Kira Ratan (She/Her)

Undergraduate Student, Columbia University
  • People
  • United States of America

I am a/an:

Undergraduate Leadership & Research Scholar

University

Columbia University

Laidlaw Cohort Year

2023

Research Topic

Ethnic & Racial Studies Film Studies Gender Studies History Law

Influencer Of

Topics

Rooms participated in:

Columbia University

Recent Comments

Jul 05, 2024

Hi Roli,

This hands-on community engagement seems amazing, and I totally agree that sometimes human rights, as we look at it through an academic lens often, can feel disconnected in its implications, but this seems like such a good way to ground some of your work in tangible community support and combine lots of different areas (public health, education, childcare) in order to better understand the bigger picture!

Jun 10, 2024

Hi Joe-- I'm inspired by your ability to push forward and actively participate in your lab, especially in the midst of protests that likely took up a good chunk of your headspace during this past semester at our own school (as they did mine). The work you're doing seems really fascinating, and I'm so impressed at how you were able to connect the research you conducted last summer to the work you're doing abroad so seamlessly. I'm partially writing this comment because I myself landed in Amsterdam this morning and will be spending the next six weeks in Utrecht (30 minutes outside of Amsterdam). Maybe I'll be able to hear more about your work in person!

Jan 19, 2024

Hi Asha, 

Just following up about confirming the dates for the program? Thank you!

Nov 16, 2023

Huge congratulations @Mrinalini Sisodia Wadhwa! So well deserved!

Jun 30, 2023

Dear Manan, 

Your explanation of the research you conducted this summer analyzing RNA sequencing data, in tandem with laying out the implications of incorporating computer science tools into human biology and learning more about biological systems, makes me hopeful of the future advancements within the field of biomedical sciences. Using computational tools in order to comb through large amounts of data seems like a really amazing way to make progress in experimental phases and learn more about theory in order to apply the science correctly and accurately. Great work, and have a wonderful rest of your summer!

Jun 21, 2023

Hi Cady, thanks so much for your answers! Given how much time we have for our research project, it makes a lot of sense that you have had to narrow in on a single research question, investigate it thoroughly, and build up context before beginning to move into what you had originally thought you would be researching. Especially in medicine, ensuring that different perspectives are accounted for seems like a crucial step in working towards a greater goal, so I am glad you have been able to dive into the details in order to garner more information about the complex systems you are studying. 

Jun 21, 2023

1. A large portion of my research involves searching through extensive databases and trying to pinpoint specific materials that will help move my research question forward. However, because I am looking for niche topics, oftentimes it becomes hard to know where to start from and how to lead the database in the right direction towards what I'm actually looking for. Under-researched fields, especially when doing historical research, make it hard to know where to begin from and who to look to for expertise, and oftentimes researchers have to find subjects with several degrees of separation in order to begin parsing their own analyses and arguments together. 

2. When I do find an essay or an article pertaining to the topics I'm studying, I have found that using the "Cited By" feature has led me to a swath of information that relates to my research, but my database searches might not have directed me to the first time around. I also have found that pictures/visuals are super valuable pieces of research, and sometime even say more as primary sources than written documents themselves. 

Jun 14, 2023

The scope of your research project is indeed quite substantial, but I think it is pretty amazing that researchers like yourself and your colleagues are able to contribute to work that could have a lasting impact on the lives and longevity of an entire group of people, whether or not it actually happens during your time in the lab. The work you are doing is a necessary piece to the larger puzzle that most of our research projects fit into where we are hopeful that the work we do and how we learn from that work opens doors to begin answering more of these kinds of questions. Thanks, Cady!

Details