Celebrating Summer Interns: Rich Experience in Labs of Genetics and Genomic Sciences

From left, Michael Katz, MD, PhD, with interns Samantha Whipple and Sofia Kim in the laboratory of Efrat Eliyahu, PhD.

About a dozen undergraduate college students conducted research this summer with faculty members of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The interns received interdisciplinary research experience in experiment-based and computation-based research, in addition to mentoring and professional development opportunities.

They each worked full-time on a research project under the mentorship of a Mount Sinai researcher and attended weekly events, such as scientific seminars and workshops.

Starting this year, the department offered the Mount Sinai Genetics and Genomics Summer Scholars Program, an internship for students in underrepresented minority groups, in addition to its individual lab appointments. Research topics include functional genomics and multiomics, gene editing and cellular engineering, computational and data sciences, neuropsychiatric genomics, cancer genomics, gene and cell therapy, statistical genetics, genetics of human disease, and drug discovery. The Scholars Program is directed by Efrat Eliyahu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetic and Genomic Sciences and member of the department’s Diversity Committee.

“This summer I learned that you don’t need to be perfect, or know how to do everything correctly the first time,” says Samantha Whipple, a New York University student who was an intern in Dr. Eliyahu’s laboratory. “Learning is a part of the scientific process, and learning from your mistakes makes you better.”