Another summer at the JGI has come and gone. While interns from programs including CalTeach, SEED, CABBI and SULI had their own assignments and goals to achieve, they constantly collaborated with each other on new ways of presenting and researching science. Each of the above internships ends with a poster session where summer work is presented, and the students noted feeling a real sense of community as they helped each other prepare and rehearse their projects.
From the SULI program, Shira Goldhaber-Gordon mentioned that while one of the more challenging parts was “thinking conceptually and critically about scientific questions and how to answer them,” it was really great to have access to “other interns and scientists who brought different perspectives and were happy to discuss research queries.”
SULI Intern Shira Goldhaber-Gordon and mentor Zhong Wang (left) at the WD&E Intern Poster Session. Shira is continuing her internship at the Lab, where she contributed to ongoing research to systematically evaluate a metagenomic large language model. (Courtesy of Zhong Wang)
Additionally, many interns mentioned how they enjoyed interacting with other students from different parts of the Lab. They were able to form friendships and expand their scientific network through workshops and group discussions. CalTeach intern Caleb Ro echoed this sentiment: “Everyone is very nice and welcoming and just being able to work with everyone has been a pleasure. I believe being a JGI intern is a privilege and it has been an honor to be a part of the team during this summer.”
Interns from the 2024 CalTeach Poster Session. Left to right: Pedro Antonio Perez (University of California, Merced), Rishit Pradhan (CalTeach), Siri Tantry (University of California, Berkeley), Caleb Ro (CalTeach), and mentor Sajeet Haridas. (Courtesy of Sajeet Haridas)
Pictured: Intern and Mentors at the WD&E Poster Session. From left; Sara Calhoun, Farah Cisse (SEED, University of California Berkeley) and mentor Vy Duong. (Courtesy of Sara Calhoun)
Top row, left to right: Shira Goldhaber-Gordon, Caleb Ro, Rishit Pradhan, Farah Cisse, and Micheal Egan. Bottom row, left to right: Luke Estes, Nimi Nair, Siri Tantry, Taiqi Li, and Xi Ning Kirk.
JGI summer interns and their mentors are listed below:
- SULI (Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship)
- Shira Goldhaber-Gordon, Johns Hopkins University. Mentor: Zhong Wang
- Peter Falb, University of Michigan, Mentor: Frederik Schulz
- CalTeach
- Srinidhi Karuppusami, University of California, Berkeley. Mentor: Zhong Wang
- Rishit Rahul Pradhan, University of California Berkeley. Mentors: Sajeet Haridas and Igor Grigoriev
- Caleb Ro, University of California, Berkeley. Mentors: Asaf Salamov and Igor Grigoriev
- SEED Scholars
- Nair Namrata, University of California, Berkeley. Mentor: Bishoy Kamel
- Farah Cisse, University of California, Berkeley. Mentor: Vy Duong
- CABBI
- Alejandro Paulino, Kenyon College. Mentor: Yasuo Yoshikuni
- Other Interns
- Xi Ning Kirk, University of California, Berkeley. Mentors: Sajeet Haridas and Igor Grigoriev
- Siri Tantry, University of California, Berkeley. Mentors: Steven Ahrendt and Igor Grigoriev
- Micheal Egan, University of California, Berkeley. Mentors: Sara Calhoun and Igor Grigoriev
- Taiqi Li, University of California, Berkeley. Mentors: Bishoy Kamel and Igor Grigoriev
- Luke Estes, University of Colorado, Boulder. Mentor: Stephen Mondo
- Catalina Johnson, University of Colorado, Boulder. Mentor: Stephen Mondo
- Sierra Hefferan, University of Michigan. Mentor: Ian Blaby
- Gursachi Sikka, University of California, Berkeley. Mentor: Markus De Raad