Harvard Science Research Conference 2022

BB&N Students Learn about Cell Structure, Biotechnology, Machine Learning, and More!

Over the crisp autumn weekend of October 22nd and 23rd, seven BB&N students attended the annual Harvard Science Research Conference. The event was designed to promote students’ interest in science and research and allow them to connect with like-minded peers. The conference was organized and run by undergraduate research students at Harvard with backgrounds in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Psychology, Human, Developmental, & Regenerative Biology, and the History of Science. During the conference, students could hear some of the undergraduates present their research and ask questions about their life at Harvard. In addition to the talented undergraduates, students listened to a group of incredibly impressive professors and researchers. These speakers included Dr. Donald Ingber, who spoke about his discoveries involving cell structure and his development of organ chips; Dean Joan Reede, who expressed the importance of diversity in the scientific community; and Dr. Xuanhe Zhao, who talked about using hydrogels and soft microrobots to merge humans and machines. Presley Jacobson ‘25 found Dr. Ingber’s presentation the most intriguing. She said that “it was so fascinating to hear about how he viewed the structure of cells differently than the traditional belief, and how he used that mindset to make so many amazing discoveries!” After listening to the inspiring and enlightening presentations, the students were placed in smaller groups for the conference’s annual Innovation Challenge. This year, the students were tasked with identifying and solving current problems with machine learning. The students then presented their findings to the rest of the conference members. Eliza Cohen ‘25, who proposed using machine learning to predict Covid 19 mutations, described the Innovation Challenge as “a great opportunity to collaborate with students of both similar and varying interests as me.” The Harvard Science Research Conference was an excellent opportunity to learn from experts, improve research and public speaking skills, and work with students from all over the world.

BB&N students at the Harvard Science Research Conference