What research did you perform this summer?
"My research is focused on identifying the lack of appropriate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic tools for non-English-speaking families. This project has a lot of overlap with my experience working with multilingual and non-English-speaking ASD patients and their families in the Worcester community, where I worked as a Registered Behavior Technician."
- Comfort-Maryam Mayenli, Lurie Center for Autism
"One of the primary studies I've been contributing to is [a clinical trial to better understand] the microbiome present in ankle joints’ synovial fluid. This has been a really fascinating project to work on as I’ve learned about multiple facets of planning and organizing a trial, and I’m excited about our progress."
- Nandini Lal, Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Lab
"This summer I am studying disparities in the substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) process among trauma patients with different primary languages using the trauma and substance use registry.
Our goal is to understand whether patients with non-English primary languages experience differences in access to addiction-related care after injury. This research is especially meaningful to me because, as a Hispanic immigrant, I understand how language can shape healthcare experiences. I hope this work will help identify gaps in care and support interventions that improve access to evidence-based treatment for patients with limited English proficiency."
- Ariana Ameglio, Maurer Lab, Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care
What year in school are you?
From freshmen to doctoral programs, see where the 38 summer research students we interviewed are at in their educational journeys.
Where do you go to school?
Our summer research students come from schools across the United States and around the globe. Check out where the 38 students we interviewed are studying on the map below!
What are you studying?
While summer research students do tend to major in topics related to biology, the breadth of their knowledge is impressive.
What made you want to be a summer research student?
"It brings together my interests in neuroscience, medicine, and neurodevelopmental conditions in a setting where research has a direct connection to patient care. My own experience with dyslexia, along with my work supporting neurodivergent students at the Carroll School, helped me understand how differently people learn, communicate, and interact with the world. Those experiences made me especially interested in autism research and in improving the ways we identify and support people with diverse developmental profiles."
- Kaden Natale-Schmitt, Lurie Center for Autism
"As a Hispanic medical student and native Spanish speaker, I have seen firsthand how language barriers can affect patients' ability to access and navigate healthcare... I wanted to gain research training while contributing to work that could help improve care for patients with limited English proficiency and ultimately inform more equitable healthcare practices."
- Ariana Ameglio, Maurer Lab, Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care
"I am passionate about science and medicine and interested in how people from all different fields work together to research and help patients. I am especially interested in chemistry and neuroscience. I love to experiment and collect data, so I enjoy practicing scientific methods."
- Abby Steketee, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
"I am fascinated by the idea that some of the most important determinants of lifelong health begin before a child can speak for themselves. I am excited to learn from physician-scientists, contribute to meaningful research, and gain a deeper understanding of how the earliest stages of life can shape health outcomes for years to come."
- Ananya Sharma, Newborn Medicine Summer Research Program
"It started with the opioid epidemic. I'd moved from Australia to Philadelphia during high school, and [the epidemic] was one of the first things that made me want to understand how medicine and policy work in the US. What stuck with me was that the harm wasn't random. It traced back to specific decisions about how those drugs got approved, marketed, and sold."
- Linda (Yutong) Lin, Kesselheim Lab, Program on Regulation, Therapeautics and Law
What do you do outside the lab?
"At some point during medical school, I also trained as an ambulance operator for the Italian Red Cross, so I've gone from responding to emergencies on the road to hunting for disease mechanisms one nucleotide at a time."
- Francesco Nobile, Morini Lab, Center for Genomic Medicine
"Over the last many years, I've learned how to and have worked on car engines, transmissions, and more."
- Rohith Ryali, Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Lab
"I am completely addicted to the Lindy Hop, the swing dance born in 1930s Harlem, and I don't do it half-way. I dance four nights a week here in Boston. So, if I am not in the lab aligning optics, there is a very good chance I am somewhere on a dance floor, completely out of breath and grinning."
- Simon Viroulaud, Wellman Center for Photomedicine
"I'm a Division I soccer player. I've been playing soccer since I was five years old, and thirteen years later I still can't get enough of it. The first thing I think about when I wake up is when I'll get to play, and the last thing I do before bed is look at my training gear for the next day and get excited to do it all over again."
- Victoria Kariuki, Stamou Lab, Reproductive Endocrine Unit
"I enjoy writing songs about science! I take the melody and lyrics of an existing song and change the lyrics to make them educational!"
- Talia Alperin, Lurie Center for Autism
If you could be any animal, what would you choose?
"I would choose a coquí because it symbolizes Puerto Rico and reminds me why I am pursuing medicine, which is to eventually bring knowledge and better access to care back home."
— Carolina Andrea Jimenez Soto, Kim Lab, Department of Opthalmology
"An orca. I've always admired their intelligence, strong family bonds, and ability to communicate and work together. They're powerful and deeply social animals. I've always been fascinated by them."
"I would be a butterfly because it represents transformation, growth and the beauty that can come after a long journey of change. To me, a butterfly is the perfect symbol of resilience, renewal and hope."
"I would be a jellyfish so I would be immune from orthopaedic injuries."
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