Beyond the Lab: SURF Students Support Local Community

When his father suffered two heart attacks during his senior year of high school, Nicholas Perneta ’25, a biology major, knew that he wanted to help others in their fight against heart disease. 

The 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the Natural Sciences allowed him to do just that. He and his team researched compounds hoping to find one that can help prevent the thickening or hardening of arteries, while also reducing biomaterial rejection.  

The SURF program is a paid eight-week research-intensive experience for DeSales science students. This year, the program boasted an additional benefit—participation in service projects throughout the Lehigh Valley.

"The SURF program is not only about STEM research,” says Wendy Maybruck, the lab manager of the biology department, who came up with the idea to integrate service into the program. “It also includes team building skills, cooperation skills, and the realization that their research is always going to be linked to the community.” 

During the program, Cora Zilinski ’25, a biochemistry and molecular biology major, studied coronavirus protease activity. Outside of the lab, she enjoyed participating in service and notes that her favorite activity was caring for the animals at The Sanctuary at Haafsville and helping to pack more than 7,400 pounds of food at Second Harvest Food Bank. 

“Through all of the service activities, the common denominator was teamwork and bonding,” says Zilinski.

One of Perneta’s favorite service activities was volunteering at Southern Lehigh Middle School’s STEAM night. At this event, SURF participants hosted trivia and helped students make slime and oobleck.

“Seeing kids show interest in science helped remind us that we were all once the same as them: kids who want to understand the world around them, how it works, and how to apply it for a greater purpose,” says Perneta. 

For Zilinski, the addition of service projects to the program helped foster an even deeper bond with her professors and peers.

“Even though it was only an eight-week experience, it feels like I have known these people forever,” she says. “I think I have made friendships and connections during these eight weeks that will last a long time to come.”