Viktoryia Pavlenkovich '08

Viktoryia Pavlenkovich of Mogilev, Belarus, attended the Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science (BRSS) in New York City. Part of Bard College’s ongoing partnership with the internationally respected Rockefeller University, BRSS is a one-semester program designed for advanced science students, particularly those in the fields of neuroscience, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, biophysics, and genetics.

Pavlenkovich assisted in the neurogenics and behavior laboratory of Leslie Vosshall, who is Chemers Family Associate Professor at Rockefeller. Using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model, researchers are seeking to determine how different olfactory systems interact, in order to recognize and detect a large number of structurally distinct odor molecules. Researchers had generated a transgenic line of flies that could not detect odors, with the goal of observing the survival rate of transgenic flies and “wild” flies sharing a scarce food source. The researchers were considering “rescuing” one olfactory neuron at a time and in that way observing the survival rate.

Having come to BRSS to participate in professional research, Pavlenkovich made the significant discovery of how demanding it can be. She spent 35 hours a week in the laboratory, in addition to classes and assignments. “The lifestyle here at Rockefeller gives me a clue as to what it would be like to be a graduate student,” said Pavlenkovich, whose long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology. “You can study biology in college and learn a lot of theory, but until you actually experience biology research, you don’t know quite what it is.”

In addition to working in the Rockefeller laboratory, BRSS students take specially designed courses there and in the Bard Globalization and International Affairs (BGIA) Program. At BGIA, Pavlenkovich took Issues in Global Public Health, which she found broadened her horizons in an exciting way.