Hello! My name is Lauren Suh and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University from San Diego, California. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior on the pre-medical track and plan to minor in Music (I play the flute!). This summer, I will be working at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Yousin Suh. My research project delves into ovarian aging, a critical marker of systemic body aging as one of the first organs to exhibit signs of aging. I will be researching whether DNA Helicase B, or HELB, delays or impacts ovarian aging.  I love yoga, running, thrifting, and baking! I am hoping to learn pottery this summer, so please reach out if you would like to join! 

Hi everyone! I'm a rising sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior. My research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Troy Lab investigates how retinal vein occlusion (RVO) — a leading vascular cause of vision loss and blindness — affects the lateral geniculate nucleus, the thalamic structure that relays visual information from the retina to the cortex. RVO is typically treated as a disease of the eye, but vision depends on the entire pathway, and damage at the retina may drive changes deeper in the brain that go unrecognized in current care. I'm interested in characterizing those downstream effects on the LGN and identifying neurological markers that could help explain why some patients lose vision permanently while others recover, ultimately informing earlier intervention before blindness becomes irreversible.  Outside the lab, I love singing a capella with Columbia Sur and exploring the city. I'm excited to meet everyone and please feel free to reach out!

Hello! My name is Lily, and I’m pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in music. My research is interdisciplinary in that it includes psychology, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral studies, and music. I’m studying how listening to emotionally-intense music impacts the later ventriloquism effect, which is a measure of multisensory binding between visual and auditory stimuli. Then, I will investigate if this effect changes when the visual stimulus is imagined using visual mental imagery. My work is motivated by my deep interest in the interactions between visual mental imagery and mental health, specifically with flashbacks in post-traumatic stress disorder. In the future, my goal is to get a PhD in clinical psychology to support mental health in developmental populations and continue research.

Hey everyone! My name is Karthik Mahakala, and I am a rising Sophomore studying Environmental Biology at Columbia College. Specifically, I am extremely passionate about environmental health sciences, which encompasses how physical, chemical, and biological factors in the natural and built environments impact public health.  This summer, I will be evaluating the reliability of consumer-facing packaging signals for skin-lightening products across Northern Manhattan as a research assistant in the Llanos Lab.

I'm a scholar of Comparative Intellectual History at Columbia University.

Hello! My name is Abril Rodriguez Calle, and I am a student at Columbia University studying Medical Humanities with the goal of eventually becoming a doctor. My interests lie in the intersection between medicine, the healthcare system, and ethics, especially in understanding how healthcare decisions and policies affect both patients and communities. This summer, I will be working with Dr. Sandra Lee on an NIH-funded research project exploring the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of global genomics research partnerships. The project examines how institutions and communities negotiate issues such as data ownership, privacy, benefit-sharing, and decision-making in genomics research, with the goal of creating a practical “negotiation playbook” to support more meaningful and equitable collaboration. As part of the research team, I will help analyze policies and institutional practices while gaining experience in qualitative research, bioethics, and global health policy.

I am currently a junior at Barnard College of Columbia University studying Computational Biology with a minor in Economics. Through my coursework and research experiences, I have developed a strong foundation in data analysis, quantitative modeling, and computational approaches to complex biological and social systems. My background in economics has further shaped how I think about resource allocation, structural inequality, and policy impacts at scale. I am particularly interested in applying data science and computational methods to questions in public health, migration, environmental justice, and global health systems. Much of my work focuses on how large-scale systems, whether healthcare infrastructure, environmental conditions, or social policy, shape health outcomes for marginalized populations. I am especially drawn to research involving spatial analysis, longitudinal datasets, and health data infrastructure, as well as projects that bridge technical analysis with real-world policy and community impact.

Hello! My name is Claire, and I am an incoming sophomore at Columbia University from Los Angeles, California studying Medical Humanities and Public Health on the pre-med track. Some of my academic interests include metacognition, writing, and health equity from an educational and technical perspective. This summer, I am conducting eye-tracking chemistry education research, analyzing how learners approach challenging questions and developing an AI tutor that can encourage more effective problem-solving strategies across a broad demographic.  In my free time, I love dancing, running, reading and trying new places to eat around New York. Feel free to reach out to talk research or to just say hello!

I am an undergraduate at Columbia University, currently studying Chemistry & Human Rights.

I am an undergraduate at Columbia University studying Sustainable Development and Political Science, with interests in energy policy, circular economy, and enviornmental diplomacy. My background combines advocacy, policy, and scholarship, and my research builds on this by examining nationwide legislative frameworks central to the AI revolution and the rapid expansion of data centers. 

Hi! My name is Eleanor Cao, and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University (Columbia College). I am interested in the intersection between political theory and intellectual history, with a special focus on modern Chinese thought and Taiwanese politics. In my first summer as a Laidlaw scholar, I will be probing Chinese political scientist Yan Jiaqi's theory of democracy in the long 1980s (1978-1992). Please chat with me about art & literature, cats, corvids, crochet, figure skating, and more!!

Hello! My name is Tomás Sanabria and I am a rising sophomore at Columbia University from Cali, Colombia. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior on the premedical track and have a strong interest in public health and patient care. This summer, I will be working on The Future of Bioethics, a project led by Dr. Sandra Soo-Jin Lee and her national-multi university team. I am very excited to learn under her direction and contribute to the fight for a future where health sciences research remains ethical and centered on human dignity. At Columbia, I am a member of the Admissions - Global Recruitment Committee, the Neuroscience Society and will be a volunteer at the Gay Health Advocacy Project this upcoming year. I am also involved in the Columbia Ballet Collaborative and CoLab, two awesome contemporary dance clubs that have allowed me to keep exploring my passion for dance, movement, and its capacity to bring people together. Outside the classroom, I love running, reading, and exploring the best restaurants in the city with my friends. I am so excited to be a part of The Laidlaw Scholars Program and learn from my peers! If anyone is interested in talking, collaborating or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at ts3766@columbia.edu.