Undergrad’s Passion for Research on the Human Eye Is Deeply Personal

Yuu-U ("Loy") Hashimoto- the URECA researcher of the month for October -is a junior majoring in biology with a minor in applied mathematics and statistics. Since March 2024, she has been working under the mentorship of Eugene Serebryany, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, to investigate protein aggregation in the eye lens and a potential non-surgical treatment involving a metabolite in the human eye lens known as myo-inositol. Based on her URECA application and proposal to study "The mechanism of myo-inositol in HgD-NtD crystallin aggregation," Hashimoto was one of two students from the pool of 2024 URECA summer applicants to be awarded the prestigious Chhabra-URECA Fellowship, which provides summer undergraduate research funding and recognizes students with a passion for research.

When asked about her passion for research, Hashimotoexplains that her motivation has always been deeply personal: "Growing up as the daughter of a blind mother has influenced me to always hold a deep interest in anything eye-related. I was particularly invested in conducting research that would benefit individuals with visual impairments and would like to pursue it more seriously moving forward."

As a freshman, Hashimoto's strong interest in research was nurtured by joining the laboratory of Natasha Vitek, assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, in January 2023 and being selected as a participant for the inaugural 2023 SUNY SOAR summer research program. In the Vitek group, Hashimoto's research focused on measuring the thickness of dentine and enamel in more than 50 mice teeth, work she presented at the 2023 Summer Symposium on campus. Following graduation from Stony Brook, she plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical sciences.

On campus, Hashimoto serves as president of the Japanese Student Organization and is participating in an externship for the Diversity Professional Leadership Network. She is also a participant in the AAPI mentoring program for Asian American and Pacific Islanders and in the Women's Leadership Council.

Read the full interview with URECA Director Karen Kernan.