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Campus & Community
‘Learning without a net’
Photo illustration by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff
Here are 5 students engaged in summer research with faculty on topics ranging from heat mortality to epigenetics, Legionnaires’ disease to anorexia
Summer vacation provides an opportunity for a unique type of education in laboratories and research centers throughout campus. Hundreds of Harvard College students are participating in hands-on research with faculty, making discoveries about the subject matter and themselves.
A total of 350 undergraduates are partaking in the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village, while an additional 150 are registered in the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Summer Scholars program. These programs accommodate students on campus all summer as they collaborate with faculty advisors on pioneering research across various fields.
A further 200 students are seeking off-campus prospects with assistance from the Harvard College Research Program.
“We are incredibly excited to witness our students ‘learning without a net’ as they seek to address questions that have yet to be answered,” remarked Jonna Iacono, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
Sam Capehart ’28
A resident of Virginia, Capehart is supporting Sophia Wiesenfeld, a Ph.D. scholar at the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in Michael Baym’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School. They are involved in a project examining the influence plasmids have on the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.
Plasmids are mobile genetic entities that can transfer between bacterial cells. These DNA molecules can carry genes that render bacteria resistant to antibiotics and can transmit those genes across different species, which poses a significant concern for public health authorities.
“Considering the future, especially for our generation, antibiotic resistance is an issue we must address,” Capehart noted. “Bacteria will always be one step ahead of us. Thus, I believe that any research we can conduct that relates to antibiotic resistance has the potential to save millions of lives in the forthcoming years.”
The Baym lab, part of the Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Microbiology, explores whether it might be feasible to combat antibiotic resistance through competitive strategies.
As the most “adaptable” plasmids replicate more frequently and dominate bacterial cells, the researchers aim to design a highly competitive plasmid that can outcompete and eradicate plasmids with antibiotic resistance genes.
In the laboratory, Capehart has been conducting “competition experiments” to determine which plasmids prevail when placed in a shared bacterial setting.
Utilizing samples from the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, she isolates bacterial plasmids and introduces two distinct ones into cells to observe their behavior over a nine-day timeframe and identify which one prevails. She likened it to creating a March Madness bracket.
“We aim to ascertain whether a plasmid hierarchy exists,” Capehart stated. “Does plasmid A consistently outperform other plasmids, or is it similar to a rock-paper-scissors scenario? Developing some type of probiotic plasmid will rely heavily on its capacity to overpower all other plasmids. Thus, if we can identify a ‘king plasmid,’ that could guide us towards mutations applicable in the future.”
Capehart expressed that her experience in a lab is the perfect complement to her studies. Although she has not yet declared a concentration, she is inclined toward chemical and physical biology.
“The practical skills I’ve acquired over these past weeks are invaluable,” Capehart shared. “I’m a geek. I enjoy reading as much as anyone else, but there’s nothing that compares to actually getting your hands dirty with wastewater to grasp the subject matter.”
Nouraldeen Ibrahim ’26
Ibrahim is a chemical and physical biology concentrator who has been affiliated with Philip Cole’s laboratory at the Medical School since his freshman year. He is investigating the role of an enzyme produced by Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, a serious form of pneumonia.
Specifically, he is examining the enzyme’s function at the molecular scale. The enzyme contributes to modifying DNA, which results in a diminished response in immune response genes, facilitating the progression of pneumonia.
“I have access to this enzyme, which is relatively novel and hasn’t been extensively studied,” Ibrahim explained. “I’m employing various tools in our lab to gain a deeper understanding of this protein’s function. What is its structure? What does it prefer to interact with? Which metal ions are involved? The objective is to find methods to inhibit this enzyme and make it…
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“I am optimistic that we might develop a method to curb the proliferation of this ailment in the future.”
Ibrahim initially became fascinated by epigenetics during high school after visiting his grandmother in Egypt as she underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma.
“I started contemplating how we could examine a more precise approach to understanding how these illnesses or pathogens modify your DNA prior to assessing the outcomes,” Ibrahim remarked. “Chemotherapy focuses on the results and attempts to eradicate those cells. However, if we could investigate the origins and what initially occurs to trigger these downstream effects, it might prove beneficial.”
Ibrahim, who aspires to enroll in medical school, expressed that his experience working in the Cole lab as an undergraduate has been transformative.
“Engaging directly in the lab, having individualized discussions with a premier professor at Harvard and Brigham Women’s Hospital, and benefiting from his expertise has been essential for me,” Ibrahim noted. “Simply pipetting, conducting my experiments, crafting my project from the ground up, conceptualizing my ideas, and observing the outcomes and data is incredibly empowering.”
Eunice Kim ’26
Kim’s research centers on the historical context of heat fatalities in Los Angeles County, especially between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, prior to the widespread use of air conditioning.
Kim has been collaborating with David S. Jones, A. Bernard Ackerman Professor of the Culture of Medicine, assisting with research for his upcoming book regarding how heat waves were recognized as public health hazards. This role has involved her acting as an investigator, thoroughly searching online newspaper archives — including issues of the 1870s Los Angeles Daily Star — to locate accounts of significant heat waves that affected the area and how residents reacted.
