On March 4, Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York’s third congressional district visited Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to congratulate several high school students from the district who have been named as Regeneron finalists and scholars. Among the recipients was Pragati Muthukumar, a senior at Commack High School and a CSHL Partner for the Future.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search is a STEM competition for high school seniors. The students submit science or math research that they have worked on in a research institution under the guidance of a mentor.
Muthukumar currently works in the lab of plant geneticist and CSHL Adjunct Associate Professor Doreen Ware as part of the Partners for the Future (PFF) program. The PFF program connects high school seniors with CSHL scientists and offers them the opportunity to work in CSHL labs as a means of getting hands-on research experience. Muthukumar’s research project focused on increasing crop yields.
“Pragati is a great addition to our lab, and having her work with the team on cutting-edge research has been a great learning experience,” said Ware. “She is intelligent and hardworking, and she has thrived throughout her project, independently applying complex bioinformatics analyses workflows with only some guidance needed. It has been a pleasure to see her grow as an aspiring researcher, and deepen her passion for science.”
Written by: Sara Roncero-Menendez, Media Strategist | publicaffairs@cshl.edu | 516-367-8455