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Hunter Student Zach Gershon: A Multitalented Young Scientist Wins a Goldwater Scholarship

“I’ve always been fascinated by genetics,” said Zach Gershon ’16, a new winner of the Goldwater Scholarship, America’s premier undergraduate award in science, math and engineering.

Gershon, a student at Hunter's Macaulay Honors College, is majoring in biological sciences with a concentration in behavioral neurobiology. He plans to pursue a PhD in developmental neurogenetics and a career in research, studying the genes linked to learning disabilities and the mechanisms by which the genes are expressed. He also looks forward to teaching at the university level.

Gershon was a Long Island high school freshman when he began conducting molecular research on the signaling pathways for a plant hormone. That research earned him a semi-finalist spot in the Siemens Competition, which recognizes the nation’s top young scientists at the high school level.

Since his freshman year at Hunter, Gershon has worked in Professor Paul Feinstein’s laboratory, a center for biomedical research. Last summer, that work brought him recognition and extended support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholars Program.

In Feinstein’s lab, Gershon participated in researcher Charlotte D’Hulst’s widely acclaimed MouSensor project, developing “supersniffer” mice with senses of smell strong enough to detect land mines in war zones. As he looks to the future, Gershon is clear about the path his own research will take.

“My end goal is the development of a screening for genetic markers linked to learning disabilities such as dyslexia and auditory processing disorders,” Gershon said. “If that screening can be done in very early childhood, perhaps even in utero, the disorder can be treated when the brain is most plastic.”

Surprisingly, when Gershon first arrived at Hunter, he didn’t know if he wanted to focus on the sciences or a parallel passion, the performing arts. A talented singer, actor, dancer and bass player, he did know that Hunter and New York City would offer excellence and opportunities in all creative and scholastic realms.

While he has chosen a career in science, Gershon is active with other Honors College students in the Macaulay Dancers competitive performing team. He has also taught tap in the workshop he organized for Macaulay Scholars eager to master some steps.  And he is a big fan of Professor Jill Bargonetti ‘s biology course Choreographing Genomics, which uses postmodern dance to model biological processes.
“I’m incredibly grateful to my teachers and advisors, and for all the opportunities Hunter has given me,” Gershon said. “I know I wouldn’t have had these numerous opportunities anywhere else.”

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