E.E. Just Research Internships allow Dartmouth students committed to the mission of the E.E. Just Program to conduct full-time research for a term under the supervision of a Dartmouth faculty member or with scientists based at partner institutions and firms (e.g. Marine Biological Laboratory). These hands-on experiences are intended to deepen the student's interest in majoring in a STEM discipline and encourage the pursuit of a career in a STEM-related field or industry.
The successful candidates for the 2024 E.E. Just Summer Internship were Alma Batista '27, Swabir Bwana '27, Tinotenda Chikwanha '27, Anders Dong '27, Emilio Daza Vigo '27, Arshi Mahajan '27, Minh Nguyen '27, and Riti Singh '27. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
I am a '27 from New Jersey, planning to pursue a degree in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. This summer, I will be in the Doucette Lab, where I will investigate decision-making behavior in rats. More specifically, I will be working to establish if an acute course of brain stimulation along with priming by a psychedelic drug increases the magnitude and/or duration of demonstrated stimulation-induced changes in brain activity and behavior. As a part of this project, we will calculate if the interaction between Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and brain stimulation targeting the frontal (IL) or striatal (nucleus accumbens core) regions will amplify the previously characterized changes in delay discounting task (DDT) performance induced by stimulating these brain regions. The Doucette Lab offers various opportunities to explore rodent behavior, deepening our understanding of LSD and stimulation in the brain. This research aligns with my passion for neuroscience and provides me with amazing experiences in studying brain functions. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to intern with the E.E. Just Program, as it marks my first research experience, equipping me with essential skills for my future career.
I am a '27' from Amazonas, Peru majoring in Mathematics. During my E.E. Just Summer Internship, I created two AI models: one for diagnosing heart disease and another for detecting and classifying brain tumors. The best performances of the models were an accuracy of 88.2% to detect absence of heart disease and an accuracy of 94.55% to detect Meningioma Brain Tumor. These models were built using data from the Machine Learning Repository of the University of California, Irvine, and a public dataset provided by the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India. My work involved the application of optimization techniques, linear algebra, statistics, and probability, utilizing Supervised Learning methods. Specifically, I used a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to interpret Brain Tumor MRI data and a feed-forward neural network to diagnose Heart Disease from numerical data. I am passionate about Artificial Intelligence and aspire to build a career as a Machine Learning Researcher. The resources and way of reasoning that mathematics provides in the world of AI is unique, and I have acquired much more commitment to my mathematical endeavors. The E.E. Just Program has been instrumental in refining my research skills, particularly in scientific writing and the application of best practices in research. This was my first time as a full-time researcher, and it has increased my motivation to pursue a future in AI and Mathematics.
I am a '27 from NYC and planning to major in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. During this summer, my project was determining which serotonin receptor or receptors are involved in modulating synaptic transmission by using pharmacological approaches, including the use of receptor-specific agonists and antagonists to mimic or challenge, respectively, serotonin's ability to suppress glutamate release at these synapses. Serotonin works at presynaptic receptors to regulate neurotransmitter release in the cortex; however, less is known about which receptor subtypes mediate these synaptic effects. To determine this, I conducted lab experiments involving an optogenetic approach in which adeno-associated virus (AAV) encoding channelrhodopsin-2, a light-activated cation channel, was injected unilaterally into the mouse PFC. Electrical activity, specifically EPSPs, was recorded. Different serotonin receptor antagonists and agonists were introduced to the bath solution and based on the amplitude of the EPSPs, the specific serotonin receptor(s) were identified. Due to the E.E. Just Program, I was able to conduct research this summer and have the opportunity to run my experiments and learn crucial lab skills outside of academic settings.
I am a '27 from Vietnam majoring in Computer Science with minors in Economics and Mathematical Finance. During the summer, I analyzed and visualized demand variability (i.e., patients' arrival rate, doctors' schedules, follow-up rates, lead days, etc.) based on provider types and appointment types in each medical center from the dataset of 11000+ anonymized actual patients and providers obtained from healthcare practitioners using Python coding and uniform distribution and probability distribution. I also built a simulation-based planning system using SimPy, Anylogic and Java, and the statistics obtained above to match patients to the provider with the shortest queue, observed the wait times from running the simulation for 5 years (and 5 years warm-up), and achieved the 10-day target for 55% of the appointments, thus minimized patients' wait time and optimized access to ambulatory care. I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about the professions and ethics of conducting research through the E.E. Just Program's weekly Jam Sessions. I will continue to contribute to the missions and values posed by the E.E. Just Community and further invest in this project as well as my research journey.
