Five MEC Students Headed to Harvard Research Program

Five MEC students — Steven Lawrence, Line Nana, Claythia Nichols, Kedie Pintro, and Carlos Samuels — are headed to Harvard University this summer after being accepted into the Harvard Summer Research Program in Cambridge, Mass.

The acceptance of five MEC students into the highly-competitive, 10-week program is yet another bright light on the amazing strides being made by MEC students. The students and their mentors met recently for words of congratulations from Dr. Rudy Crew, the President of MEC.

Four of the students are seniors and one is a junior. They will all conduct research and participate in discussions with Harvard faculty, build their presentation and research discussion skills, and participate in the field trips of other Harvard summer programs. Students in the program will live on campus and receive a stipend. Each MEC student will focus on a specific area of research.

“I’m definitely looking forward to receiving training in the area of biostatistics so when I apply to the graduate school I know what to expect,” said Steven Lawrence, a Senior Biology major. “I also look forward to networking.”

The students’ recent meeting with Dr. Crew was “inspirational,” said Lawrence, echoing the excitement of the other students. “It brought new meaning to the moment – the impact, the gravity, the meaning of the school,” Lawrence said of the Harvard program acceptance.

Said Claythia Nichols, also a senior biology major: “Going to Harvard, that’s big!”

“I felt the program was my calling,” Nichols said of her Ivy League adventure. “What I hope to achieve is to broaden my clinical experience by interacting with patients this summer. I always knew what I wanted and being here at MEC paved a pathway to my goals through my mentors and professors.”

Here is the list of the students and their mentors:

Claythia Nichols, senior biology major: Harvard Summer Research Program in Kidney Medicine.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Carr.

Steven Lawrence, senior biology major: Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carolle Bolnet.

Carlos Samuels, senior mathematics major: Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology.  Faculty Mentor: Bart Van Steirteghem.

Kedie Pintro, junior biology major: Harvard Summer Program in Epidemiology.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chiyedza Small.

Line Nana, senior biology major: Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Joseph (SUNY Downstate).