Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH) offers research experiences in Harvard labs to undergraduates from other colleges. The goal is to give participating students a sense of what life as a graduate student or a full-time researcher is like. The students each complete an independent research project, put together a poster, and present their findings to their peers at the end of the program.
Each summer, MCB hosts about 6 SROH students. Many of these students go on to apply to Harvard graduate school and become MCO graduate students.
“Several things motivated me to apply for SROH,” says one of this year’s SROH students. “Mostly, I wanted to experience what real lab work looks like to determine if it was right for me. I wanted to gain a better understanding of research and the different lifestyles of scientists in the cellular and molecular fields. I also wanted to gain a better understanding of graduate school and the process of obtaining a PhD.”
This year’s MCB SROH students and their projects are:
Alan Bernstein, Middlebury College ‘26. “Elucidating How Diverse Plant Species Produce a Neuroactive Alkaloid” (Nett Lab)
Muhammad Chawla, Howard University ‘26. “A Proteome-Wide Computational Screen to Identify Novel Assembly Chaperones of the Molecular Chaperonin CCT” (Denic Lab)
Cristy Kasbo, Amherst College ‘25. “Analysis of Oscillatory Behavior Across E. coli Strains Using Single-Cell Experiments” (Cluzel Lab)
Dasomie Kim, Hamilton College ‘25. “Developing a FRET-Based Assay to Probe Remodeler Function of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase” (D’Souza Lab)
Ezra Taub, Oberlin College, ‘25 “A Model Does Not Fit All: Tuning Sequence Homology Detection to Evolutionary Divergence” (Rivas Lab)
Madyson Vaca, La Sierra University ‘26. “Long-Term Preservation of Drosophila Embryos Using Cryogenic Freezing” (De Bivort Lab)
Additionally, OEB SROH student America Cox, University of Utah, ‘26, completed her project, titled “Do All Zombies Need Brains? The Impact of the Blood Brain Barrier on Entomophthora muscae Presence, Distribution, and Behavioral Manipulation” in MCB’s Elya Lab.
The MCB SROH program is run by MCO graduate students–Juan Orozco, Myrthe Smit, and Emily Villalpando–who organize extracurricular activities and outings, as well as guest lectures by faculty. “As an undergrad, I participated as a SROH summer intern in 2021; although it was online due to COVID, I enjoyed my summer working with the Gaudet Lab,” says SROH organizer and MCO graduate student Emily Villalpando (G3, Sankaran Lab). “The mentorship I received through this program motivated me to lead SROH as a graduate student to provide guidance, like the guidance I once needed, to other underrepresented undergraduate students in science. Through SROH, I hope the interns get to explore their curiosity through their summer research project and experience what life as a graduate student in biology would be like.”
“I wanted to help organize SROH because my research internship as a student was a really formative and fun experience and I want other students to also have the possibility to do these things,” says SROH organizer and MCO graduate student Myrthe Smit (G2, Bernstein Lab). “It’s been really nice to introduce this year’s SROH students to MCO, grad school life and the research community at Harvard. I love hearing the students talk about their research and helping them explore their career options for after graduation. And of course the lunches and social activities that we did together were super fun!”
SROH organizer and MCO graduate student Juan Orozco (G3, Nett Lab) adds, “I was on the SROH leadership team last year and really enjoyed helping students understand what grad school was really like. As a first-generation student, I never thought I would’ve ended up in higher education. If it weren’t for students and professors I’ve interacted with along the way showing me this career path existed and motivating me to pursue it, I may never have. SROH has given me the opportunity to pay it forward for up-and-coming scientists and hopefully instill in them that they are capable of obtaining a PhD in the life sciences. It also has given us a chance to show students, particularly students with underrepresented identities in STEM, that they belong at Harvard and other top institutions and that the reputation for Harvard being a scary, overly-competitive place aren’t necessarily true.”
SROH students are fully integrated into their host labs’ activities so that they can get a sense of what working in research is really like. “I really enjoyed my experience at SROH so far,” says one of the SROH students. “At first, I was a little intimidated because it was Harvard, but the people in my lab have been very welcoming and have become my mentors. One thing that surprised me was how flexible the work schedule was. I’m so used to a 9-5 schedule but I learned that research gives you the flexibility to work the hours you want. It was also surprising to see how much the people here at Harvard valued having a work-life balance…This experience has taught me that while working on research is important, having fun and enjoying life is important too!”
In addition to lab events, the SROH program also includes outings to Boston and Cambridge tourist attractions and informational seminars on topics such as applying to graduate school. “Before SROH, I had no idea what the graduate school application process was like,” one of the students says. “Being able to talk to faculty and graduate students and hearing about their own experiences navigating the graduate school process has been really helpful. Our weekly Monday seminars have been extremely helpful as we learned different aspects of the grad school process such as the difference between personal statements and statements of purpose, how to write an abstract, practicing poster presentations, etc. An ideal SROH student would be someone who is open minded. This program allows you to make connections with so many people and there is always something to learn from everyone you meet.”
The SROH students say the overall experience has made them feel more prepared for careers in scientific research. “I would recommend SROH to other students, particularly those who have some prior research experience but want to immerse themselves in research for a summer to see whether graduate school is the right path for them,” says one SROH student.
While not all SROH students go on to graduate school for biology, they agree that the SROH program is useful for deciding their next moves. “While this experience has reinforced that I am not interested in pursuing biological research, it has certainly inspired me to stay passionate for the pursuit of knowledge.” says one SROH student. “I am positive that while I plan to pursue industry in the long-term, I will find a way to always incorporate a research component as part of my plans.”
Students emerge from SROH with a new network of contacts in research and hopefully new friends. “What I will remember most from my SROH experience are the people I’ve met,” says one of the SROH students. “My fellow SROH peers are amazing to work with and learn from as we all come from unique backgrounds. The faculty I’ve met through the weekly MCO Thursday lunches have also been so helpful and informative. These lifelong connections I made while at SROH is what I value most from the experience.”
