{"id":248639,"date":"2026-07-20T09:35:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=248639"},"modified":"2026-07-20T09:35:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:35:35","slug":"connecticut-high-school-and-college-students-present-their-summer-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/07\/connecticut-high-school-and-college-students-present-their-summer-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut High School and College Students Present their Summer Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 16-17 the Health Career Opportunities Programs (HCOP) of UConn Health hosted a two-day research symposium for high school and college students from across Connecticut\u2019s towns who participated in its annual Summer Enrichment Programs.<\/p>\n

Each student conducted either innovative basic science or clinical health disparities research this summer at UConn Health and presented their research findings to their peers and the UConn community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic,\u201d says the longtime leader and founder of HCOP, Dr. Marja Hurley, about the breadth of research presented by the state\u2019s talented youth interested in health science careers and about the high turnout of attendees from the UConn Health community to applaud the students\u2019 efforts.<\/p>\n

College Researchers<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kayla
Kayla Tomasik presenting her kidney research findings on July 16, 2026 (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kayla Tomasik<\/strong>, 19, of Danbury is a rising junior attending Binghamton University in upstate New York. She had the exciting opportunity to conduct summer research at UConn School of Medicine to advance kidney health scientific knowledge with the Chief of Nephrology at UConn Health, Dr. Yanlin Wang, along with Melanie Tran Ph.D.<\/p>\n

\u201cKayla\u00a0has indeed done a fantastic job,\u201d applauds her summer research mentor Wang.<\/p>\n

\"
College student researcher Kayla Tomasik of Danbury, with HCOP leader Dr. Marja Hurley, her State Rep. Kenneth Gucker who represents Danbury, and her summer research mentor Chief of Nephrology Dr. Yanlin Wang (Photo by John Atashian on July 16, 2026).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tomasik\u2019s novel research investigation this summer in Wang\u2019s Lab focused on exploring how the enzyme USP22, that plays an important role in regulating gene expression and cell cycle progression, also plays a role in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. Cisplatin is a widely used and highly effective platinum-based chemotherapy drug but one-third of cancer patients taking it can experience acute kidney injury. Her research identified the enzyme USP22 as a potential therapeutic target for preventing cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking\u00a0in Dr. Yanlin Wang’s Lab was an incomparable experience,\u201d says Tomasik. \u201cThe inspiring energy and cutting-edge environment\u00a0allowed me to collaborate alongside some of the brightest scientific minds. I am especially grateful to my instructor, Dr. Melanie Tran, whose exceptional mentorship and guidance through real-world\u00a0scientific inquiry completely transformed how I view medicine.\u00a0 Having the opportunity to stand before the community and share everything I’ve learned and discovered felt like a massive milestone in my education!\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cParticipating in the HCOP program this summer was an incredibly eye-opening and transformative experience! I chose to get involved because I was striving to gain hands-on experience with translational research and deepen my understanding of the medical world. The opportunities this program offers are truly unmatched; they don’t just teach you science, but actively show you exactly what it takes to succeed and make a lasting impact in healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Tomasik after her UConn summer research experience?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience has completely solidified my passion for the health sciences! Moving forward, I am so excited to take the research skills I have developed this summer and apply them to my upcoming academic endeavors at Binghamton University.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Connecticut
Connecticut State Representative from the 138th district, Kenneth Gucker, representing Danbury at UConn Health’s HCOP research symposium event on July 16, 2026 (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Local Legislator Shows Support of Students<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great,\u201d shared Connecticut State Representative from the 138th<\/sup> district, Kenneth Gucker, who represents Danbury about the research symposium after engaging with the college students and learning about their summer research project posters. \u201cThis is valuable work, that all legislators should know about,\u201d said Gucker with the wide range of research project topics spanning from diabetes to cancer prevention, \u201cto be able to help with that through awareness and based on true, scientific evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I am so glad I came up to see Kayla\u2019s project and thought it to be amazing. But what I am most grateful for was that I was exposed to all the great projects presented. It fills me with hope and encouragement to see these bright young people doing such meaningful work and gives me great hope for the future,” concluded Gucker.<\/p>\n

\"UConn
UConn Storrs Class of 2027, Yusur Al Lami, of West Hartford presented her summer research on sickle cell disease (Photo by John Astashian on July 16, 2026).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another college student is UConn Storrs undergraduate in the Class of 2027, Yusur Al Lami<\/strong>, 21, of West Hartford. She had the exciting opportunity to conduct research in Hurley\u2019s lab on skeletal muscle impairment in humanized sickle cell disease mouse models.<\/p>\n

The research findings data showed that a blocking antibody to the hormone Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF23) rescues the abnormality in the skeletal muscle of these mice.<\/p>\n

Al Lami excitedly and proudly presented her research poster outside the Academic Rotunda on July 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m really excited to share the research I’ve been working on with the UConn Health community. A lot of time, effort, and learning went into this project, so being able to present it feels rewarding. It’s also a chance to share work that could eventually help improve the lives of people living with sickle cell disease, which makes it even more meaningful,\u201d says Al Lami.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy project focused on skeletal muscle in a mouse model of sickle cell disease. We studied what happens when FGF23, a protein involved in inflammation, is blocked. We found that blocking FGF23 improved muscle health by reducing fibrosis and increasing muscle fiber size,\u201d Al Lami shared. \u201cThis is important because many people with sickle cell disease experience muscle weakness, chronic pain, and difficulty with everyday physical activities. While these complications are common, they haven’t been studied as much as other aspects of the disease. I hope our research helps bring more attention to this area and contributes to finding better treatments in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

