CURE Program aligns Local High School Students with Data Science
Written by Anne O’Neill
The Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Program is a full-time, paid, rigorous 7-11 week summer research internship for students interested in pursuing a career in scientific research. Four CURE interns have been a part of Data Science (DS) this summer:
Yasmine Karibe, matched with PI Cheng-Zhong Zhang, mentor Jiahui Zhang:
“This summer I’ve been working alongside my mentor on designing a dual gRNA CRISPR/Cas9 lentiviral vector to induce targeted X-autosome chromosome fusions in a human cell line. I’ve enjoyed learning hands on lab skills and learning how to discuss and explain my newly obtained knowledge. I’m a rising senior at Burlington High School and aspire to go into a health science related major for undergrad next year!”
Juns Ye, matched with PI Sahand Hormoz, mentor Guoye Guan:
“This summer I have been working alongside my mentor, Guoye Guan, on searching for distinct developmental patterns for in vitro human embryoids through biophysical modeling and parameter analysis in MATLAB. From this project, I learned how to integrate physical foundations and mathematical models into biology, such as using force to model cell-to-cell interaction. I enjoyed working in my lab as I got to acquire new knowledge, watch and shadow experimentalists, and being able to contribute to projects! I am a rising senior at Boston Latin School, and I aspire to pursue a double concentration of physics and biology for my undergraduate studies!”
Derek Yin, matched with PI Giovanni Parmigiani, mentor Adolphus Wagala:
“This summer, I worked with my mentor, Dr. Wagala, to study Bayesian Boolean Matrix Factorization for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I greatly enjoyed learning from the authentic research experience and improving my ability to communicate and interpret scientific findings. I’m a rising high school junior at Nobles and Greenough. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in the health sciences by majoring in Molecular Biology.”
Elizabeth Govani, matched with PIs Giovanni Parmigiani and Danielle Braun, mentor Maria Sol Rosito:
“This summer, I worked in the BayesMendel Lab on a project focused on cancer risk modeling and gene-cancer associations in hereditary cancer syndromes. Specifically, I analyzed and reassessed penetrance estimates for CDH1 and MUTYH mutation carriers to see how updated data might improve my lab’s risk prediction tool, Fam3Pro. I’m a rising senior at Newton South High School and a participant in the YES for CURE program, a longer subprogram of the CURE program. In the future, I hope to attend one of my top realistic dream schools, either Boston University or North Carolina A&T, and continue pursuing a career that blends math and healthcare.”
They will present their research in a DFCI CURE poster session on August 8th, which concludes this summer’s program.
More information on the CURE or YES for CURE program:
https://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/research/cancer-disparities/students/student-overview
Left to right: Juns Ye, Elizabeth Govani, Yasmine Karibe, Derek Yin