Our 2023 summer interns were Chikwanda Chisha '26, Anna Filyurina '26, Kimberly Girola-Guzman '26, Hope Hall '26, Emmanuel O. Olasoju '26, Andrew Shi '26, Rhianna Smith '26. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
Research Mentor: Ryan Halter, Thayer School of Engineering
I am a '26 from Russia planning to get an AB+BE in Computer Engineering. I am very passionate about hardware design and the E.E. Just summer internship helped me take a deep dive into the process as a whole. Under the careful guidance of a graduate student Kendall Farnham and Professor Halter, I spent my time designing an analog front end for a combined Ultrasound and Electrical Impedance Tomography system that is being developed in the Lab. This was a continuation of my WISP project that I have been working on since January, and I am hoping to further stay in the lab and continue exploring the processes of development and testing of medical hardware.
I am a '26 from Lagos, Nigeria who is planning to major in chemical engineering with a minor in computer science. My interests lie in the areas of sustainable and renewable energy, and as such, my research was the first of many steps towards a goal of creating an efficient technology that enables a circular kitchen economy - using kitchen waste to produce methane which can be used for cooking gas, or other energy related purposes. Over the summer, I worked at the Lynd Lab and was introduced to very useful lab techniques and practices such as DNA cleaning, extraction and cloning, performing 16S analysis, microscopy and colony analysis. Furthermore, I was able to run a bioreactor with kitchen waste collected from the 53' commons. Due to this opportunity granted by the E.E Just Summer Internship, I was able to start research on a solution which I hope to provide to communities and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. Furthemore, I was able to work with the amazing researchers at Lynd Lab, who are doing brilliant things exploring the frontiers of bio-energy. I was also able to develop new skills in gene analysis - using SnapGene - and was introduced to reading and understanding complex scientific papers outside of the classroom environment.
Our 2022 summer interns were Kwabena Asare '25, Abdibaset Bare '25, Kidist Greffie '25, Ivy Mayende '25, Patience Mukundirukuri '25, Catherine Nemeskal '25, Edwin Onyango '25 and Rosario Rosales '25. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
Research Mentor: Matthew Hayden, Geisel School of Medicine
I am Kwabena Boahen Asare, a Ghanaian '25 who's thinking of majoring in Geography with a minor in Biology. This past summer, I continued my research at the Hayden Lab, investigating how the CRISPR gene-editing technology can be useful in curing Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Although I began working on this project 9 months before becoming accepted into the E.E. Just Program, I could only continue working on it in the summer with this program as a low-income student. I am grateful for the funding, connections and resources I have gained through this program, and hope to keep pursuing science and research throughout my time at Dartmouth!
Research Mentor: Nicholas Jacobson, Geisel School of Medicine
I'm a '25 from Mombasa, Kenya who is double majoring in Engineering Sciences and Computer Science. For my summer research internship, I worked for the Jacobson Laboratory building mobile applications to treat mental health. The main application that I was/am involved in is the Mood Triggers application, which is a Flutter and Dart-based application that analyses input from its users and then creates a graphical interpretation of depression and anxiety trends for the specific user over different time periods. This is expected to help the users keep track of possible triggers for their depression and anxiety and also note habits that have helped them overcome these emotions. I found this research very helpful because I got the chance to learn two new coding languages and also develop hands-on experience in mobile application development and large-scale coding. I also got the chance to work with an amazing team of graduate students who were really patient with my learning.
I am a '25 from Danvers, Massachusetts studying Neuroscience and Economics at Dartmouth. During my EEJ Summer Internship, I worked in the Smith Lab of the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department, with Professor Kyle Smith and postdoc Jon Cavanaugh. My project was focused on understanding the effects of acute and chronic social isolation during adolescence and adulthood on motivation for social and non-social rewards. I was responsible for training and testing 48 rats through a behavioral paradigm, in which I measured their reward preferences and the incentive value of both social and non-social rewards. I also conducted histology on harvested brain tissue and learned to perform DREADDs surgeries, where a virus is injected into the brain for future behavioral testing and brain analysis. I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the EEJ Summer Internship, as I got the chance to explore a career in research and apply my academic interests in a hands-on manner.
