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Epigenetics and shallow urban lakes kept two USCB students deep in research at Rutgers University–Newark this summer.

At Rutgers' competitive Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) program, Sand Sharks Emma Brant and Ethan Hassane spent seven weeks immersed in STEM research, gaining hands-on experience that helped clarify their goals for graduate and professional school.

SURI is an in-person summer program designed for undergraduate STEM students interested in pursuing graduate or medical school. Participants work alongside researchers in  Rutgers-Newark university laboratories while also taking part in professional-development workshops, GRE preparation and research presentations.

Brant, who was hosted by Dr. Britt Bertolet in Rutgers’ Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, joined the Bertolet Lab, where researchers study freshwater limnology, with a particular focus on shallow urban lakes.

Her research centered on Branch Brook Lake, a local urban lake in Newark. Working alongside Bertolet, a graduate student, a postdoctoral researcher and another undergraduate, Brandt gained experience as part of an active research team.

“The SURI program was an amazing experience where I was privileged to participate in a real research lab,” Brandt said.

The experience also helped her develop research skills, understand complex scientific literature, follow laboratory protocols and techniques, present her findings, and collaborate with scientists at different stages of their careers.

For Hassane, a junior and USCB Honors student, SURI provided the opportunity to explore a very different area of biological research. Working with Ph.D. student MJ Maciej Jeziorek in an epigenetics laboratory, Hassane studied long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) sequences and their role in regulating gene expression in human embryonic stem cells.

He also gained experience with advanced wet-lab techniques involving gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR and lentiviral methods. His research focused on developing a knockout cell line to investigate the function of a particular lncRNA. At the end of the program, Hassane presented his research, including the team’s hypothesis and experimental process.

“You get exposed to higher-level research,” Hassane said. “It’s good to be in that competitive environment. It is humbling in the best way possible.”

The experience reinforced his interest in pursuing an M.D./Ph.D. program and a career that combines research with patient care. 

Both students credited their USCB faculty mentors—including Dr. Volkan Sevim, Dr. Edward D’Antonio, Dr. Keith Dunn and Dr. Emily Webb—with helping prepare them for the rigorous academic environment at SURI.

For Brant and Hassane, this summer provided a glimpse of what comes next: challenging research, collaboration with scientists and the opportunity to begin building careers driven by curiosity, discovery and service.