Celebrating Summer Research Institute’s 10-Year Milestone

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This summer, chemistry major Kara Philip ’26 spent her days in the lab of radiation oncologist Quincey LaPlant, M.D., at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Under the guidance of LaPlant, who is a specialist in breast cancer treatment, Philip learned how to synthesize nanoparticles, which are used as part of drugs that can target breast cancer tumors.

“Walking into work [at MSKCC] is surreal because there is a building full of people working to fight cancer and make advancements in healthcare,” says Philip, who participated in this year’s Summer Research Institute. “It’s been a great opportunity to get hands-on lab experience outside all of the lab experience that Barnard has provided — and to see what this looks like in a 9-to-5 setting.”

Philip is one of hundreds of students who have participated in the Summer Research Institute since its launch in 2014. This year marks a decade of the popular summer program at Barnard, which provides students with the opportunity to conduct fully funded research projects over a 10-week period with mentorship from Barnard and Columbia faculty in STEM fields.

“We are so excited to have supported students in their scientific exploration for 10 years,” says associate professor of psychology Koleen McCrink, who co-directed the program with Marisa C. Buzzeo ’01, associate professor of chemistry. “There is a real sense of accomplishment by the students, faculty, and staff involved in SRI.” 

This summer, 341 students participated in the program — a 340% increase in students from when it initially kicked off, in 2014. In addition to receiving a $6,000 summer stipend and access to subsidized on-campus housing, students worked with Beyond Barnard to build résumés and write cover letters. They presented their final research at the SRI’s capstone event, the Lida Orzeck ’68 Poster Session. 

Orzeck, the founder and CEO of the lingerie company Hanky Panky, has been a generous supporter of Barnard students since starting her scholarship fund in 2003. Touching on her philanthropy to the College, she told the Magazine in 2020, “Encouraging our talented, deserving young women is essential to improving our future.” 

For years, women — especially those with limited financial resources — have been underrepresented as researchers in the majority of STEM fields. SRI, however, has been a leader in mitigating these gender disparities. 

“We designed SRI to have low barriers to entry and a generous stipend so that this integral first step of initial scientific training for young scholars would be available to any Barnard science major who sought it out,” says McCrink. “Many of our students who participate in SRI form meaningful relationships with labs in Barnard and other NYC institutions, and these relationships evolve into year-round projects that benefit both the student and mentor.”