Science Outreach
Tri-Institutional Outreach Committee – a culture of science outreach
[[ PAGE BANNER: see the home page instructions for adding new images. Image should be 864 pixels wide by any height. ]]
Committee Leadership
Brittney Bobowski, Co-Chair
Yanina Guerra, Co-Chair
Mia Haraguchi, Co-Chair
Divya Koyyalagunta, Co-Chair
Leandro Pimentel
Marcelino, Co-Chair
Marina Shi, Co-Chair
Jaina Wollowitz, Co-Chair
TPCB students are engaged in a wide range of outreach programs to bring the wonder and power of science to underserved communities and to support the next generation of scientists.
The Tri-Institutional Outreach Committee (TOrC) is led by Leandro Pimental Marcelino (TPCB), Marina Shi (TPCB), Jaina Wollowitz (TPCB), Brittney Bobowski (WCM Pharmacology), Yanira Guerra (WCM BCMB), Mia Haraguchi (RU), and Divya Koyyalagunta (CBM). TOrC aims to make science more accessible by spreading awareness about careers in science, inspiring others to follow their passion in STEM, and providing them with resources to help them excel. In parallel, we strive to bridge Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and The Rockefeller University by connecting members of the Tri-I with a common passion for outreach and mentorship.
In 2020, TOrC student leaders (Ifé Akano, Gianna Stella, Ilana Kotliar, Maria Sirenko, and Alexa Strauss) founded the Tri-I Mentorship Initiative (TIMI) to empower those interested in applying to graduate programs through one-on-one mentoring. Current Tri-I graduate students are paired with undergraduates or recent graduates who are applying to biomedical PhD programs. Mentors receive training and dispatch their own experiences with the application process to help mentees select schools to apply to, craft their personal statements, and improve their interviewing skills. For the 2023-24 application cycle, TIMI matched 88 mentor-mentee pairs and included mentees from across the U.S. and 13 countries around the world, as well as mentors from every PhD program on the three campuses. Over 63% of TIMI mentees self-identified as an underrepresented minority and/or qualify as disadvantaged by the NIH. TIMI aims to arm its mentees with the tools necessary to be successful PhD applicants. The program has been highly effective, with 90% of mentees receiving at least one interview and 87% receiving at least one offer this year.
To increase the visibility of STEM outreach opportunities in NYC, TOrC launched the Tri-Institutional Outreach Fair in February 2022. Nearly 70 members of the Tri-I community came together virtually to hear presentations from 12 professional and trainee-run outreach organizations, including BioBus, the New York Academy of Sciences STEM Mentoring Programs, RockEDU, the Tri-Institutional Minority Society Summer Scholars Research Program (SSRP), Weill Cornell Graduate School Advancing Cornell Career Experiences for Science Students (ACCESS), and more. Attendees were also able to connect directly with outreach representatives in breakout sessions. A survey revealed that 90% of participants learned about at least one new outreach group and 50% signed up for a new volunteer opportunity. The Outreach Fair is now an annual event held each spring.
TPCB students have also taken on leadership roles in the High School Catalyst Program, a partnership between the Weill Cornell Graduate School and MSK Postdoctoral Association. The program offers hands-on biomedical research experience to New York high school students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. This rigorous 7-week program pairs mentees with mentors who are current graduate students, and includes an extensive program of seminars, workshops, journal clubs, and discussions, culminating in an NSF-style research proposal. The current Co-Presidents are Charles Warren (TPCB, Geri Lab) and Noah Yardeny (TPCB, Geri Lab), and other TPCB students participate on the leadership team.
TPCB students have recently expanded our science outreach efforts outward into the greater NYC area by organizing lab visits for aspiring young scientists to Tri-I labs. In collaboration with Genspace, a community biology lab in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, TPCB students lead tours of the labs for groups of high school and early college students, who learn more about the scientific opportunities here and what it is like to be a researcher. The program is led by TPCB student Jaina Wollowitz (Heller lab).
See the Tri-I Outreach Committee website for the latest information!
For more information about TOrC or TIMI, or for general questions about getting involved in outreach, please contact: tri.i.outreach.committee@gmail.com
For more information about the High School Catalyst Program, please contact: hscatalystprogram@gmail.com
Sign up for our mailing list here!