This past summer, eleven Yeshiva University students were chosen to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), a cutting-edge biomedical research program at Albert Einstein Medical School. The students performed research in fields ranging from molecular biology to neuroscience to epidemiology, allowing the participants to gain hands-on research experience at an advanced level. The program, directed by Dr. Victoria Freedman, Einstein’s associate dean for graduate programs in the biomedical sciences, and Dr. Barry Potvin, professor of biology at Yeshiva College and visiting professor in the cell biology department at Einstein, accepted 58 students from a number of colleges to perform this grad-school level scientific work. The 11 students selected from Yeshiva were grouped into three programs. Eight students—Dov Levine, Mordechai Smith and Darren Sultan of Yeshiva College, along with Deena Miller, Sarah Mizrachi, Esther Robin, Yosefa Schoor and Anna Weinstein of Stern College—were awarded scholarships through the Roth Institute Scholars Program. Two Stern College students—Melissa Kramer and Shira Marder—were chosen as part of the University Undergraduate Summer Research Scholars Program, which is supported through the Provost’s Office. One Stern Student— Nechama Dreyfus from New Haven, Connecticut— participated in the program through the Stern Einstein Research Connection Fellowship, created and funded by Stern alumnae attending Einstein for students between their sophomore and junior years.
Each program granted students a stipend and housing at Einstein in order to familiarize them with the community. Seminars and workshops allowed participants to have a broad overview of the various types of research conducted at the medical school and culminated in a poster session in August where students shared their research. “The aim of the SURP program is to provide each student with the opportunity to experience the many rewards and challenges of biomedical research,” said Dr. Potvin. “It is hoped that some will decide to include research in their future career plans and that they will apply for admission to Einstein’s MD, PhD or MD/PhD programs.”
The knowledge gained on the program was insurmountable, allowing participants to observe and practice important scientific methods firsthand. Mordechai Smith, a YC Biology Major, researched genetic mutations in neuronal cells and their involvement in neurodegenerative diseases under the supervision of Dr. Florence Marlow in the Developmental and Molecular Biology department. He believes that the program has helped him develop a good understanding of how science works behind the scenes and the difficulties encountered in research. According to Smith, “There is a lot of trial-and-error and troubleshooting that goes on when experiments don’t work out the way we planned them to. But the lab here was great, everyone is really nice and patient and the general atmosphere is very positive.”
As a YU undergrad, Smith was particularly excited by the environment Einstein provided: “As an Orthodox Jew, many of the concerns that go into attending a graduate school are alleviated because there is a shul with a minyan three times a day, kosher food is widely available, and there are many Jews around making the environment closer to home.”
Other students on the program experienced a similar familiarity and ease. Deena Miller, a SCW Biochemistry Major, related, “As a YU undergrad I am honored to be a member of the Einstein team this summer because I feel like I belong. Additionally, the staff at Einstein is eager to interact when they know I am part of the YU family. It is very nice to have a large group of YU students with whom I can share meals and with whom I can relate while still making new friends. “
In addition to gaining a well-worth of knowledge, participants believe that the program helped concretize and strengthen their future career goals, as the directors intended. Miller felt that being involved in translational research has taught her the importance of laboratory research from a clinical standpoint, as a practical tool for diagnosis. She feels that she can now, “combine the aspects of being a physician and scientist while practicing as a clinician because the two aspects are critical for patient care.” Due to the program, she feels more inclined to pursue research on the side of clinical work because she now values the interplay.
Similarly, Yosefa Schoor, a SCW Biology Major who worked in Dr. Bryen Jordan’s Neuroscience lab, believes that her research this past summer strengthened her previous interest in neuroscience. “Over the past few years I have worked in different labs of neuroscience exploring different facets of the field. I find the field of neuroscience to be uniquely stimulating and exciting because the brain is one of the most complex organs of the body. It is the underlying cause for the differences between individuals.”
Beyond studying a protein involved in the post-synaptic density of neurons, Schoor maintained that the program was a great outlet to meet students in other colleges. “The program gave me the opportunity to reach out and invite students from other universities to join Yeshiva University programs like TEACH (Together Educating All Children in Hospitals) at Montefiore. They have shown interest and will be joining our groups in the hospital. ROTH has given me the opportunity to spread and share the altruism which is inculcated within our own University to other Universities.”
Finally, Schoor feels that her future career really reflects her summer work. “This summer’s research has given me another insight into the mechanisms underlying the function of neurons in the brain. The micro-scale procedures that I conducted on cells and neurons have enabled me to understand the procedures and necessary steps required to conduct research. [I’ve learned] ‘the language’ of research—the ability to read scientific papers, construct hypotheses, and test them in a practical way. These tools will stick with me in my future career, allowing me to be an asset to the scientific world through not only servicing the community through medicine but by discovering questions and conducting productive scientific research from them.”