Brooklyn College NSF REU in Neuroscience

Funded by the National Science Foundation Award #1757560: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/simpleSearchResult?queryText=1757560&ActiveAwards=true 

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Another successful poster presentation given recently at an online conference. Way to go Miriam Youssef! 

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Read what a recent alum of our program had to say about their experience with the REU. Way to go Arielle! "My experience with the REU program has been enlightening, educational, and most enjoyable. I was given the opportunity to work with Faigy Mandelbaum, an incredible research mentor who went above and beyond what was necessary for the program, and invested so much of her time and energy into research mentoring as well as offering general advice and information about applying to and being a part of a clinical psychology graduate program. From her, I got to learn first-hand what it means to be a dedicated graduate student who is not bound by anything, and who creates opportunities to learn and to contribute to the world of research. I was also privileged to learn from and work with the rest of the undergraduates in the program- eleven highly motivated, ambitious students. We took classes together and supported each other in our pursuit of research, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and time spent together. The courses were enlightening and interesting as well, and provided us with an opportunity to learn from highly educated individuals, as well as to bounce ideas off one another and broaden our perspectives together. I believe that aside from these research and experiential gains, the REU program reinforced my decision to apply for clinical psychology PhD programs, since the program provided me with a true taste of the type of research I would get to pursue in the future. I am grateful to Dr. Laura Rabin for inviting me to join the program, and I hope others will continue to get the same incredible opportunity that was afforded to me, to help them along their graduate school journey.

Arielle Hershkovich

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Another successful remote conference! See Arielle Hershkovichs’ submission below.

Arielle presented her work during the ABCT Convention in November. Very cool! 

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Another awesome poster from our 2020 REU cohort member, Eli Drizin. 

This was presented at the APA convention remotely, in August. Great work Eli!

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Take a look at Linda Nisanova’s great poster! (And read about her REU experiences below). Under the mentorship of Prof. Yana Kuchirko, Linda presented her work recently though the New England Psychological Association’s remote conference. 

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Cool things are still happening with the REU! :D

Despite the myriad of bumps in the road 2020 has brought us, the REU is still getting smart young people lab and presentation experience, and many from 2020 are about to enter grad school! 

Read the quote below from a recent REU participant! 

“REU gave me a unique experience and opened up the door for me into the realm of research. As I am applying to graduate schools now for my PhD in clinical psychology, I definitely think that REU gave me an upper hand. I had a chance to conduct research with my professor and saw how actual researchers work in a real-life setting. The professors from REU really helped me not only learn more about myself as a researcher, but also pushed me to conduct research worth presenting. I recently presented at the NEPA (North England Psychological Association) conference. My study was under the mentorship of Dr Yana Kuchirko. We focused on the interplay between culture and friendship formation in young children, primarily 2-year old’s. Using a data pool of African American, Mexican, and Dominican mothers, we evaluated what the mother’s assumed to be a “good” or “bad” friend for their children, as well as what actions they took to help their children make friends. Most mothers, we found, relied on daycares or schools to socialize their children. We also found that mothers emphasized that a “good” friend is one that teaches good morals and behaviors, while a “bad” friend is one that emphasized bad morals or violence. Of course, COVID made this experience harder than it should have been. It really shook up the schedule that I made to juggle classes and research time however, the output was amazing. I learned so much about coding, ethics, as well as how to use different software beyond a classroom setting! I would highly suggest this experience for anyone interested in psychological research and am proud to have been a member of the REU.“ 

-Linda Nisanova

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Welcome, REU Class of 2020! 

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REU Class of 2019: Lilly Leggard

“This program had many benefits like gaining first-hand research experience, learning statistics and neuroscience concepts and building strong relationships with mentors, instructors and other students. But apart from those, there is one thing I've taken away that is very special to me. I've gained so much more confidence. The idea of conducting my own research and presenting in front of judges was daunting. But after loads of hard work, learning experiences and support from everyone helping me along the way, I was able to improve my interpersonal and presentation skills. This will translate into everything I do. No matter what path I decide to take, I will always remember this. I will continue to try new things, take new opportunities, and do my best to learn, grow and remain confident.”

-- Lilly Leggard, REU Class of 2019

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Brooklyn College Science Research Day 2019: A Success!

Thank you to all the judges, students, and especially our wonderful REU 2019 cohort for your hard work and commitment to scientific excellence! Congratulations to all the presenters, mentors, and winners!

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REU 2019 students Anastasiya Kharlamova and Jessica Garrett spending some pre-Science Day time outside with Rose Bergdoll (REU Program Coordinator) on Brooklyn College’s beautiful campus!

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REU Program Head and mentor, Dr, Laura Rabin, with Science Day 2019 judges, Faigy Mandelbaum and Parbatie Chitolie.

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REU ‘19 students work with their neuroscience seminar instructor, John Flynn, to complete an ethics training.

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REU 2019 student Samuelle Delcy accepts her 2nd place award for best undergraduate division poster from Dr. Louise Hainline on Science Day. Congratulations, Samuelle!

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REU 2019 student, Megane Nacier, is now headed to a summer research training program through the Health Science Academy (Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, High School to College Research Internship). Congratulations to Megane and her mentor, Dr. Deborah Walder!

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REU 2019 student, Jessica Garrett, with her mentor Dr. Laura Rabin. Shortly thereafter, Jessica received a Chair’s recognition award for graduating seniors in Chemistry. Congratulations, Jessica!

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Science Day 2019

REU 2019 Students getting ready to present their posters @ Brooklyn College’s Annual Science Research Day!

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Some candid shots of our REU 2019 students Lilly Leggard, Anastasiya Kharlamova, Miriam Sheynblum, and Mahogani Keith presenting their posters at Brooklyn College’s Science Research Day - May 3rd, 2019