Research Mentor: Alberto Quattrini Li, Computer Science
I am a '25 from Kenya who is planning on a double major in Computer Science and Neuroscience. My work this summer was focused on exploration of localization in under water robots as there is no GPS under water. I had a great time working with the professor and the PhD student. This program enabled me to gain more confidence on whether what I wanted to do in the future involved more software or hardware, so I'm really grateful to have been a part this. The discussions we had with some of my peers and Professor Sutton during the program were very enriching. Finally, the friends I formed in the program will always remain a part of my life!
Our 2021 summer interns were Ellie Boyd '24, Jason Dong '24, Alexandra Farnell '24, Byron Francis '24, Daniela Garcia '24, Vico Lee '24, Nathaniel Mensah '24, Mark Rorat '24, Victor Sanni '24, Stefel Smith '24, Phuc Tran '24. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
I'm Jason Dong, a '24 from Charlevoix, Michigan. I'm planning on majoring in Environmental Engineering with a possible double major in Quantitative Social Science (QSS). Over this summer, I worked with Dr. Jifeng Liu on researching the potential of photovoltaic thermal systems (PVT). Basically, these systems are hybridized versions of photovoltaic (PV) panels with water cooling systems, allowing them to provide thermal and electric energy simultaneously. Modern silicon-photovoltaic cells decrease in efficiency with higher operating temperature which lowers the amount of electric output. Theoretically, photovoltaic thermal systems should produce higher electrical efficiency due to a cooling channel attached on the back, reducing their operating temperatures. My experience with the E.E. Just program has solidified my interest in the engineering field and has provided me with crucial interdisciplinary skills that I expect will become invaluable in the future. I will always be grateful to the E.E. Just Program for providing me with this opportunity to develop my academic interests further and for connecting with a community dedicated to advancing opportunities for students interested in STEM.
Research Mentor: Dr. Alireza Soltani, Psychological and Brain Sciences
My name is Daniela Garcia and I am a '24 from Miami, Florida. Becoming an E.E Just Summer intern was an incredible experience as I was able to explore the field of computational neuroscience full time. As a student that plans to major in neuroscience modified with mathematics, the work I completed under the supervision of Dr. Soltani allowed me to integrate those two areas of knowledge. During the research titled, "Role of Attention in Reward Learning," I was responsible for collecting and analyzing the pilot data from the newly designed experiment. The goal was to determine which learning strategy was adopted by the subjects under conditions similar to the real world, as this process is not yet fully understood. Considering this is a novel approach, I also sharpened my scientific reading skills while analyzing relevant research articles. I am forever thankful for the opportunity the E.E program provided as it prepared me for the future of research and mentorship, even through a remote environment.
Research Mentor: Elizabeth Murnane, Dartmouth Engineering
My name is Nathaniel Mensah and I am a Dartmouth '24. I was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. Here at Dartmouth, I am studying computer engineering with particular interests in robotics and machine learning. During the summer, I did research under the supervision of Professor Elizabeth Murnane from the Empower Lab at Thayer School of Engineering. My research focussed on gaining insights about the experiences of people working from home by mining the posts of users from twitter. It was a wonderful and perceptive experience for me because I got exposed to the various Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine learning techniques. I am very grateful for this opportunity because I felt very confident about going ahead to pursue my interest in machine learning after the research.
My name is Victor Sanni, a '24 and potential Materials Engineering major from Abuja, Nigeria. This Summer, I worked at the Hautier Lab at Dartmouth which focuses on exploring potential properties of novel materials using computational techniques. My research specifically focuses on potential ferroelectric materials, which are useful because they are polarized spontaneously in the absence of any external electric field. Like ferromagnetic, ferroelectrics are used in a wide range of electronic devices. My research was thrilling because it was completely computational and so wasn't affected by COVID. I was amazed by how much different fields of science intersect, and I got hands-on experience with what materials scientists actually do. My research has empowered me with invaluable tools that will go with me throughout my academic career, and I am grateful for the opportunity the E.E. Just Program has provided me.
Research Mentor: Alberto Quattrini Li, Computer Science
I'm a '24 from Lawrenceville, Georgia, majoring in Computer Science with interests in Human-Centered Design and Asian Studies! Over this summer, I worked with Professor Quattrini Li in the robotics lab to conduct a personal project on multiple obstacle avoidances. I explored coding implementations to develop an algorithm for trajectory clustering that would allow autonomous surface vehicles to avoid multiple obstacles at the same time. The E.E. Just Program introduced me to the field of robotics research, and I was fortunate to enter a community of diverse and passionate peers!
