Vicki Javier
Class of 2005 - Present
Frederick Douglas Academy
Topic: 2006 Obesity and the Hypothalamus
Topic: Kallikrein siRNA: Biomaker for Prostate Cancer
Research paper1 (pdf)
Research paper2 (pdf)
Presentation1 (Powerpoint)
Presentation2 (Powerpoint)
About:
2006: I have always been interested in the field of medicine and science. This is why I decided to try out for an interview with Dr. Sat Bhattacharya and the Harlem Children Society last year. I’ve always wanted to intern in a field related to my interests and this interview seemed to make that goal more tangible. When Dr. Bhattacharya called to tell me I was accepted to the HCS, I was so elated. I would spend my summer doing what I loved, learning and being active in a science lab!
This year, I was assigned to a research lab in the neurology department at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; the research dealt with the hypothalamus and its link to obesity. I loved it! I was able to wear a white lab coat and use a pipetteman; I truly felt like a scientist. In my high school biology lab, I was able to use the pipetteman only once. In the Einstein lab though, I was pipetting DNA away! My mentor Volkan Granit and the others at the lab were so helpful and patient. Thanks to Volkan, I learned so many things: from perfusing transgenic mice to isolating and obtaining DNA through cutting a part of the mouse’s tail. I had to read from a college-level neuroscience book. Because of the reading, I was able to appreciate even more the things we were performing in the lab. I learned so many things regarding neurology in only one summer. I never knew my brain could retain so much information.
This experience has irrefutably broadened my interests. I am now interested, more than ever, in majoring in Neuroscience. However, this program has served more than a scholarly experience. I never before realized how many people were dedicated to find a cure for dangerous conditions such as obesity. I realized that the essence of the quote “The purpose of souls is to assist each other” was truly manifested and reverberated in the Harlem Children Society and along the halls of the Albert Einstein institute.
The program’s effect on me is an ineffable one. In the future, I will be a neuroscientist or neurosurgeon. And, Harlem Children Society laid the foundation for that dream. I’ve always wanted to travel to other countries, such as Spain or Perú. However, at the lab I felt like I traveled beyond another country, I traveled to a whole new world: the world of bacteria and DNA, all thanks to the Harlem Children Society.
2005: I have always been interested in the field of medicine and science. This is why I decided to try out for an interview with Dr. Sat Bhattacharya and the Harlem Children Society. I’ve always wanted to intern in a field related to my interests and this interview seemed to make that goal more tangible. When Dr. Bhattacharya called to tell me I was accepted to the HCS, I was so elated. I would spend my summer doing what I loved, learning and being active in a science internship!
I was assigned to a research in the urology department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; the research dealt with biomarkers of prostate cancer. I loved it! I was able to wear a white lab coat and use a pipetman; I truly felt like a scientist. In my high school biology lab, I was able to use the pipetman only once. In the MSKCC lab though, I was pipetting DNA away! My mentor Todd Hricik and the others at the lab were so helpful and patient. Thanks to Todd, I learned so many things: from E. coli cells hosting the caP biomarkers to what’s the best way to dissect a transgenic mouse. I had to read chapters from Albert’s Molecular Biology of the Cell. Because of the book, I was able to appreciate even more the things we were performing in the lab. I learned so many things regarding biochemistry in only one summer.
This experience has irrefutably broadened my interests. I was considering majoring in neuroscience; now, thanks to the HCS research program, I’m also considering biochemistry as a possible major. However, this program has served more than a scholarly experience. I never before realized how many people were dedicated to find a cure for cancer. I realized that the essence of the quote “The purpose of souls is to assist each other” was truly manifested and reverberated in the Harlem Children Society and along the halls of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering institute. I was concerned of the long-term commitment of attending medical school. I would have to spend at least four more years in school after college! However, my mentor made me realize that time should not be an impediment. If science is something I really love, I should have no problem in spending years in medical school.
I’ve always wanted to travel to other countries, such as Spain or Perú, to learn about new cultures. Well in the research program, I learned about culture, more specifically media culture, where bacteria can grow. I felt like I traveled beyond another country, I traveled to a whole new world: the world of bacteria and DNA, all thanks to the Harlem Children Society.