Third Cohort of Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Visit Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute

The third cohort (S3) of the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program spent July 31 in New York City at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute.

The visit was part of the six-week Summer Bridge Program, designed to prepare the incoming first-year science, technology, engineering and math students for the next four years of their academic career. Throughout the day, the group of 42 scholars heard from researchers at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute from different fields, including neuroscience, computational biology, computational astrophysics and computational quantum physics. They had lunch with the first and second cohort interns from the New York Structural Biology Center and took a tour of the Centers for Computational Biology and Mathematics. 

Simons Foundation President David Spergel, PhD, gave the opening remarks, where he spoke about the work being done at the Simons Foundation, the importance of math and science and the evolution of the Simons STEM Scholars Program. 

“At the Simons Foundation, we believe that great science can transform our understanding of everything. Our goal is to support scientists, and the reason we are supporting this program is that we think you are part of the future of science,” said Spergel. “Stony Brook will produce some great scientists, and we wanted to help build this program to give you the opportunities to be one of them.”

The day concluded with a fireside chat on Novel Pathways in STEM, as well as a networking reception and dinner, where the scholars had a chance to speak with some of the researchers about their work and potential opportunities in the future.

“Our visit to the Flatiron Institute was surreal. It was an honor to hear from the Simons Foundation’s researchers and tour the Centers for Computational Biology and Mathematics,” said S3 scholar Natalie Osorio. “I enjoyed learning about the incredible computational biology research at Flatiron, and it was inspiring to hear about the SPARK program for autism research.”

The Summer Bridge Program offers students the opportunity to grow and experience Stony Brook University from the perspective of a college student before starting their first year. In addition to the Flatiron Institute visit, the program featured advanced math and writing courses, noncredit workshops, community-building activities, and visits to CEWIT (Center for Excellence, Wireless and Information Technology) and the Renaissance School of Medicine and the Life Sciences Building.

The Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program was launched in 2022 with a $56.6 million commitment from the Simons Foundation. It offers full scholarships, housing, research opportunities, internship stipends, advising and mentoring to students in STEM fields. The aim is to strengthen the STEM career pathway by providing a comprehensive support system from the first days on campus.

-Written by Christine McGrath
-Photos by Emily Tan/Simons Foundation