Science Research

ANNA GAYER ‘23

The Science Research program is three years long. After a careful application process in sophomore year, students are exposed to all sorts of scientific experiences. When asked about the importance of the program, a resounding theme in students’ responses is that it is an experience that they can use later on in their academic and professional careers. If you are a student who is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, research or pharmaceuticals, then the Science Research course will be a really great exposure to lab work and scientific writing. Current students agree that the class is really useful in laying the foundation for science work to come. Another great thing about the program is the freedom it gives students to make their own choices about what to study. Across the board, current students say that the ability to explore the topics they had questions about is what drew them to the course in the first place: “What interested us most about the Science Research program was the opportunity to explore all different topics that interest us. We have the chance to choose what interests us and get to expand our knowledge through research,” said sophomores Marley Jennings and Aine O’Sullivan. There are so many different scientific fields of study, and the course allows students to pick any of them based on preference. This is an incredible opportunity for high school students and part of what makes the program so special.

The Science Research program has also had great success. Senior Jenna Cain won 4th place in the Cell Biology/Biochemistry category of the Westchester-Rockland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Her project is about her experience working in a Fordham lab that is doing cancer research. Ursuline is very proud to be sending Jenna to Albany for the next level of the competition on March 9th, 2023.

The Science Research course occurs in two stages. For the first two years, sophomores and juniors are exposed to different kinds of research projects, one example being DNA barcoding. Field trips to a DNA sequencing lab are an outlet for the students to get hands-on experience. A lot of the work in these years is collaborative. The students emphasized how important that characteristic of the course is. Learning to collaborate is an important life skill that definitely makes a big impact on the science research experience. In the final year of the course, seniors work on completing a full length Science Research program themselves. It is a very time-consuming yet rewarding process for the students and provides an incredible opportunity to practice these skills before going on to pursue them at higher levels. Students also have the chance to attend virtual and in-person competitions to present their research.

Of course, the best way to learn more about this amazing course is from the students themselves. Below, there are some descriptions from science researchers about their experiences in the course: levels and could have been helpful in her own experience with injuries. Such a strong personal connection to her research has allowed her to gain incredible experience from the course.

First up, Michela Visco ’23 has been researching the FIFA-11 injury prevention program. FIFA is the International Federation of Association Football. A huge part of her success in the program comes from her dedication. She came into the program excited to study this topic, which helped her stay motivated. The research she is conducting centers on the success of the FIFA-11 injury program and whether or not it should be continued. She says that the study will be helpful to soccer players at all studying hands-on in the lab. She says that her experience in the lab with experienced scientists makes her aspire to a life in science and is thankful that the program provided her with that incredible opportunity.

Next, Julia Higgins ’23 has really benefited from the mentorship aspect of the program. Students are paired up with professional mentors, who are often Ursuline alumnae, to be another resource or avenue for their research. Julia’s mentor was Dr. Rachel Masch at Mount Sinai Hospital. She had to take a course on HIPAA, which enforces patient privacy before beginning research. It shows the depth and realistic nature of these research projects. Julia has also found that the data analysis work she is doing translates into her other courses: “It’s come in handy in my macroeconomics, physics, computer, and biology classes. When working with raw data, I’ve found that I can do more calculations in my head, and I’m mapping out data more efficiently…It’s extremely useful to be able to break down technical language into easily understandable sentences or thoughts. I’ve gained more knowledge in Latin root words, which has increased my ability to understand technical works not just in scientific journals, but English class texts as well.” Her experience shows how valuable the Science Research program is, in and out of the classroom.

Jenna Cain ’23 has also had an incredible experience in a lab at Fordham as part of her coursework. She was connected with Professor Nicolas Sawyer by Ursuline alumna Maggie DiGiorno ’21. Jenna was part of the team making modifications to a molecule to block cancer-related interactions throughout the body. She gained some experience working with an undergrad student but was then able to conduct some experiments of her own. She credits the Science Research program for giving her an avenue to discern what particular scientific topics she was interested in studying.

Marley Jennings and Aine O’Sullivan

Marley and Aine are working on a project, along with Michela Visco and Abigail Troup, which they described as “A Comparison of Moss Biodiversity Between Areas of Different Atmospheric Pollution in Westchester County, New York.” They said: “We seek to identify the relationship between moss as a bioindicator and air quality. We hypothesize that in areas of poorer air quality, there will be less moss biodiversity.”

Christina Huerta-Stylianou ’24 joined the program with an open mind towards scientific subjects. In fact, she wasn’t completely sure of her exact project until she went to visit Regeneron Labs and heard her mentor speak. Christina’s project is called “Characterizing Smad 2/3 Signaling in MPL Adipogenic Research.” MPL stands for Marfanoid Progeroid Lipodystrophy. It is a rare genetic condition that Christina was

You may be reading this article as a sophomore, junior, or senior and wish that you had been more aware of all the opportunities Science Research had to offer when you had the chance to apply. There’s good news for you - it is possible to participate in research projects outside of the program that are still involved with Ursuline. Sophomore Isabella Vembenil is working on a project called “Hacking the Human: The Impact of Personality Traits on Susceptibility to Social Engineering Attacks.” She has already discussed her project with one of the teachers of the course, Dr. Litvine, and she has a mentor within the Ursuline community, Mr. David Lorden, head of the Computer Science department.

In short, Science Research has so much to offer students! Hands-on experience, professional connections, and a way to explore your interests are just the tip of the iceberg for what the course entails. It is definitely one of Ursuline’s most interesting courses. If any of these stories are resonating with you, we encourage you to consider becoming a part of the program!