{"id":257042,"date":"2017-07-28T13:07:41","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T17:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=257042"},"modified":"2024-10-29T14:21:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T18:21:01","slug":"one-community-kearns-summer-researchers-257042","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/one-community-kearns-summer-researchers-257042\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s one community for Kearns summer researchers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"retro<\/a>
Summer of Research: <\/a><\/strong>Our latest Newscenter series showcases a cross-section of summer research conducted by undergraduates at Rochester and beyond.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eunice Noel spends her days at Goergen Hall researching corneal cross-linking. She spends her evenings in Gilbert Hall, cooking dishes like teriyaki chicken and Cajun alfredo pasta\u2014and making friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI end up talking to anyone who walks into the kitchen,\u201d the Miami native and University of Florida rising senior says. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way to meet people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noel is one of 61 undergraduate students from 14 universities conducting research as part of four summer programs run by the David T. Kearns Center<\/a><\/strong>. These include the Xerox Engineering Research Fellows<\/a>, Ronald E. McNair Scholars<\/a>,<\/strong> and two new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) that bring female and underrepresented minority students to Rochester from universities such as Mississippi State, the University of Maryland, Rutgers, and the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

In their labs, Noel and other Kearns Center summer researchers work among one another as well as Rochester faculty and graduate students. In their dorm, they live among one another, forming tight friendships that will be vital as they move on to graduate school and professional careers.<\/p>\n

Connecting personally, networking professionally<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The students have been randomly paired with their roommates\u2014regardless of research interest or college affiliation. Noel\u2019s roommate is Rochester biomedical engineering major Penelope Subervi \u201919, who is from New York City. \u201cIt\u2019s a flashback, like freshmen year all over again,\u201d Subervi says. \u201cFortunately, Eunice and I get along great and hang out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students are assigned, Harry Potter-style, to \u201chouses\u201d (supervised by a Kearns staff member) that compete against each other in community-building events. They compete on everything from which house is the most punctual to classes and events, to who plans the most social events and posts the most group photos on social media.<\/p>\n

\"Penelope
Roommates Penelope Subervi ’19 (left) and Eunice Noel. (University photo \/ Jim Mandelaro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Noel says her experience in Gilbert Hall has made it easier to expand her network beyond her lab partners. \u201cYou may work with just a few students in the same lab, so having the opportunity to see people in the dorm hallways, kitchen, and even the bathroom while brushing your teeth is a great way to get a conversation in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth Olivares, director of the Kearns Center, says she\u2019s pleased by what she\u2019s seen. \u201cThey go out to breakfast, the movies, go-karting, or meet up for lunch at the food trucks here on Tasty Tuesdays,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n