Thirty-seven members of the Macaulay at Hunter Class of 2013, along with research mentors, professors faculty, gathered once again for the second Senior Research Forum (SRF) event. Held at the Roosevelt House, it was the most attended SRF since its inception in 2011 by Director Craig Harwood.
The SRF was organized by Dr. Harwood, and members of the SRF team, Simratpal Kaur, Jemi Jacob, Kaitlyn O’Hagan, and Aime Salazar. The night progressed from mingling and cocktail hour in the front room, to a buffet dinner in the Four Freedoms room, where presentations were held.
Seniors Ana Billingsley, Krishan Sharma, and Irene O’Hare presented to group during and a dinner.
Billingsley presented Shaping the Debate: Racial Ideology in Contemporary Political Discourse and Public Policy, touching on colorblind racism and affirmative action. When asked what brought her to research racial ideology, she regaled her interaction on a train with a fellow passenger, who viewed race as unimportant catapulted her into working on her research thesis.
Sharma presented Targeting Cancer Stem Cells in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, through which attendees learned the strides taken to target Heat Shock Proteins in cancer stem cells to better stave off cancer.
O’Hare’s presentation on The Morgan Library: A Portrait of its Patron took the audience on a highly informative virtual walk to better understand how the McKim building was a reflection of the banker’s tastes and wishes.
As it was a night celebrating the senior class’ “tremendous accomplishment” according to the invitations, a new tradition of toasting present seniors and their accomplishments at the forum was initiated. Multiple members of the class were saluted, with congratulations extended for acceptance into a PhD program, enrollment at a dental school, a post-graduation position at Goldman Sachs, and a position in a research laboratory.
