Students Spend Summer as Research Interns
Instead of relaxing by the beach or the pool, four rising seniors are working hard this summer at internships at two of Boston's most highly regarded medical research institutions.
There is no such thing as the lazy days of summer for some Rivers’ students. Instead of relaxing by the beach or the pool, four rising seniors are working hard this summer at internships at two of Boston's most highly regarded medical research institutions. This fall, these students will be asked to present their research findings at an on-campus informal lecture.
McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center
Rising seniors Zack Barnett and Courtney Townsend are spending their summer working with Dr. Deborah Yurgeland-Todd, Director of Cognitive Brain Imaging and Neurospsychology at the McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center. Barnett and Townsend are being introduced to the fundamentals of neuroscience and brain imaging using MRI technology. After they become familiar with this initial phase, the students will be encouraged to design and execute an experiment based on their own research question and are given full access to data already collected. By the end of the summer, Barnett and Townsend will be proficient with the various computer programs involved in analyzing MRI brain images as well as the statistical tools used to analyze the significance of their results.
Department of Cell Biology at The Harvard Medical School
During their 6 to 10-week internship, rising seniors Sarah Kohn and Alex Vlahakes are working with various researchers in the Department of Cell Biology at the Harvard Medical School. Based on their specific interests, Kohn and Vlahakes have been paired with a specific researcher or mentor and assist these specialists 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Together with a small group of other students, Kohn and Vlahakes meet weekly to share their experiences and to discuss readings that have been assigned to them. Before the end of the summer, the students will have designed and executed experiments of their own.
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McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center
Rising seniors Zack Barnett and Courtney Townsend are spending their summer working with Dr. Deborah Yurgeland-Todd, Director of Cognitive Brain Imaging and Neurospsychology at the McLean Hospital Brain Imaging Center. Barnett and Townsend are being introduced to the fundamentals of neuroscience and brain imaging using MRI technology. After they become familiar with this initial phase, the students will be encouraged to design and execute an experiment based on their own research question and are given full access to data already collected. By the end of the summer, Barnett and Townsend will be proficient with the various computer programs involved in analyzing MRI brain images as well as the statistical tools used to analyze the significance of their results.
Department of Cell Biology at The Harvard Medical School
During their 6 to 10-week internship, rising seniors Sarah Kohn and Alex Vlahakes are working with various researchers in the Department of Cell Biology at the Harvard Medical School. Based on their specific interests, Kohn and Vlahakes have been paired with a specific researcher or mentor and assist these specialists 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Together with a small group of other students, Kohn and Vlahakes meet weekly to share their experiences and to discuss readings that have been assigned to them. Before the end of the summer, the students will have designed and executed experiments of their own.
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