The John D. Bower INSTAR Scholars Program

While St. Andrew’s Episcopal School has a rich history of students conducting independent research, the Bower INSTAR Scholars Program officially began in 2019. Its focus is not only for students to create and conduct a novel research study, but also for students to learn essential skills across a variety of scientific disciplines. Students use the year to learn about lab safety, practice scientific writing and literature review, then create a unique research study using best practices in experimental design, data analysis, and univariate statistics. Additionally, they gain experience in presenting scientific data and utilizing lab techniques and field experiences necessary to work across fields of study in microbiology, molecular biology, organismal biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, engineering, and others.

Wondering what an INSTAR is? Standing for Investigating Novel Solutions Through Applied Research, the name first describes how our students create and oversee their own research study. Additionally, an instar in zoological terms is defined as a growing stage between two periods of development for an organism, like the life stage of a butterfly living as a caterpillar. We feel this name is appropriate to capture this point in time as a bridge for out students, preparing them for future endeavors in a STEM career.

Once a student completes their novel research and presents their findings across at least two forums, they are designated as a Bower Fellow. This page recognizes the 31 Bower Fellows at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Students that completed research across multiple years will have each year listed below.

Madelyn Abraham (2022)

Vahita Anand (2022 & 2023)

Saatvik Agrawal (2021)

Alice Astarlioglu (2024)

Ella Bennett (2022)

Verena Bhagat (2024)

Mira Bhatt (2022, 2023, & 2024)

Abigail Calimaran (2021)

Kate Cochran (2023 & 2024)

Micah Davis (2023)

Joy Dhar (2022 & 2023)

Mattie Ellis (2023)

Reed Finseth (2021)

Nivedita P. Garg (2022 & 2023)

Ally Hamilton (2023 & 2024)

Forrest Hutchison (2019 & 2021)

Khalil Jackson (2019)

John Kees (2019)

Celia Lane (2023 & 2024)

Jonathan Livingston (2023)

Wake Monroe (2021)

This program is named after a scientist in our St. Andrew’s community, Dr. John D. Bower, an influential medical professional working at the University of Mississippi Medical Center from 1965 until his retirement in 2000. During this time, Dr. Bower made a lasting impact on improving patient care nationwide by persuading Congress to establish renal diseases as covered medical conditions through Medicare. He later founded Kidney Care Inc., a series of healthcare facilities that ultimately merged with a series of dialysis programs nationwide. His work continues to improve patient health through the Bower Foundation and assists our students in research through the Bower Endowment at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

Vivian Pryor (2019)

Carol Rappai (2022 & 2023)

Pranav Reddy (2023 & 2024)

Patricia Romero (2023 & 2024)

Harrison Speed (2019)

Joshua Thorne (2022, 2023, & 2024)

Casey Young (2022 & 2023)

Jason Wang (2019)

Grant Worsley (2023)

Gabriella Zevallos (2022, 2023, & 2024)