Author: Young Investigators Review

The Young Investigators Review is Stony Brook University's undergraduate-oriented, all-inclusive science journal. Founded in 2008, our mission is to provide the student community with a way to learn more about the research currently being done on-campus by their faculty and fellow peers. We feature articles that span all fields, from Physics to Neuroscience, as well as original student research reports straight from the campus laboratories. Our journal offers aspiring talented future researchers and physicians a way to hone their science writing skills and spread word of their experiences to inspire incoming students to think about devoting their futures to the various fields of science.
Physics and Technology, Technology, YIWC 2025

Technology – Tyler Nicastro

Quantum computing has immense potential to transform a plethora of industries. Leveraging knowledge of quantum mechanics, quantum computers perform computations more efficiently than classical computers (Kim, 2025). Classical computers represent data in bits, as either a 0 or 1, whereas quantum computers store data in qubits, which utilize the unique property of superposition. This quantum principle allows qubits to exist in multiple states concurrently until … Continue reading Technology – Tyler Nicastro

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Environment, YIWC 2025

Environment Science – Hannah Sack

Society faces an important challenge, namely managing climate change while accommodating the world’s growing population and demand for renewable energy. To address this challenge, and move toward a low-footprint, low-emission future, nuclear power has become a viable solution. Currently, nuclear power provides about ten percent of global electricity, rising to nearly twenty percent for the industrialized economies (Limin et al., 2023), and supplies almost a … Continue reading Environment Science – Hannah Sack

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Biology, physiology, YIWC 2025

Translational Biology – Anthony Guidi

Imagine walking into a store and being handed a single shirt labeled “one size fits all.” Chances are, it wouldn’t fit you perfectly. Yet, this is essentially how traditional healthcare treats patients, providing the same treatments to everyone, despite biological differences that can lead to drastic changes in medical needs. Personalized and precision medicine seeks to revolutionize healthcare by customizing treatments to each person’s distinct … Continue reading Translational Biology – Anthony Guidi

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General Psychology, Psychology, YIWC 2025

When Hashtags Replace Help: The High Cost of Online Self-Diagnosis

By Anvitha Rayala An internet-based self-diagnosis of Lyme disease, causing the death of a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus, was reported in 2019. No one could’ve imagined a quick Google search in WebMD would result in such a devastating death of the 37-year-old mom. While physical health-related self-diagnoses have long been recognized as risky, online mental health self-diagnosis has risen greatly in recent years. … Continue reading When Hashtags Replace Help: The High Cost of Online Self-Diagnosis

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2025-26, Announcements, education, YIWC

2025 YIWC has concluded!

✨ Congratulations to the Winners of YIR’s Annual High School Science Writing Competition! ✨ We at the Young Investigators Review are thrilled to share the results of this year’s High School Writing Competition—designed to celebrate curiosity, creativity, and the next generation of scientific thinkers. In our largest application pool yet, talented students and aspiring scientists from across the country submitted pieces answering prompts in 1 … Continue reading 2025 YIWC has concluded!

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology, physiology

HP1𝛼: How DNA Unwrapping can Support Heterochromatin Maintenance

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Many have been led to believe that DNA contains all the information we need, but the regulation of the expression of genes encoded in DNA is also incredibly important. This differentiates humans from, for instance, gorillas, which otherwise share more than 98% genetic identity to humans. One level of regulation is at the level of chromatin, which results from … Continue reading HP1𝛼: How DNA Unwrapping can Support Heterochromatin Maintenance

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Natural Antifreeze: Insights into Animals’ Adaptations to Extreme Cold

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Many organisms, like fish and insects, are capable of living in extreme conditions far outside of the viable range for humans. While some bacteria can live in hot geysers, others live in the extreme cold, relying on adaptations such as the expression of antifreeze proteins (AFP) to survive. These proteins help adapt to the cold by depressing the freezing … Continue reading Natural Antifreeze: Insights into Animals’ Adaptations to Extreme Cold

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Biology, Ecology, Environment, Molecular Biology

Tiny Plastics, Big Impact: How Microplastics Affect Earthworms and Soil Health

Author: Diego Javier, Class of 2026 A concern that is emerging worldwide is plastic contamination in agricultural soils. Farmers frequently use plastic mulching films in order to improve crop yields and control weeds. However, these films can break down into tiny fragments, called microplastics, which are then ingested by soil organisms like earthworms and can affect soil health. In order to better understand these effects, … Continue reading Tiny Plastics, Big Impact: How Microplastics Affect Earthworms and Soil Health

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Disease, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Molecular Biology

Watching Muscles Heal: A Zebrafish Model for Regeneration

Author: Diego Javier, Class of 2026 Muscle regeneration is a nuanced and important area of study in understanding how muscles recover from injury. Researchers have been trying to develop therapies for muscle-related diseases, and some have used zebrafish as a model organism given their ability to regenerate their heart and skeletal muscles. In order to study muscle regeneration. Eric Paulissen, in the lab of SBU … Continue reading Watching Muscles Heal: A Zebrafish Model for Regeneration

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Embryonic Development, Molecular Biology

GlycoSwitch: Signaling Tuner O-Glucosylation 

Author: Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 Looking through URECA presentations every year, posters detailing scientific protocols and findings of undergraduate students cover the corners of the room.  Undergraduate Advisor for Biochemistry and Animal Development Professor, Dr. Bernadette Holdener, leads her team of mentees in understanding how protein O-glucosyltransferase 2 and 3 (POGLUT2/3) is integral to separation of digits during limb development in mice.  Dr. Holdener’s … Continue reading GlycoSwitch: Signaling Tuner O-Glucosylation 

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Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Genome Grazing: lcWGS Across Livestock and Agricultural Landscapes

Author: Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 Just as cells comprise the fundamental units that make up an organism, livestock acts as the core of agriculture—anchoring growth across the world. As providers of food security to sustainability, livestock is an integral part of economic prosperity and animal diversity. Livestock is assessed on measures in the agricultural industry such as disease screening, mobility, fertility, and birth weight. … Continue reading Genome Grazing: lcWGS Across Livestock and Agricultural Landscapes

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Disease, Health and Medicine, Immunology, Microbiota

Specific protein, TlyC in bacteria Rickettsia plays a determining factor in the pathogenesis of Spotted Fever disease

Author: Kang Lai, Class of 2026 Ticks are commonly known vectors that transmit pathogens from one host to another. The genus of bacteria known as Rickettsia contains a hemolysin factor that causes disease progression through lysis of red blood cells. Several strains of Rickettsia are analyzed to deduce the key virulence factor behind its epidemiology of the Spotted Fever pathogenesis.  Bacterial hemolysins are toxins that … Continue reading Specific protein, TlyC in bacteria Rickettsia plays a determining factor in the pathogenesis of Spotted Fever disease

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