As CMC expands its presence as a leader in innovative science education through the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS) and the Robert Day Sciences Center, students are eagerly shaping opportunities on campus and for their future.
During their first year at CMC, Alejandro Bedoya Norena ’28, Deven Sheth ’28, and Katie Kosch ’28 initially approached KDIS Founding Chair Ran Libeskind-Hadas with a simple goal to create more pathways for student-led research. That conversation laid the foundation for what would become CMsci, a student-run research organization that collaborates with KDIS and now spans four interdisciplinary teams: the neuro team, environmental team, physics team, and the newly launched health team.
Now approaching their junior years, the founders have added new members to serve on the CMsci executive board, overseeing team managers and analysts as the group continues to grow.
“CMsci is unique at CMC because it gives us the opportunity to pursue research projects that we design and lead ourselves,” said Heena Suleman ’29, an Environmental Team analyst majoring in Integrated Sciences.
KDIS faculty support the organization by offering guidance, as well as access to lab materials and workspaces. One new resource is the Innovation Studio, a public space inside the Robert Day Sciences Center designed to encourage collaboration and hands-on work.
“There’s going to be some really fantastic technical resources there—and eventually human resources to help students pursue their passion projects,” said Libeskind-Hadas. “I’m very excited for them to have a place where they can meet and work on their projects, a safe place to store their work after hours, and then come back and continue where they left off. That is going to be a really fantastic resource for them.”
The health team, still in its early stages, is currently exploring the design of a portable field incubator to test for the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water.
“We’re interested in building something small so that if there’s some kind of outbreak, you can incubate samples overnight using a small battery and, based on growth in different wells, determine what the outbreak is resistant to and what it isn’t so you can treat the population more effectively,” said Pooja Punn ’28, who is an Integrated Sciences-Philosophy dual major, and a CMsci health team manager.
In addition to conducting research, CMsci hosts guest speakers to introduce members to careers and emerging topics in science and technology. David Marash ’14, Co-Founder and CEO of Machine Bio, led a series of workshops during the 2025-26 academic year on how to launch a biotech startup, made possible through collaboration with Eric Butler-Roberts, Associate Director of Career Services, Integrated Sciences at the Soll Center for Student Opportunity, and Emily Wiley, KDIS Director of Program Development.
“The series was really valuable because we’ve been able to create an outlet for students interested in careers in science,” said Bedoya Norena, an Integrated Sciences major who co-founded CMSci.
Another bonus: The growth of KDIS as a newer offering at CMC helps students in CMsci build bonds and explore the program’s potential together.
“One really important feature of CMsci is that it brings together our cohort as Integrated Sciences students in a way that wouldn’t have happened otherwise,” Punn said. “The department is so new, and we’re in its first year. It’s really exciting to help lead its future.”