Students and Science! The Environmental S.T.O.R.I.

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Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition

Catching up with alumni from our

Student and Scientists Environmental Research Scholarship Program

Thank you to the following school districts we have worked with over the years:

Huntington, South Huntington, Northport-East Northport, Commack

Welcome to the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition's Environmental S.T.O.R.I. (Student Translation and Outreach Research Initiative). This dedicated newsletter provides a platform to highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of our high school students from the Long Island region. A Road Map for Prevention could not be complete without focusing on the contributions made by young adults; they are in fact, Our Guardians of the Future. These students embody a combination of knowledge, focus, and self-determination. Our Students and Scientists Environmental Research Program and Health and Communication Office internship provide them with the right connections, opportunities and encourage problem solving in the field of science. Through these programs we are able to place students into state of the art laboratories, experience our advocate epicenter, and provide a platform to interact with our community. It is our hope that these young adults will redefine the future of public health prioritizing prevention and how it translates into regulatory action.

Caitlin Knowles...2013-2014

University of Virginia

I'm doing great! At UVA, I've loved all of my classes and professors so far. I am continuing to study science with my Resources and the Environment class this semester, and I hope to enroll in an upper level biology course next semester, along with getting involved in undergraduate research opportunities. Outside of class, I am training to be an Honor System Support Officer and I'm involved with a club called Project Peanut Butter that works to send food to malnourished children in Africa. I hope to keep staying involved and take advantage of all the opportunities available!

Victor Tellez...2012

Stony Brook University

I am currently pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering at Stony Brook. I am however trying to change my Major to Computer Science and a minor in Computer Engineering. I am currently in a couple clubs but two of my favorites are the solar boat racing team at stony brook and the Global Initiative team. In solar boat we design a boat that runs on solar energy and race it, currently most of the basic circuit is set up so that the battery drives the boat. Now we are currently working of a dashboard that would tell the driver the RPM of the motor, a radio, and an energy level display of the battery among other things. For the Global Initiative Team we are looking into building an apparatus that mainly cleans out green algae from ponds but also purifies water into drinkable water. That's really what I have been up to for the last years. I am however looking into getting back into the researching possibly for this summer.

Josh Solomowitz...2011

Baruch College (CUNY)

I attribute many of my successes and accomplishments to HBCAC. As a high-school junior, this amazing organization gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conduct breast cancer research at Fox Chase Cancer Research Facility. Upon returning, my teammate, Yonatan, and I presented our research, "Effects of hormones in relation to the differentiation of Terminal End Buds in the Rat Mammary" at the BCERP conference in Ohio, while placing 2nd in LICEF and 3rd place in NYSSEF competitions.

I am majoring in International Business and minoring in Environmental Sustainability, French, and Finance at Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Baruch. I am actively engaged in extra-curriculars, as I am the Executive President of Macaulay Business Club, the Director of Education at Tamid Investing Group, and volunteer with Friends of Rockaway to help rebuild homes lost to Hurricane Sandy. In Macaulay Business Club, I actively reach out and engage professionals to come and speak to college students, in addition to creating events that can help students understand a specific industry or even teach them the correct format of a resume.

I base many of my career goals on the ideas instilled in me by HBCAC - "Prevention is the Cure." This isn't only applicable to breast cancer, but to many of the problems with our society. I am going into environmental sustainability, hoping to rid the planet of the fossil fuels that are destroying it and making the transition to renewable energy. If we can prevent the depletion (and eventually the use) of finite resources, it can go a long way to helping our planet recover from the damage we've already done.

My experiences with both HBCAC and my summer internship helped shape who I am and what I want to do with my life. I believe that I wouldn't have gotten into my amazing school if it wasn't for HBCAC - I don't know where I would be without them! They gave me so much and I'm always happy to give back when I can.

Siraat and Victor

...getting published !
Partnerships Count

Our years at HBCAC catalyzed the maturation process that few high school students get to fully experience. Guided by Karen Miller, the founder and president of the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition (HBCAC), our vision was clear; to promote the prevention of Breast Cancer and the dissemination of all information associated. Karen allowed us to reach heights we never thought possible.

Our expanded role in HBCAC took place at Stony Brook University. Here we worked under Dr. Balaji Sitharaman and graduate student Sayan Mullick Chowdhury. We made an effort to work on a project that ran parallel to the interests of our group. Our manuscript entitled "A graphene nanoribbon based platform for highly efficacious nuclear gene delivery" dealt with the understanding of breast cancer through experimentation using genetic transfection. It is in the final stages of the publishing process and will be available on the ACS database extremely soon.

