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For Mary Langworthy ’17 and Mary Margaret Allen ’17, the geology trip to Turkana, Kenya, was not only a great research experience, but also a true adventure.

Marcos Ferreccio ’17 and Alex Cornwell ’17 spent this summer building and optimizing an electron spin resonance (ESR) magnetometer.

In 2016, the American Cancer Association expects 62,450 new cases of thyroid cancer with approximately 2,000 deaths. Although anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is fairly rare, representing approximately 5% of thyroid cancer, it is also one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with most patients dying within 6 months of diagnosis. Martina Brave’17 got the opportunity this summer to explore the mechanisms behind thyroid cancer, as part of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). 

Emma Anderson ’17 has always been fascinated by biology. She is planning to pursue a graduate degree in a nutrition-related field, and hopes to have a positive impact on the health and well-being of others through her career. This summer, Anderson was selected for the Summer Student Program at The Jackson Laboratory, a non-profit biomedical research institution located in Bar Harbor, Maine. It’s been a great opportunity for her to explore her interests and learn about the potential career path of a biomedical researcher.

After watching the documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies and having family members battle with cancer, Joana Mora’18 was determined to play a role in cancer research. This summer, under the advisement of Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Mark Sasaki, she studied cancer by looking into whether RNF43, a protein coding gene mutated in many types of cancers, is a transcriptional target of p53, a tumor suppressor gene. Understanding their relationship helps explain how various forms of cancer begin.

Lyndsay LaBarge ’17 and Maya Montgomery ’18 spent this summer working on the design and implementation of CSPy, a variation of the programming language Python. The research is under the supervision of Associate Professor of Computer Science Alistair Campbell.

In recent years, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has become valuable because it allows for the cost effective, rapid detection of small molecules without destroying or altering them. Particularly, in biology and chemistry fields, it allows one to identify biological samples like DNA and proteins, detect trace levels of explosives, and can be used in medical diagnostics.

‘What is consciousness?’ The question has compelled Tyler Rhind ’18 to think about the relationship between the brain, behavior and awareness since taking courses in neuroscience and consciousness last year.

In the U.S, buildings account for about 40% of primary energy use and 40% of C02 emissions. Improving energy conservation and efficiency is important for individuals today, but more so, for future generations. One way to increase efficiency is through accessible information for individual homeowners. This summer, physics and environmental studies double major Anna Mowat ’18 is tackling this issue by studying the heating efficiency of residential buildings. Her goal is to develop an accurate model that helps understand and improve the efficiency of residential houses. The research is supervised by Professor of Physics Seth Major.

When Assistant Professor of Biology Cynthia Downs was awarded a Christian A. Johnson Teaching Enhancement award in November 2015, she used the grant to upgrade and expand the vertebrate physiology-teaching lab and offer students high-tech approaches to study aerobic fitness.