From Jellyfish to Cancer Cells: Ashwin’s Journey through Science

By: Emily ​Reier

When Ashwin was in third grade, he wasn’t thinking about cancer research or college scholarships – he just wanted to tag along with his older brother. 

“My brother was in this after-school science club run by Dr. Rob at the Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences,” he remembers. “They were launching weather balloons, collecting samples in the salt marsh – I thought it sounded awesome. So I asked Dr. Rob if I could join too. He welcomed me right in.” 
​
That small request led to something much bigger. The club Ashwin joined would become the Young Scientist Academy (YSA), and he would become one of its first and longest-standing students. 

“It wasn’t just making slime or building volcanoes,” he says. “We were doing real research. My first project was studying how changing sea temperatures affect jellyfish life cycles.”

Ashwin spent over a year on the jellyfish project and, by fourth grade, was presenting his findings at the Coastal Estuarine Research Federation conference in Rhode Island. “It was a poster session. I was standing there explaining my work to scientists. I think I was the second-youngest person there,” he says, laughing. 
​
That early experience didn’t just spark interest, it lit a fire. “YSA was my first experience with real science, and it completely changed what I wanted to do with my life,” Ashwin says. “Ever since then, I’ve known I wanted to be a scientist.” ​

From the Lab to the Classroom, and Back Again

Over the next decade, Ashwin explored nearly every branch of science from meteorology and marine biology to chemistry and cancer research. “I’ve cycled through almost every STEM field,” he says. “Eventually I landed on chemistry, but every path taught me something new.” 

In high school, Ashwin began volunteering with YSA, coaching younger students in science fair and Science Olympiad, and launching the first-ever MathCounts team at D.C. Virgo, a Title 1 school in Wilmington. “There are so many kids who love learning but don’t have access to programs like this,” he says. “It’s incredibly rewarding to help them discover a passion for science.” 

Watching Dr. Rob teach helped Ashwin find a new calling: education. “I learned so much just from seeing how he worked with kids. It made me realize I don’t just want to do science, I want to teach it.” 

That passion for learning led him to Dr. Arthur Frampton’s lab at UNCW during his sophomore year. What started as a science fair project grew into two years of hands-on cancer research. “I started off testing how common medications affected lung cancer cells,” Ashwin explains. “Now I’m part of a team studying how to target prostate cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.” 

In the lab, he’s mastered techniques like toxicity assays and quantitative PCR, but says his most valuable skills are the ones YSA helped him build early on: problem-solving, collaboration and adaptability. “Science is mostly troubleshooting,” Ashwin says. “I learned that in fourth grade, when our jellyfish tanks weren’t working right. You make a plan, it goes wrong, and you figure it out.”

Now a chemistry major at NC State and a recipient of the prestigious Park Scholarship, Ashwin credits YSA for helping shape his path – and open doors. 

In one full-circle moment, the jellyfish research Ashwin started in elementary school is being prepared for publication, with Ashwin as a co-author. 

“It’s a paper with 30 co-authors from 18 different countries. The fact that something I did in fourth grade is now part of that, it still blows my mind.”

From launching weather balloons to studying cancer cells, Ashwin’s journey is proof of what happens when young people are given the tools, mentorship and trust to do real science. 

“Without YSA,” he says, “I don’t think I would’ve found this path. It changed everything.”

Ashwin’s story started with curiosity and a community that believed in him. Your donation can help another student take their first step toward a future in science, consider giving today.