Hector Romero Garcia ’26, the URECA researcher of the month for September, is a biochemistry major who joined Christopher Clarke’s Lipid Cancer Laboratory this past summer as a participant in the SUNY SOAR summer program. The Clarke research lab at the Stony Brook Cancer Center investigates alterations in sphingolipid metabolism involved in cancer development, progression, and response to cancer therapies.
From his first day, Garcia became immersed in performing cell culture assays and analysis. He found himself at home in the research laboratory environment and concluded the program by presenting a poster titled “Testing Efficacy of Novel DES1 Inhibitors on Anchorage-Independent Survival of Breast Cancer Cells” at the Summer Research Symposium. Following the summer program, he was invited to continue his research in the Clarke Lab as a new Fall ’24 transfer student to Stony Brook University.
The SOAR program, now in its second year, results from a SUNY Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund award to Stony Brook. It seeks to expand opportunities for undergraduates with financial need and/or first-generation college students who may not otherwise have access to research experiences. This summer, SOAR welcomed 33 undergraduates, including 26 SBU and seven non-SBU SUNY students. The 2024 Summer Symposium hosted by URECA and the Center for Inclusive Education featured 105 research posters from students participating in summer undergraduate research programs across campus.
When asked how hands-on research has enhanced his education, Garcia replied, “When you’re in a classroom, you just focus on getting the right answer or getting a hundred on a test. But once you’re in the lab, that’s when you get to use all the critical thinking skills that you have learned for the past 10 years of your life and you actually get to apply your knowledge.”
Garcia aims to pursue a career in medicine with a possible focus on pediatric oncology. He is a graduate of Bay Shore High School and completed a year at Suffolk Community College before matriculating to Stony Brook. Additionally, Garcia volunteers at Bay Shore-Brightwaters Rescue Ambulance.