That was almost two years ago, and today we are excelling in college. I, Siraat, am a sophomore in the seven year B.S./D.O. medical program at the New York Institute of Technology. I, Victor, am a computer science major at Stony Brook University. Karen first made us, complete strangers, partners almost four years ago and form that moment on an unbreakable bond was formed. Nowadays we are working on personal projects including a few inventions and an app development. We hope to be with HBCAC for the forseeable future.

Collin Francis...2012

Nikki Rodgers...2012

Kayla Neville...2011-12

Ishara Lareef...2011

Chiraq Munim...2010

Kimberly Shen...2010

Savitha Racha...2010

Farooq Ansari...2009

Emily Lopez 2008

Emily Shutman...2015

Haverford College

This past summer, the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coallition afforded me the opportunity to work at Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences campus. While there, I developed my own research project focused on determining the toxicity of various trace metal ions on oceanic algae. Since this transformative summer experience, I have been working diligently to write up my research, which is formally titled: Multilevel Analysis of the Exposure of Various Metal Ions on ROS generation in T. pseudonana. In the coming months I will be presenting my formal paper and poster board in at least two regional competitions, if my project qualifies for higher level competitions. In addition to working on my research project, I have had success in my athletic pursuits as I was able to come in third place in the Suffolk County high school girl's tennis tournament this past fall and represent my region at the state level tournament. Over the last few months I have also been working on my college applications, and I am ecstatic that I will be attending Haverford College in the fall where I will be playing tennis. I am undecided on my major, but I am contemplating majoring in biology and perusing a pre-med track.

Siraat Zafar...2012

New York Institute of Technology

My experiences with HBCAC have shaped my mind and the minds of others to become more avid learners with a passion for prevention. At the tender age of sixteen my partner, Victor Tellez, and I were randomly partnered to represent the interests and direction of the coalition at Stony Brook University for two summers in a row. Here a paradigm shift occurred; we rapidly became more refined and poised.

HBCAC has fueled my ambitions to enter the medical field and one day become a doctor. Before becoming heavily involved with this incredible organization I frequently contemplated where I wanted to go in life and what I wanted to become. Today, I go to the New York Institute of Technology. There I am enrolled in the seven year B.S./D.O. program, it is an accelerated medical track to becoming a doctor. At NYIT I am currently the Senator of the Red Cross and spend every Friday working with the Student Government Association to plan fundraisers and community events. I spend every Sunday in the emergency department at the Huntington Hospital, here I assist the patients with their basic needs and make sure everyone is comfortable including the doctors. My conviction to be amongst those that save lives has never been stronger. I thank HBCAC for giving me the insight and acumen to become an independent individual with the tools to succeed.

Rubab Rehman...2009

Columbia University Graduate

I am a 2009 Students & Scientists alumnus and worked closely with HBCAC in providing testimony that led to the first-in-the nation ban of children's products containing the toxin Bisphenol-A (BPA). I graduated this past May from Columbia University with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology. During my time at Columbia, I served as the coordinator for the Community Health House, a group on campus that organizes events on issues such as, health inequities, mental health, and reproductive rights. I recently started my first post-graduate job as an associate at AXA, where I am working on creating insurance and health care products for underserved populations. I hope to continue developing my analytical skills and apply them in different settings.

Tehreem Rehman...2007

Yale School of Medicine & John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

I am currently an MD/MPH candidate at Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I did my undergraduate studies at Columbia University where I was a John Jay Scholar. Previously, I have served as the National Chair of the American Medical Student Association's Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Health Committee and as a National Editorial Advisor for The New Physician Magazine.

As a medical student, I co-founded a course on US Health Justice, which seeks to train medical, nursing, and physician associate students at Yale on socioeconomic determinants of health and advocacy. Presently, I serve as the first student member of the National Physicians Alliance's Policy Committee and am co-founder of Systemic Disease, a project seeking to openly discuss bias in medicine and facilitate student advocacy efforts.

I am invested in addressing the impact of adversity and trauma on psychopathology, clinical and community interventions for violence, and the relationship between healthcare provider biases and health inequity. Overall, I intend to work towards my vision of a medical establishment that cultivates social accountability.