New York—Estee Robin of Fair Lawn, NJ, is one of 11 Yeshiva University undergraduates selected to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), an advanced biomedical research program at YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Directed by Dr. Victoria Freedman, Einstein’s associate dean for graduate programs in the biomedical sciences, and Dr. Barry Potvin, professor of biology at Yeshiva College and visiting professor in the cell biology department at Einstein, the program has drawn 58 students in total from a variety of colleges and universities to engage in cutting-edge scientific studies.In fields ranging from neuroscience to epidemiology to microbiology, these students receive hands-on research experience in their areas of interest normally reserved for graduate-level work.

The 11 students are clustered into three programs. Eight students—Dov Levine, Mordechai Smith and Sultan of Yeshiva College and Deena Miller, Sarah Mizrachi, Esther Robin, Yosefa Schoor and Anna Weinstein of Stern College—were awarded scholarships through the Roth Institute Scholars Program, funded by the Ernst and Hedwig Roth Institute of Biomedical Science Education at YU. Two Stern College students—Melissa Kramer and Shira Marder—were chosen as part of the University Undergraduate Summer Research Scholars Program, which is supported through the Provost’s Office.

Nechama Dreyfus is participating in the program through the Stern Einstein Research Connection Fellowship, created and funded by Stern College alumnae attending Einstein, which provides a student between her sophomore and junior years with an introductory summer research experience at the medical school.

Each program provides students with a stipend and on-campus housing at Einstein, so they can feel part of the science community. Group seminars and workshops throughout the summer give participants a broad overview of the many types of research conducted at Einstein and provide them with strategies to become better scientists. In August, the students share their work as part of a poster session.

Robin, a molecular and cellular biology major and chemistry minor at Stern College, is working in Dr. Robert Burk’s lab in Molecular Biology and Microbiology, which studies different aspects of HPVs and cervical cancer. “This is the first time I’m working in a lab where I have more independence and am able to make a lot of the decisions regarding my project,” she said. “I’m really excited to take initiative and to learn a lot about this field of science. I’ve also learned a lot about the techniques that I’ll be performing in the lab from my advanced biology courses in Stern and can’t wait to put that into practice.”

Robin hopes to attend medical school in the future.

“The aim of the SURP program is to provide each student with the opportunity to experience the many rewards and challenges of biomedical research,” said Potvin. “It is hoped that some will decide to include research in their future career plans and that they will apply for admission to Einstein’s M.D., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. programs.”