Mike Gould (right) and Sara Moss (center) touring the laboratory of Professor Bob Horvitz with MSRP-Bio students (left to right) Kiera Sapp, Cristina Torres Cab\u00e1n, and Sheena Vasquez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \nMIT Summer Research Program in Biology<\/strong><\/p>\nAfter learning about MSRP\u00ad-Bio, Mike and Sara knew it was the right opportunity to honor Bernie and Sophie. Established in 2003, the program has two goals: to provide an intensive research experience for undergraduate students from institutions with limited research opportunities and to increase the pipeline of under\u00adrepresented minority students, first generation college students, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds entering science PhD or MD-PhD programs. Students typically enroll in the 10\u00adweek program the summer after their sophomore or junior year in college and must have a grade point average of at least 3.5, provide three letters of recommendation, and articulate a genuine interest in research. To date, more than 250 students have participated in MSRP\u00ad-Bio and over 80% of them have since enrolled in PhD or MD-\u00adPhD programs across the country, including more than three dozen who have studied at MIT in various departments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Mentorship is one of the most important factors in the success of the summer program and in the success of the participants\u2019 pursuit of a career in research. Each student is matched with a faculty mentor and carries out supervised research in the mentor\u2019s laboratory, working closely in that laboratory with at least one graduate student or postdoc and being paired with another graduate student in a neighboring laboratory for additional support. Combined, this group provides advice, guidance, and perspective on careers in science and on the life of a scientist \u00adin \u00adtraining.<\/p>\n
Honoring the Past by Supporting the Future<\/strong><\/p>\nIt was this mentorship component that convinced Mike to establish the Bernard S. and Sophie G. Gould Fund. All of the students at the July lunch received support from the fund, and Mike and Sara asked each of them to talk about their background and what brought them to MIT. One by one they shared their gratitude and cited their reasons \u2013 including the high caliber of research on campus, the opportunity for mentoring from faculty and graduate students, and being part of a driven and innovative community \u2013 but each also expressed surprise at having been admitted. This prompted Alan to give a quick lesson on imposter syndrome and to assure them that they were all there for a reason. Mike followed by pointing out that, while they had indeed all earned it, it was now up to them to capitalize on this opportunity. With that reminder, and his generous gift, Mike continues his family\u2019s long tradition of providing guidance and support to talented life sciences students at MIT.<\/p>\nPast and current Gould Fellows meet with Mike Gould and his wife Sara Moss.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By MIT School of Science When Mike Gould speaks about his father, the late Professor Bernard \u201cBernie\u201d Gould \u201932 (VII), he often recounts an evening when the phone rang in his childhood home in Brookline just as his family was sitting down to dinner. Over the protests of his wife, Sophie Gould MCP \u201948 (VII), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"parent":1773,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7522","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Continuing a legacy of mentorship in the life sciences - MIT Department of Biology<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n