, Marissa Scavuzzo, and thought it would be a fun and rewarding experience.
What motivates you to give back to the community?
There’s no better way to learn something new and meet great people than to do something that improves the community you are a part of.
What is your favorite part of volunteering?
Getting to meet all the students and watching their minds work as an experiment develops and comes to life.
What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering?
Every time I left after volunteering, I genuinely looked forward to coming back. It is exciting to watch the students do cool science and become engaged, especially when they did not think they would enjoy it at first.
Is there anything else you would like readers to know about Rise Up or your experience as a volunteer?
I’ve learned just as much from volunteering with Rise Up as the students have learned from doing science.
