Students will have the opportunity to select a laboratory at Einstein, Montefiore, or elsewhere to do bench research. Bench research can include a large number of study approaches using a vast array of resources, including primary human materials (e.g., sera, cerebrospinal fluid, tissues, or tissue sections), animal models, in vitro cell/bacterial/fungal culture systems, or many other model systems. Students may also choose a systems biology approach, which is more computer-based than bench-oriented research.
Students, along with their mentors, will identify a research question and address a series of scientific questions or a hypothesis using rigorous approaches and analytical tools. This research will likely be a part of a larger, ongoing research program in the chosen laboratory, but it may be part of a new direction in the lab’s research. It is best for the student to take advantage of the research opportunities offered during the summer after his/her the first year to begin a translational/basic science research project. The data accrued during the research project will be a part of a more extensive original manuscript to be submitted from the laboratory, with the student as either the first author or a co-author.