This year will be a bit different for the 2020 cohort of the Summer Program in Biostatistics and Computational Biology and although you may not be able to meet them in person this year, we hope you will take some time to get to know a bit more about them here!
Sakina Ali is a senior at Smith College in Northampton, MA, majoring in Biochemistry and Computer Science as a Posse Leadership Scholar. She is passionate about combining experimental results with clinical observations. After graduating in 2021, she plans on pursuing an MD-PhD dual degree in computational biology. Currently, she is working on a research project involving the computational bio-assemblies of virus
capsid structures. Specifically, she and her team are investigating how the asymmetric unit can be used to reduce the amount of space the entire virus potentially takes up in memory. When Sakina is not in class or cooped up in her room coding, you can find her dancing with Smith’s South Asian Dance Team, SC Masti or on a mountain, hiking with her friends.
Antonella Basso is a rising senior at Agnes Scott College, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with minors in artificial intelligence and philosophy. Upon graduating in the spring of 2021, Antonella hopes to gain professional work experience in areas related to applied mathematics, data, and technology, and prepare for a graduate program in computational science, data analytics, or machine learning. With her experience in developed quantitative skills, Antonella aspires to pursue a career that allows her to exercise her love for mathematics and technology in contribution to groundbreaking scientific developments and the betterment of people’s lives.
Vincent Buckman earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Washington and Lee University in 2020. In the summer of 2019, he conducted research in the Massion Lab at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center where he studied the XCT transporter and its role in Cancer Metabolism. His research interests include the use of computational and experimentational tools to study gene expression as it relates to cancer. Vincent plans to pursue a dual MD/PhD degree with a doctorate in cancer biology. In the fall, he will take on a role as Triage Consulting Inc. as a clinical consultant.
Daniel Chan is a senior at Brown University double concentrating in biochemistry and public health and will be graduating in 2021. Daniel chose these two fields of study because he believes it’s important to learn about health on both a molecular and societal level. Outside of
the classroom, Daniel is engaged in research ranging from the pharmacogenomics of neuropathy to kidney medicine. Growing up as a first-generation college student in the immigrant community of San Francisco, Daniel always had an innate desire to bridge the health disparities experienced by underserved communities. Daniel wants to apply his computational skills to perform impactful research that can address these problems and create meaningful changes in the landscape of public health. Daniel hopes to pursue these goals through an MD/MPH program; by developing a strong background in public health as he studies medicine, Daniel hopes to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society and empower them with enhanced access to quality medical care.
