Declaration: A Commitment to Scientific Discovery

For graduate students, declaring a laboratory in which to carry out their thesis research is their first big decision on the road to a Ph.D. During their first year at Einstein, graduate students rotate through two or three laboratories and then choose their “lab home” at the end of the year.

Victoria Freedman, Ph.D.It is in their declared lab that students begin making major strides in their Ph.D. research. To mark this milestone, newly declared second-year Ph.D. students in Einstein’s graduate programs in the biomedical sciences come together with their fellow lab mates, Einstein faculty and staff for a “Declaration Celebration.” Hosted by Dr. Victoria Freedman, associate dean of graduate programs for the biomedical sciences, the sixth annual ceremony held on September 21 filled Lubin Dining Hall with good cheer as 34 students made their declarations.

Keynote speaker Dr. Kamran Khodakhah, professor and chair of the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, advised the students to stay the course, reminding them that earning a Ph.D. requires dedication and hard work. “If you truly have a passion for scientific research, the payoff is rewarding and worthwhile,” he said.

Perseverance and Pushing Through

“There will be challenging times when you may doubt yourself,” he said, offering that at one point during his own Ph.D. work he contemplated running a restaurant. “But pushing through the difficulties—often buoyed by coffee—will ultimately allow you to persevere.”

Declaring students were then recognized by graduate students from their departments, and the ceremony closed with Dr. Britta Will, assistant professor of cell biology, administering the Oath of the Scientist to the honorees.

“This declaration celebration symbolizes how happy I am with the choice I made,” said Joshua Weinreb, a third-year M.D./Ph.D. candidate who declared in the laboratory of Dr. Teresa Bowman, assistant professor of developmental and molecular biology. “After just a few months in lab, I already feel close with my lab mates. And I’m excited about the journey ahead.”

Congratulations to the 34 students who declared: Maria Aivalioti, Ana Batista-Gonzalez, Helen Belalcazar, Shuonan Chen, Charles Crouse, Samuel Eisenberg, George Georgiev, Erik Hasenoerhl, Reese Hitchings, Qiyuan Hong, Adam Hudgins, Peter John, Sinan Khor, Jennifer Kimble, Ameya Kulkarni, Nicolas Le Texier, Rosiris Leon-Rivera, Huizhi Liang, Andrea Lopez-Arroyo, Joshua Mayoral, Jamie Moore, Nicholas Morano, Kristin Palarz, Mirjana Persaud, Denis Reyna Ruiz, Stacy Roudabush, Todd Rubin, Christopher Salazar, Gilbert Salloum, Lijie Shi, Karishma Smart, Adam Spitz, Joshua Weinreb, Ariel Wirchnianski.