Illustration by Marcia Staimer
By Michele McDonald
George Mason University biology junior Erika Pashai plans to become a doctor, so she’s spending the summer working in one of the university’s top-level labs as part of a sought-after internship.
Erika Pashai
Her work on little-known communication cells in Ramin Hakami’s lab eventually could lead to new treatments for her future patients. Pashai is from Fairfax and is part of George Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP), which has become a training ground for future doctors, engineers, environmentalists and scientists.
High school and undergraduate students work side-by-side with top researchers on meaningful scientific research projects during the aspiring scientists summer internship. They also practice effective scientific writing and oral communication skills, become aware of career opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and strengthen team and leadership skills.
This year’s class of 86 students includes 32 undergraduates from other Virginia universities including the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia, as well as students from Princeton University and Cornell University. High school students from across the D.C. metro area also are part of the internship cohort.
Youssef Faragalla
Mason neuroscience junior Youssef Faragalla checked out a raft of internships before deciding upon the aspiring scientists program at Mason.
“This one just felt more personal,” said Faragalla, who’s from Lorton. “You get to meet with your mentor and have a project to work on. This internship gives you more freedom and responsibility to how you run your project. It’s been a really fun summer.”
Faragalla is working with Mason physics professor Rob Cressman at the Krasnow Institute for Advance Study to find out how and why the median nerve in the forearm vibrates when the arm is flexed. The work could help create new diagnostic tools as well as provide essential information to bioengineers.
Amy VanMeter Adams, a research specialist in the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, and the center’s co-directors Lance Liotta and Emanuel “Chip” Petricoin III, created the internship program in 2007.
Mason sophomore Matthew Burke, who grew up in a military family that settled in Alexandria, is working with Mason engineering professor Kai Zeng to make cars safer from cybersecurity threats.
Matthew Burke
As more communications are added to a car’s computer, the more vulnerable it becomes to someone sending a malicious command, Burke said.
“Someone could lock up your brakes,” he said. “They could speed up your car and you couldn’t do anything about it. They could have total control of your car.”
Since cybersecurity engineering is so new—Mason has the first BS in cybersecurity engineering degree in the country—Burke said he wanted to find out what the field is like from the research side. He’s learning a broad knowledge of systems is essential.
“You have to know what the weaknesses are before you patch them up,” Burke said.
Lashana Ali
It’s not the horses that drew Springfield native Lashana Ali to work with Virginia Tech professor Jennifer Barrett at Virginia Tech’s Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center. She’s never ridden a horse and prefers kittens and puppies.
Instead the Mason biology sophomore wanted to research regenerative medicine, which has fascinated her since middle school. She’s working on a new approach that uses a chamber to deliver stem cells where they’re needed. Currently, only a small portion of stem cells arrive at their intended target.
Ali is exploring careers in research and medicine.
“I was really interested in learning what researchers do on a daily basis and how they conduct their projects,” Ali said. “I’ve learned a lot. I’m still finding out what I want to do.”