NYC Gazette

Thirty graduate student teams presented research and scholarship that was novel, inspiring, and in some cases life-saving at the Katz School’s 2024 Symposium on Science, Technology and Health at the Yeshiva University Museum.

The projects, drawn from the school’s graduate programs in STEM and Health Sciences, covered a range of subjects. These included the development of a new peptide called JunAP important in cancer development and immune suppression; antifreeze proteins and peptides made by organisms that allow cells to survive in sub-zero conditions; the biology, genetics, and cultivation methods of duckweed as a potential food source for astronauts; and the development of a method using Generative AI for labeling data and identifying antisemitic speech.

“The scholarship is an outcome of their extensive learning experiences, as well as the mentorship they received from faculty advisors, research collaborators and industry partners,” said Dr. Amiya Waldman-Levi, co-organizer of the event and clinical associate professor of occupational therapy. “We honor them for their commitment to education, collegiality and academic spirit.”

In addition to their faculty mentors from the Katz School and Yeshiva University, students collaborated with researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Colorado State University, Mercy University, Renal Research Institute, Afya Foundation, and biotech startup Growmics. All student research will be published in proceedings later this summer.

During the event, four student teams were recognized by the symposium’s scientific committee for the depth and quality of their scholarship with awards for:

- Outstanding Scholarship in STEM: Radek Holik, Ruslan Gokhman, Manish Kumar Thota (M.S. in Artificial Intelligence)

- Outstanding Scholarship in Health: Jessica Kwok and Rachel Hirsch (Occupational Therapy Doctorate)

- Overall Impact in STEM: Gagan Preet Singh and Karina Thapa (M.S. in Data Analytics & Visualization)

- Overall Impact in Health: Simone Northman (M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies)

Attendees also voted to give Alaa Atouni, a student in the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies program, the “People’s Choice” award for her poster.

The four awarded teams were invited to give short talks about their projects. Holik, Gokhman and Thota discussed their machine-learning chatbot designed to assist students academically by acting as a digital brain that understands both images and questions. Kwok and Hirsch studied an eight-week healthy aging program combining yoga, mindfulness and social practices delivered online and in-person to improve older adults’ sense of hope and well-being.

Singh and Thapa’s project aims to help Tanzanian farmers affected by climate change increase crop yields through Zeomancer—a small weather station installed in fields that collects environmental data on soil conditions and weather patterns.

Northman conducted a literature review on safe treatment options for pregnant women with preeclampsia—a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure.

Yeshiva University President Ari Berman emphasized that scientists must inform their work with humane values. “I’m here to thank you and congratulate you on your achievements,” he said. “You represent something greater... You are the hope that gives us belief in our future.”