I'd always known I wanted to pursue research, and was impatient with having to wait until university to do so. iCREST offered the exciting opportunity to become involved in research earlier, and I was fascinated by the cell biology they study. In fact, I am majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology at university now.

The program at iCREST gave me hands-on experience with different lab techniques. Working closely with researchers helped me understand the process of formulating research problems, planning experiments, and interpreting and presenting results. The experience I gained was also invaluable in pursuing research later on.

Nandan Kulkarni
Johns Hopkins University

I joined iCREST to get exposure to biology research techniques and understand the lab environment in general. Through the program, I was able to reinforce my theoretical knowledge of cells, genes etc. and build on them to learn concepts such as microscopy, cell death and cloning, to name a few, through hands on experience. By working closely with the very entities that I was reading about in textbooks, I was able to more clearly understand the connection between different parts of cells and organisms and their components.

iCREST helped me look at the bigger picture and applications of research to medicine which got me interested in a career in cellular and molecular biology, and with my own independent research into the IC-50 value of an unknown potential cancer drug, facilitated by iCREST, I was further drawn into oncology which still remains the preferred field for me in my pursuit of medicine.

Doing work with iCREST has not only allowed me to realize my passion and get into the program I desired but also imparted valuable research skills that I will be able to carry with me far in the future.

Meha Prabhu
Boston University Medical School (Accelerated Program)

I joined the iCREST Academy program to learn more about the research and in-vitro studies that allow clinical development to occur. Learning about the intriguing techniques used in the laboratory supplemented by the sessions where we were encouraged to present on fundamental biology topics improved my knowledge for the IB examinations. I have found that this knowledge has been extremely useful at university as well, since a lot of it formed the contents of my first semester and helped me appreciate laboratory experiments.

Shreya Srinivas
University of Edinburgh, Medicine