Teen researcher hopes his work helps to heal lands damaged by copper mining

Sixteen-year-old Evan Chaparro spent much of his summer vacation in a lab in Tucson, extracting plant DNA and analyzing soil samples. He now hopes his summer research project will eventually lead to programs that help heal and repair lands damaged by copper mining. As an intern with the KEYS program at the University of Arizona’s BIO5 Institute, Chaparro lived the life of a scientist for seven weeks in June and July, residing on campus and researching the impact plants have in healing damaged terrain. “I worked in the lab every day from nine to five,” he said. “I wanted a summer program where I would be treated more like a scientist and not just a high school student. I had a great time and learned a lot.”