A Tandon Student Finds Her Research Path Through Writing

When Andrea was six years old, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “I saw it start to consume her very being,” she recalls. “By the time I was eight I knew I wanted to study medical science.” She work toward attending the Academy for Medical Science Technology at Bergen County Academies, a program for high school students interested in the medical field. There, she pursued projects related to the disease, and in doing so launched her research career. When it came time to choose a college, she knew the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, with its “abundance of resources and academic research opportunities,” was the place for her.

At first Andrea wasn’t sure how to get involved in research at NYU. There were so many options and areas to choose from. That changed when she took a first-year writing class with Professor Lorraine Doran, who encouraged students to write an essay about something personally meaningful. Inspired by her interest in Alzheimer’s disease, Andrea wrote about Aduhelm. In her essay titled “The Rise and Fall of Aduhelm,” she explored the controversial drug used to treat the condition. Then, she presented her paper at the Expository Writing Program’s Pathways for Discovery: Undergraduate Research and Writing Symposium. And there, she engaged in discussion with peers and educators across disciplines from a panel.

“Much of the inspiration for and continued passion of research originated from Professor Duran’s classes. There I had the opportunity to write about and discuss topics that were meaningful to me,” Andrea says. “I left my first year with a deep understanding of a scientist’s responsibilities, like the importance of people’s health over profit, the value of transparency, and the necessity of integrity in scientific research. These are all values I hope to uphold in my future career.”

That summer, Andrea met Dr. Giulio Pasinetti, who leads a lab at Mount Sinai focused on preventing Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive deterioration. Soon after, she began volunteering in his lab at the Department of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine. There, she coauthored two articles, both focused on better addressing neurological disorders in vulnerable groups of people. “I had the privilege of learning directly from Dr. Pasinetti. He provided invaluable guidance and showed me many aspects of research, from the process of conceptualization to the writing of grants and lab management,” she shares.