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This summer, two more rising juniors have opened their chapters as Beckman Scholars and kicked off their summer research on the Emmanuel College campus.
The College received a $156,000 grant from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation in 2024, which will support six outstanding student scientists at Emmanuel through 2027.
The Beckman Scholars Program (BSP) is a prestigious honor funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, which propels its scholars into a unique and academically stimulating research experience. The 15-month program takes place over two consecutive summers and one academic year alongside a faculty mentor, which allows Beckman Scholars to commit to a more intensive and hands-on research project. The total award to support each Scholar is $26,000, which includes a generous stipend and research supplies.
Emmanuel's latest two Beckman Scholars, biology major Kiana Rodriguez ’27 and neuroscience major Radi Sullivan ’27, have now begun their research journeys alongside their respective faculty mentors, Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Anupama Seshan, and Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dr. Melanie Leussis.
With the spring semester concluded, Rodriguez and Sullivan wasted no time in getting started on their research – and were both incredibly eager to begin. Not only are they fellow Beckman Scholars, but Rodriguez and Sullivan are longtime friends at Emmanuel, STEM peer tutors, and share one particular trait in common: they want to help people.
Hear from this year’s Beckman Scholars and learn more about their research below!
Rodriguez was caught between feeling excited and anxiously waiting for the day she got the news. She’d been visiting family in Puerto Rico and painstakingly waiting for the email throughout the entire travel day. But finally, once she’d arrived, she read the “congratulations” on the first line of the email and got to have a “perfect moment” celebrating with her mother and grandmother right there.
As a first-generation college student, Rodriguez said it was a truly great feeling to be able to celebrate that achievement with them spontaneously in that moment.
In her research with Dr. Seshan, Rodriguez is looking at the accuracy of cell division in budding yeast during a cell cycle checkpoint called the spindle checkpoint. By identifying defects in this checkpoint, they are able to see what defects can be attributed to certain cancers, and hopefully inform similar analysis in humans.
“Kiana approaches her research with abounding enthusiasm and curiosity,” Dr. Seshan said. “She is as eager to figure out what went wrong in the lab as she is to move on to the next experiment – she is not satisfied until the understands the ‘why’ behind every aspect of her data. This quality is key to success in a scientific career.”
Rodriguez has had a unique path prior to the start of her Emmanuel journey: starting at a trade high school where she trained to be an electrician. It’s a great backup plan to have, she said, but she started on the science track as an undergraduate with hopes to help people.
“I was originally pre-med, but I realized I wanted to help in a different way,” Rodriguez said. That started with peer tutoring, and eventually when she landed a spot in Dr. Seshan’s lab, everything clicked. “That’s when I knew research was for me,” she added.
For Rodriguez, one of the biggest hurdles she hopes to overcome this summer is her imposter syndrome. She said she hopes that sharing her experience can help fellow students not only normalize the feeling, but show them that they’re not alone in those feelings, either. While she works on her research, it’s her goal to continue to remind herself that she belongs in this position – and that she earned this Beckman Scholarship!
One of the turning points for her was the support she'd gotten from Emmanuel faculty. Between getting picked to be a part of Dr. Seshan's lab and hearing from another professor - Dr. Derek Lau - that he believe in her, it helped build on her progress and helped her feel that she'd earned her place in the School of Science & Health. "It really meant a lot to me," Rodriguez said.
While he wasn’t in the mindset that he would get the Beckman Scholarship, Sullivan aimed to make himself standout as much as possible during the interview process. He leveraged his Emmanuel connections, including seeking advice from Emmanuel’s first pair of Beckman Scholars, to prepare as best he could.
When the time came and he heard the news, he was in shock. It’s a moment that he said will stick out in his life for a long time – and he immediately called his friend and his mom to share it with them.
His research focuses on the ankyrin 3 gene – a scaffolding protein – that has been linked with a number of psychiatric disorders. Using mice as a model, the research evaluates the potential role that voluntary exercise can play in positively moderating stress susceptibility and mood-related behaviors.
The first step he’s working on? Hooking up a 3D printed mouse wheel to ensure he can measure that exercise properly. For such a new research project, Sullivan said he’s eager to have more practice with problem solving, which will start with technical pieces of the research – important stepping stones for getting the project off the ground.
“The Beckman Scholarship gives Radi the opportunity to dive into a project of his own, present this research to his colleagues as well as neuroscientists around the globe, while also providing financial support that allows him to devote the time needed to make headway on the project,” Dr. Leussis said.
Sullivan has known he wanted to pursue a career in science since one of his first research experiences: an internship with the Forsythe Institute in high school. He foresees himself pursuing medical school, and potentially a Ph.D. further down the line. Sullivan said his desire to help people through science and research stems from members of his family.
“I want to help people manage their stress and conditions like Alzheimer’s: I’ve built up a passion for seeking out how to solve those,” he said.
Dr. Leussis said she believes Radi will seize the Beckman Scholarship opportunity and use it to propel himself into his career. “He is absolutely fearless and hardworking. This combination means he will succeed in the long run, because he’s always willing to do what is needed.”
“Dean of the School of Science & Health, Dr. Pádraig Deighan“This is an incredibly prestigious program - the Scholars go through a rigorous selection process and are positioned to move into major leadership positions [in their field] in the future.”