She chose to do HCOP\u2019s summer research program to gain more hands-on research experience and learn more about what a career in medicine and research might look like.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis HCOP experience was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve had in college. I learned so much in such a short amount of time, not just about research, but also about myself. I became more confident in the lab, learned new techniques, and had the chance to work alongside amazing mentors and students who genuinely wanted to see each other succeed. Dr. Hurley has created an environment where students are challenged, supported, and given opportunities that many undergraduates don’t get. I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned this summer, and it made me feel even more certain that UConn is where I’m meant to be,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Hurley couldn\u2019t be prouder of her research mentee\u2019s project and success.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s done beautiful work, it\u2019s just great!\u201d<\/p>\n

Al Lami is now studying for the MCAT exam as she is getting ready to apply to medical school.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming a physician has been my dream for a long time, and this experience has only strengthened that goal. I hope to continue doing research throughout my career while caring for patients, because I believe both go hand in hand. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me, and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn and grow along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aleck
Aleck McNeil of South Windsor attends UConn Storrs and dreams of becoming a doctor someday. He presented his health disparities research insights on type 2 diabetes on July 16, 2026 (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aleck McNeil,<\/strong> 19, of South Windsor, enjoys attending UConn Storrs as an undergrad sophomore too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started HCOP in high school and I was hooked,\u201d he says. He\u2019s been inspired to be a pre-med student at UConn and looks forward to becoming a doctor someday.<\/p>\n

His health disparities clinical summer research fellowship program project focused on the importance of integrating community health workers into provider-based type 2 diabetes interventions over the long-term. His research mentor was Jaime S. Foster, Ph.D., RD.<\/p>\n

\u201cShort-term protocols don\u2019t work,\u201d he says as his research has found how it\u2019s important to know your patient audience you are caring for and to plan for long-term interventional programming of 6 months or more leveraging electronic medical records tracking and access, group and online home-based classes, and regular patient contact and online interactions to help best keep patients engaged to help improve their type 2 diabetes more significantly.<\/p>\n

\"Poster
Poster presenter Jose Luis Matute Galvez, of Mansfield, just graduated from UConn Storrs and is starting UConn School of Dental Medicine this August (Photo by John Atashian- July 16, 2026).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jose Luis Matute Galvez<\/strong>, 22, of Mansfield, who immigrated to the U.S. from Peru when he was just 8, is a double-Husky. He just graduated from UConn Storrs and is starting UConn School of Dental Medicine this August.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really excited!\u201d says Galvez, \u201cHCOP really makes UConn School of Dental Medicine feel like home already, and the opportunity to present my research like this that I want to do over the next 4 years of dental school, I am really appreciative for.\u201d<\/p>\n

His supportive research mentors for his basic science summer research project were Mejeong Lee, Ph.D. and Peter Maye, Ph.D. for his research focusing on building a MERFISH-based spatial atlas of the developing craniofacial skeleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about building a map of how genes and cells communicate in maxillofacial bone,\u201d Galvez said.<\/p>\n

\"High
High School students at the Research Symposium and Closing Ceremony – July 17, 2026 (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

High School Researchers<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Friday, July 17 high school students who conducted summer research had their time to shine after participating in the High School Student Research Apprentice Program of HCOP.<\/p>\n

\"HCOP
HCOP high school researcher Abraham Olasunkanmi presenting his summer research project at UConn Health in the Academic Rotunda on July 17, 2026 (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abraham Olasunkanmi<\/strong>, 17, is going to be a senior at Sports & Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford where he first learned about the HCOP program opportunities at UConn Health.<\/p>\n

He had the opportunity last summer to shadow doctors and researchers at UConn Health. Now this summer, his hands-on research experience at UConn School of Medicine was with faculty mentor Michael Blinov, Ph.D. in the Center of Cell Analysis and Modeling for creating a database of mathematical models of biological systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis summer experience has been the best, and really exciting!\u201d he says. \u201cMy project was very different, and was for coding and designing websites for scientific models ranging from infections to small molecules.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olasunkanmi hopes to be accepted and attend UConn after graduating high school.<\/p>\n

\"Carey-Lee
Carey-Lee Jibbson presenting her research findings on July 17, 2026 at UConn Health’s Academic Rotunda (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carey-Lee Jibbson<\/strong>, 17, is a senior at Achievement First Hartford High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in the lab gave me a glimpse of my future,\u201d she says after her experience with researchers Michael Davis, Ph.D. and Jennifer Medina, MS to explore the beneficial use of bacteriophage to reduce Bacillus pseudomycoides from soil samples. \u201cThese experiments really do matter to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She dreams of being accepted to attend Barnard College and becoming a pediatric nurse someday.<\/p>\n

Jibbson concluded, \u201cTo everyone who made this possible, thank you! I learned courage and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Co-researcher
Co-researcher Jaiden Walton from North Haven High School presented with co-researcher Carey-Lee Jibbson at the event (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dr.
Dr. Marja Hurley speaking with the youth of CT at the July 17, 2026 event (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Congratulations to all the student summer researchers and presenters in both the Summer Research Fellowship Program and the Health Disparities Clinical Summer Research Fellowship Program.<\/p>\n

\"Dean
UConn School of Medicine Dean Dr. Bruce T. Liang learning about the high school student research on July 17, 2026 and also shared event remarks with the CT youth as a physician-scientist (Photo by John Atashian).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was all made possible thanks to the Health Career Opportunities Programs of UConn Health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":248624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1715,2388,2076,2166,1868,179,2233],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-248639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-impact","category-healthcare-workforce","category-research","category-sdm","category-meds","category-uconn-health","category-university-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-28 07:52:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248639"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248677,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248639\/revisions\/248677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/248624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248639"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=248639"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=248639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}