Inflation and Its Effects on the Economy

Annie Liu, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed majors in Accounting and Business Finance

For my capstone project I researched inflation, its impact on the economy, and how we could protect ourselves during these periods. As a finance major, inflation was a topic taught in many of my classes, and it was interesting to see how it appeared to have a link to different parts of the economy.

One of the major reasons for choosing this topic would be the current economy, as we are currently going through a phase of inflation. One of the leading factors that led to this inflation was the impact of the pandemic.

The federal government has a monetary policy to lower and control inflation levels, although it may not always be effective. The current policy is to increase the federal funds rate to tighten the movement of money within the economy, which is expected to succeed. I also learned about how the actions of the federal reserve in controlling inflation could have a domino effect on the economy. Increasing the cost of borrowing between banks will lead to more expensive loans for businesses and individuals borrowing from the bank, in addition to affecting the bond market.

Even though we as individuals may not be able to control inflation, there are ways we can protect against it. Through my research, I learned about securities like Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), and using gold to protect the value of our money. Besides protection, I also learned of some ways that we could utilize inflation to our advantage, such as buying real estate whose value has dropped.

If I were to continue with my research, I would look into ranking the securities from best to worst that could be purchased in times of inflation. This research paper allowed me to understand the objectives that I learned in class from a real-life perspective.

Lessons Learned Working in a Lab

Lily Samborska Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Ecology, Evolutjon & Behavioral Biology and minor in Philosophy

Joining a lab for my capstone was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences during my time at CSI. After taking Cell Biology with Professor LaMassa in 2022, I asked to join her lab to see if I could contribute something valuable enough to use for my capstone.

Working in an environment that is so completely out of your comfort zone forces you to reevaluate whether or not the challenge is worthwhile. Despite reading the recommended journals that were assigned to me in order to learn about the lab’s previous findings and future goals, I still felt uncomfortable with the material as there was so much that was foreign to me. Over time though, I became acquainted with other members of the lab and picked up on their techniques. I also got to see how supportive they were of each other, as they helped keep each other’s cells alive during the week, took turns restocking materials, and showed up to celebrate each other’s birthdays and achievements.

A lot went wrong with my project; I changed it multiple times and had to deal with tedious obstacles. The cell line I was using required special attention, and after accidentally sub-culturing them too low density on one occasion, I had to wait three weeks for them to grow enough to continue my project. I also had to work around a busy schedule, going to the lab on weekends, holidays, or after a ten-hour workday. Although this wasn’t required, I felt it was necessary in order to produce the highest quality of work possible.

Despite any setbacks I faced, I began to love the time spent in the lab by myself, and found myself asking questions to further understand the subject even though it had nothing to do with my own future goals or career.

My favorite part of the experience was learning to use the Leica SP8 confocal microscope. When it was finally time to use the microscope and take images of my results, it felt so rewarding to be physically shown that my efforts paid off. When working with something as delicate and stubborn as cells, it is possible to technically do everything right and still be left with poor results. The number of cells I’ve worked on and taken photos of only to discard because they weren’t good enough, is humbling. Gaining confidence in using the microscope and repeating laboratory techniques helped me take charge of my project.

By pressing forward and being stubborn, I have gained a whole new set of skills that will undoubtedly aid me in laboratory settings in veterinary school, and I possibly may even consider continuing research in graduate school as a result.

This experience has left me with a newfound confidence in my ability to persevere through academic challenges. It challenged my bad habit of procrastinating schoolwork and forced me to be proactive to give myself the best chances of success. Despite it for the most part being an uphill climb, it feels fantastic to be finished and wonder what I could have done better.

I hope that when choosing a lab or mentor, students will take it as a challenge for themselves and use it to become more well-rounded. The experience will also hopefully leave you with deep connections and appreciation for research as well.

Breast Cancer and Gene Expression Patterns

Lara Anastasia Colombo, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Biology and minor in Psychology

My deep fascination with medicine stems back to childhood. From a young age, I vividly recall my admiration growing over time for physicians as well as their white coats and stethoscopes draped around their necks.

I entered college as a pre-med student, with a major in general biology and a minor in psychology. I began forming a strong foundation as early as my first semester of college, which allowed me to pursue an area of research that captivated me.

In my sophomore year I was introduced to my mentor, Dr. Nancy Liu-Sulllivan, whose guidance tremendously enhanced my research experience for the next three years. My participation in the CUNY Research Scholars Program facilitated this introduction. After completing the program with two years of research and presenting numerous times at the associated conferences, I was equipped to formulate and delve deeper into my capstone project.

The primary focus of my capstone involved investigating and comparing patient survival with gene expression patterns of HLA Class I gene expression in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Despite all the progress made, cancer remains a challenging disease. Aggressive cancer types, MBC and GBM, continue to pose a challenge to treatment efficacy and overall patient survival. For context, human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are vital for the immune system to thrive due to the ability to regulate immune responses as well as detect foreign cells or agents that are then transferred to T-cell receptors. Understanding the role of HLAs helps better characterize and understand how these aggressive cancer types evade immune defense. This information is also beneficial in providing potential candidates for therapeutic targets in glioblastoma multiforme and metastatic breast cancer.

In my college career I had a desire to attain leadership positions, particularly one tied to a cause that resonated with me. In my junior year, I was a club council representative of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative Club and I was elected president my senior year. As president, it allowed me to further my research pursuits with a similar area of study, another aggressive cancer type. This capstone project gave me the opportunity to tie all that I have learned throughout these past four years into one paper as well as an additional presentation. This area of study is remarkably rewarding since the findings of statistically significant over- or under-expressed HLA Class I genes along with exploring the potential influence cytokines may have on HLA genes could help shed more light on the interaction between immunity and cancer.

Researching the Change from Analog to Digital Editing

John Wilson, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Cinema Studies and minors in Design & Digital Media and Italian

Through researching for my capstone project, I’ve learned so much more about editing than I already knew. Film editing is a rich subject with a storied history spanning a century, so naturally there was a lot for me to learn about. Additionally, I was glad to learn about new ways to conduct academic research, as it helped me to gather various sources to use in my project.

The volume of academic articles and journals that exist in regards to editing in particular actually surprised me. I knew that there were a number of publications about making movies or the history of film, but I’ve recently learned that there’s actually a number of verified publications about editing in particular. My favorite publication was In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch. Being able to have the perspectives of one of the most famous editors in the history of film was highly influential to my project.

Lastly, I loved getting to use Star Wars as a case study, as it’s my favorite movie series. It has such a rich history in regards to editing, so it made for a perfect film to use as a study. I’m really glad to have had the opportunity to research the history and evolution of editing, as editing is one of my favorite parts of the filmmaking process. In all, I think this project has been an amazing learning opportunity for me.