The Appel Institute is thrilled to welcome Sosmita Islam as our 2025 Summer Program Scholar! Since 2021, our partnership has supported outstanding students from the New York City area, offering hands-on neuroscience research training under the guidance of leading scientists. Selected scholars work alongside mentors to develop critical lab skills, master advanced techniques, and test their scientific hypotheses in a dynamic research environment.
This summer, Sosmita will join the Orr Lab, working closely with Dr. Anna Orr (Principal Investigator) and Daniel Barnett (Graduate Student). Her project will focus on astrocytic mechanisms in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, with an emphasis on mitochondrial ROS signaling and neuroimmune interactions. At the end of the program, Sosmita will present her findings to the Weill Cornell Medicine research community—we look forward to sharing her progress!
Daniel Barnett and Sosmita Islam
Get to Know Sosmita:
"Hi, Appel! I’m Sosmita Islam, a senior at Hunter College completing my B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Sociology. My research journey began in the Wu lab at the Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institue, where I contributed to developing a 3D proteomic database of the mouse brain to advance Alzheimer's research. I gained an understanding of how monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies work and deepened my knowledge of the role of proteins like tau in forming neurofibrillary tangles. This sparked my fascination with how molecular changes contribute to neurodegeneration. As an undergraduate, for my honors thesis in Dr. Carmen Meléndez-Vásquez’s lab, I investigated YAP signaling in astrocytes within a demyelination model of multiple sclerosis. Now, as part of the Appel/BMRI program, I’m excited to explore astrocyte-driven neuroimmune cascades using techniques like immunohistochemistry, molecular biology, and in vivo modeling. Outside the lab, I have a sweet tooth and love writing poetry!"
Sosmita Islam
Please join us in welcoming Sosmita to the Appel Institute community—we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes this summer!