As part of the C.U.R.E initiative, CSI-Cancer hosts outstanding undergraduate and high school students to conduct research in the lab under the mentorship of seasoned graduate students and postdocs. This year, two high school students who joined us as part of the Bridge UnderGraduate Students (BUGS) Summer Research Program. We sat down with Marianne and Alexis to follow up with their time at the lab and get to know them better:
Marianne Bishai
Next: 11th grade at Viewpoint High School
Alexis Zukovski
Next: Incoming Freshman at UCLA
- Tell us about yourself
I play many sports, including cross country, basketball, and track. My sisters and I are very athletic, and we enjoy riding our bikes together. I volunteer at MPTF Hospital on Saturdays and at Cedars-Sinai Hospital on Sundays. I enjoy science in school, particularly chemistry and biology, and math. I will be going into 11th grade at Viewpoint High School in the fall of 2019.
- How would you summarize your summer research in 1-2 sentences?
This summer, my goal was to analyze tumor heterogeneity by looking at the gains and losses of chromosomes in a metastatic breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. I completed this project by using the HD-SCA workflow.
- How has your perspective on research changed after the 8 weeks?
A few years ago I was not at all interested in any sort of research. After spending 8 weeks at this lab, my perspective has completely changed. Being in the lab has taught me so much. It has been amazing to see such advanced technology. I have truly enjoyed being here, and I will be forever grateful for this amazing opportunity.
- What is the biggest takeaway/best experience from your summer research?
Coming in to the lab, I wasn’t expecting to be able to do as much as I did. Not many high school students are trusted with cells and expensive materials. After coming here, I realized how important this research is, how complex and tedious each step is. Each person in this lab has a huge responsibility, and being able to be a part of it felt really good. I am so grateful for Lisa, and that she took so much time out of her busy schedule to teach two amateurs the mystery of cancer. I also want to thank everyone else, for being so patient, and being excited to help me and answer my questions.
- Where do you see yourself in the future?
Like I said before, science and math are two of my favorite subjects. I have always wanted to be a doctor or a surgeon, but as I am growing older, I am discovering more paths in science, like research. At this point, that’s all I know.
- Tell us about yourself
I am heavily invested in LGBT activism as well as learning about surgery and anything dead. You can spot me from a mile away because of my hair color. I will be starting my first year in Psycho-Biology at UCLA in the fall.
- How would you summarize your summer research in 1-2 sentences?
This project was focused on finding plausible evidence of heterogeneity in the cell line MDA-MB-231. The cell line was run through the HD-SCA and was analyzed for its geno- and phenotypic differences
- How has your perspective on research changed after the 8 weeks?
Research is a tedious process that requires both patience and control. I was always used to either rushing my work or staying up till 3am to finish it all. These habits would only hurt the quality of research I would be doing. It makes sense to me now why every process in research takes forever. Slow and steady finds the answers.
- What is the biggest takeaway/best experience from your summer research?
My biggest takeaway from this experience was really getting to understand what cancer is. Learning more about cancer biology, how tumors grow as well as how treatments work, takes the fear out of the disease, at least for me personally. As someone who lives in a family where cancer is a common occurrence, getting to learn more about this disease makes me feel a tad more prepared for consoling others.
- Where do you see yourself in the future?
I wish to become a plastic surgeon specializing in gender transition surgery. I also wish to change the stereotype that “Punks aren’t smart” by revolutionizing transgender surgery while still having my wild hair color.
