Kaan Turkyilmaz Editor in chief, Devil's Advocate student newspaper • Speaks Turkish and Spanish • Lifelong Hinsdalean • Son of Turkish immigrants • HCHS Speech Team member • enjoys taking photos in fullersburg woods
Summer break can be a time to relax, to travel or even to catch up on things that didn't get done the semester before. Or, it can be a time to immerse yourself in something completely new. In summer 2024, Hinsdale Central High School senior Kaan Turkyilmaz chose the latter.
Inspired by his mother's stories of the research she performed during her medical residency, Turkyilmaz set out to find a laboratory in which to spend his summer.
"I basically cold emailed them," Turkyilmaz said of the doctors to whom he reached out in pursuit of a summer research internship. His efforts paid off when he was invited to join Dr. Chris Weber for a three-month research internship at the University of Chicago.
Much of Turkyilmaz's time was spent working with a huge microscope housed four levels below ground. The size of a classroom, the gigantic machine provides researchers with extremely close views of cell cultures, allowing them to spot specific proteins and to diagnose specific diseases, including certain types of cancer, Turkyilmaz said.
"It reminded me of Hawkins' lab in 'Stranger Things,' " he said. "It was intriguing to be surrounded by such cutting-edge technology."
Turkyilmaz said his job entailed using AI to analyze and compare lab results from different patients.
"For doctors and researchers it's really valuable as a tool," said Turkyilmaz, who witnessed firsthand how the technology can be used to track commonalities between cases. Turkyilmaz said his Hinsdale Central education, and particularly his study of cell membranes in AP Biology, was vital to his.
Turkyilmaz worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday, but his days began long before arriving at the laboratory. His commute was a multi-legged journey of 1.5 hours or more. Turkyilmaz said that among the knowledge he gained during his internship was that he does not want a job that requires a lengthy commute.
"It made me realize that I want to live in an urban environment," he said.
What he will do while living in that environment remains to be decided.
"I'm not sure yet if I want to be a doctor," said Turkyilmaz, who along with biology and medicine has a keen interest in psychology and philosophy. He hasn't ruled out bioethics as a future focus.
And while it's unlikely to become a career, Turkyilmaz recently took up nature photography as a new hobby. It's just the latest in a long list of activities that includes playing classical piano and volunteering at the Hinsdale Historical Society, where he worked on last summer's "Hinsdale in Lights" exhibit at Immanuel Hall.
Like many high school seniors, much of Turkyilmaz's current focus is on college applications. Along with getting into a top school, his goals for senior year include a return to the state speech competition, where he hopes to again compete in impromptu and extemporaneous speaking. While making it to state last year was a huge accomplishment, Turkyilmaz said he's gained more from the activity than trophies and titles.
"It gave me the confidence to reach out to people," he said, including the doctor with whom he secured last summer's internship.
- story by Sandy Illian Bosch, photo by Jim Slonoff