Our 2020 summer interns were Daniel Abate '23, Chase Alvarado-Anderson '23, Lydia Davis '23, John Ejiogu '23, Joana Lame '23, Kuziva Mahwire '23, Isabelle Wilson '23, Amina Zoklat '23. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
My name is Daniel Abate and I am a Dartmouth '23. I am an Ethiopian, but I grew up in Kenya, and at Dartmouth, I am studying Biomedical Engineering with a possible minor in mathematics. During the summer, I conducted research with professor Ekaterina Pletneva in the Chemistry department on the structure of the protein cytochrome c4 from the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and I ran simulations to optimize the structures each of the monoheme fragments that form the protein. I also developed outreach Chemistry modules that related topics such as redox reactions and oxidation numbers with the COVID-19 pandemic. The E.E. Just Program introduced me to the practices and norms of scientific academia and inspired me to engage more enthusiastically with research at the undergraduate level and beyond.
I am a '23 from California who's planning on being a bio major. My work this past summer was focused on non-canonical interactions between antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and human lysozyme against pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The E.E. Just Summer Internship was extremely helpful because it exposed me to topics that I had never explored before which were very interesting and allowed me to create a useful connection with Dartmouth faculty. I also was able to develop new skills in data analysis and scientific writing outside of the classroom environment.
My name is John C. Ejiogu, an international student member of the class of '23 from Imo, Nigeria. I am economics major and am on the pre-med track. Over the course of the summer, I was a member of the Thermodynamics of Metal-Protein Interactions lab under Prof. Dean Wilcox. Being a member of this lab availed me the opportunity to delve into understanding the use of Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) (a relatively novel calorimetric technique) to quantify heat changes associated with the binding of metal-ions to proteins. And understanding these heat changes can prove crucial to gaining more information about metal-ion protein interactions in biochemical systems. I very much appreciate the opportunity that the E.E Just Internship afforded me in this regard because not only did I acquire new academic knowledge, but also I discovered an interest in conducting research, a process that fosters continuous and better understanding of our world.
My name is Isabelle Wilson. I am a Dartmouth '23 from Oakland, California. I am majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. I work in the Smith Lab which is researching the neural basis for habitual behavior and motivation. My research focuses on the causal role of neural projections between the central nucleus of the amygdala and the substantia nigra pars compacta in establishing habitual behavior. However, with remote circumstances this summer, I mainly worked on analyzing electrophysiological data to demonstrate the correlation between the firing rate of various neurons in the amygdala and events occurring in the environment. The process of neural data analysis involves preprocessing, running automatic cluster cutting software through MATLAB to identify and isolate potential activity from candidate neurons, visually inspecting and sorting through neural data, and taking this cut data to examine waveforms and spike frequencies. I am incredibly grateful to the E.E. Just Program for providing me with this opportunity to expand my interests in neuroscience, explore a potential career in research, and meet a community of inspiring peers.
Our 2019 summer interns included Sofie Blahova '22, Hannah Burd '22, Tinotenda Kuretu '22, Michael Moyo '22, Zion Slaughter '22. Read on to find out more about some of these researchers and their projects.
My name is Hannah Burd and I am a '22 from the Northshore of Massachusetts. I am an engineering major with interests in biology and digital arts. I spent the summer after my freshman year doing molecular biology and genetics research in the Mark Welch Lab at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA thanks to the E.E. Just Program. The summer was filled with countless learning opportunities from visiting scientists, mentors, and friends and concluded with a poster presentation. It was a truly amazing experience that I will never forget!
I am a '22 from Harare, Zimbabwe, majoring in Economics and Global Health. In my freshmen summer, I worked at the Veterans Affairs Hospital-White River Junction in Dr. Lee's Infectious Diseases Lab, where I utilized the CRISPR-Cas9 system to investigate the molecular mechanisms of C. albicans endocytosis to define the secretory pathways of secreted virulence proteins and determine if mutations in these pathways influence biofilm formation and virulence. And recently, during my sophomore summer, I started working with Dr. Carrie Colla at The Dartmouth Institute of Health of Policy and Clinical Practice, where I am investigating the health economics of opioid prescribing practices and exploring intervention methods that can be used to reduce low-value care in the U.S. The E.E. Just Program has accelerated, facilitated my academic growth, and sharpened my research skills in ways I could never have imagined. Also, it has provided me with a community of insanely talented, diverse, and genuine folks. The program is a highlight of my Dartmouth experience!