“Heat waves have been acknowledged for quite some time,” Kim pointed out, who is pursuing a dual concentration in history of science and human developmental and regenerative biology. “References to them exist in the Bible — they’ve been documented since the dawn of civilization. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that people began to realize this would become a recurring challenge, necessitating improvements in infrastructure so that individuals could endure heat waves and actually survive.”
For Kim, who grew up in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, this topic of research resonates personally. She experienced heat waves in the region, which are prolonged periods of high temperatures lasting two days or longer, yet began to contemplate them more critically as a public health concern within the academic environment.
“As global warming persists and temperatures continue to escalate, this will remain an ongoing challenge,” Kim explained, noting that the research skills she is cultivating will aid her in composing a senior thesis.
“I’ve genuinely enjoyed becoming more acquainted with Harvard’s archives, resources, and librarians,” Kim shared. “Practical research has imparted valuable lessons about curiosity and perseverance. I approached this research with a mindset of inquiry and a desire to unveil unique narratives related to LA’s heat waves.”
Charlotte Paley ’26
Paley is utilizing her summer to investigate eating disorders at the lab of Kristin Javaras, assistant professor of psychology at the Medical School. Based at McLean Hospital, her position is a component of McLean’s Student Visitor Program and is funded through Harvard’s BLISS Program.
A native of Florida, Paley is pursuing a concentration in psychology alongside a secondary focus in global health and health policy, assisting with a project aimed at assessing the precision of eating disorder diagnoses.
She is working under the guidance of Javaras; Jennifer Sneider, assistant director of the Javaras laboratory and assistant professor at the Medical School; and research assistant Lily Suh.
Paley’s contributions involve evaluating descriptions of patient symptoms (with personal details meticulously anonymized) that Javaras’ team has compiled to determine how accurately they align with the established criteria for diagnosing anorexia nervosa.
The objective is to assess the precision of diagnoses in practice, which will guide future evaluations in both research and treatment.
“One aspect that intrigues me is exploring exercise behavior within the data,” Paley noted. “Hopefully, by summer’s end, I’ll gather some insightful qualitative findings about exercise behaviors and how these present themselves across diverse patient demographics.”
Paley has also been engaged in a neuroimaging study on binge eating that examines how social stress influences food-related decision-making among women. This work has entailed data entry and posting flyers to enlist study participants.
“Eating disorders are often misinterpreted and heavily stigmatized,” Paley stated. “There exists a significant amount of shame surrounding them. Research plays a vital role in enhancing outcomes and potential treatments for eating disorders, so I’m genuinely enthusiastic about this research and aspire for it to create a substantial impact.”
This summer presents Paley with tangible experience that may contribute to her senior thesis on the influence of weight discrimination on various forms of psychopathology, including anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine or public health.
“Participating in research this summer is an incredible opportunity,” she expressed. “In this current landscape where research funding is dwindling, this experience feels especially meaningful. I am immensely grateful for this chance.”
Jeffrey Shi ’26
Shi is investigating acoustic metamaterials in the laboratory of Jenny Hoffman, Clowes Professor of Science, a subject that has intrigued him since he began working in the lab as a high school student from Massachusetts.
Shi, who is pursuing dual concentrations in physics and English, has applied acoustic metamaterials to aid in the development and simulation of a broadband high-Q resonator. These devices capture energy, such as sound vibrations, and typically are categorized as either broadband or high-Q (quality factor), indicating they resonate either for extended durations or at various frequencies.
However, this innovative design surpasses those limitations, effectively maintaining energy across an extensive range of frequencies. Possible real-world implementations include energy harvesting: capturing energy from natural surroundings and converting it into electricity.
“If our metamaterials are positioned underneath train tracks, for instance, and the train rushes by causing the tracks to vibrate, there exists a very simple method to harvest that energy using our acoustic materials,” Shi elucidated, being the lead author on a publication regarding the subject and presenting his findings at multiple conferences. “Since our material is both broadband and high-Q, the tracks can oscillate at various frequencies, allowing us to efficiently harvest that energy.”
Acoustic metamaterials are artificially created structures designed to control sound waves. Given that their characteristics arise from their shapes rather than the substances they comprise (they can be constructed from steel, plastic, or even a garbage bag), they are extremely adaptable and scalable, according to Shi.
These materials can also be 3D printed rapidly, making them excellent substitutes for examining quantum materials, which are often prohibitively expensive and labor-intensive to develop.
“Part of the allure is that there is straightforward adjustability for whatever application you require these materials for,” Shi remarked. “Will my layer consist of steel here, or will it be some type of polymer? You can scale it to fit comfortably in your hand or to extend across your full wingspan. Regardless, it’s macroscopic and simple to fabricate.”
When not engaged in the Hoffman lab, Shi serves as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Kang-Kuen Ni, Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics.
In that capacity, he aids in enhancing a component within a sophisticated laser system used for experimental purposes. His team employs these highly focused lasers to trap and manipulate individual atoms, bringing together isolated atoms of distinct species to investigate their interactions at the single-particle scale.
“I consider myself very lucky and thankful to have had a research experience at such an early stage, along with abundant resources, support, and guidance from those around me,” stated Shi, who intends to continue his studies in physics at the graduate level. “Engaging in physics research has been invaluable in determining the aspects of physics that genuinely interest me and the types of academic pursuits I hope to undertake in the future. I believe I’ve gained profound insights about myself through my research.”
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