William Suringa '26 spent his sophomore summer working working in Dr. Eileen White's lab at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers, where he explored the effects of cancer cachexia in a lung cancer mouse model.

Hello All!

My name is William Suringa, and I am a junior in the Mol Bio department. This past summer provided an intense, multifaceted introduction to research. I had the privilege of working in Dr. Eileen White's lab at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers, where I explored the effects of cancer cachexia in a lung cancer mouse model. My project focused on studying muscle and adipose tissue metabolic changes using various techniques, from histological analysis to advanced imaging methods. This experience deepened my understanding of cancer biology and sharpened my technical skills in immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy.

Building on this foundation, I also had the opportunity to expand my research scope through collaboration with the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) Alliance’s Preclinical Consortium. Here, I further investigated signaling pathways, particularly the ERK cascade, allowing me to contribute to developing therapeutic strategies for epilepsy and other TSC-related disorders. This opportunity complimented my previous work and broadened my perspective on translational research; insights gained in a lab setting can directly impact clinical applications.

Reflecting on these experiences, I realized they offered more than just technical and analytical skills; they reshaped my understanding of what "research" truly means. As pre-med students, we often think of research as a necessary box to check for medical school, imagining ourselves at the forefront of curing unsolved diseases. However, research is about much more than just treating the diseases of the future—it’s about developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and a deeper understanding of the scientific process, all essential for practicing evidence-based medicine. This summer taught me that research becomes most valuable when pursued with personal passion and curiosity rather than as a means to an end.