Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY

I am constantly left speechless by the Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY, especially by the Community Sensor Lab, and their dedication to making science accessible to everyone! I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to contribute in my own way! Also, I got to solder and I still have all my fingers intact!

Last week, I had the honor of presenting some of my work at the 2026 CUNY Celebration of Undergraduate Research at John Jay College. My talk focused on the potential for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to be used to design peptide excipients for active pharmaceutical compounds. MD simulations can work both ways, screening for interesting peptide-compound combinations to then test in the wet lab, or supporting existing wet lab work with theoretical data. As a result, the ability to design excipients becomes much stronger and more robust, paving the way forward for efficient design using computational chemistry. It was also wonderful seeing all my peers from across the CUNY-verse present their work. From the social sciences to astronomy, I saw all sorts of presentations that piqued my interest and I always ended up learning something new. CUNY is truly a place where undergraduates and their research can shine. Thank you to everyone at the CUNY Office of Research for organizing this event, and I look forward to many more in the future. I would like to thank the Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY for nominating me as an oral presenter for this event and my PI, Prof. Rein Ulijn, for his instrumental support and belief in me. I would also like thank my fellow Ulijn Lab undergrad, Zhuojun Li for attending the Celebration with me and being a great lab partner. Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my mentor, Dr. Hamish Swanson, whose guidance and encouragement helped bring the entire presentation together.

Huge congratulations to Lizzie Tskhovrebadze and Sneha Srivastava working at the Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY with Ricardo Toledo-Crow this summer! They will both be continuing the work with Project FloodNet and more. In addition to flood sensors, Prof. Toledo-Crow and team also study air quality. In fact, Lizzie and Sneha have already made DIY air quality sensors during their first week in the lab! Happy to see the work from the Data and Society Initiative live on and provide extended opportunities for students. Also congratulations to Lizzie for being accepted into the MS Neuroscience program at the The Graduate Center, City University of New York! Lizzie promised me she wasn't leaving the CUNYverse after graduation and has been sticking to that plan so far! Congrats Lizzie and Sneha! Looking forward to working with you this summer!

Last week during #NYTechWeek, Janus Property Company had the pleasure of hosting a panel discussion on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Life Sciences, and Materials Engineering at the Taystee Building in West Harlem. The event brought together an outstanding group of researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to explore how AI is accelerating breakthroughs in drug discovery, biomaterials, healthcare, and next-generation engineering. We were honored to hear insights from: - Helen H. Lu, Professor & Senior Vice Dean of Columbia Engineering and Director of Gotham Foundry - Rein Ulijn, Director of Nanoscience, Advanced Science Research Center, GC/CUNY - Viq Pervaaz, SVP Innovation, New York City Economic Development Corporation - Sam Sia, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University and Director of Harlem Biospace The discussion highlighted the importance of collaboration across academia, industry, and government in driving innovation and strengthening New York City's growing life sciences and deep-tech ecosystem. Thank you to our distinguished panelists, attendees, and partners for contributing to a thoughtful and engaging conversation. We are proud to support the continued growth of West Harlem as a center for innovation, entrepreneurship, and scientific discovery.