Dr. Sat Bhattacharya’s
Dream for Harlem Children Fulfilled
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

Few of us can say that we have achieved our dream; Dr. Sat Battacharya can. Researcher at the preeminent Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Battacharya remembers being instilled with the mandate to give back to society after completing his education, leaving his country and continuing his research in New York. In 2000, he founded the Harlem Children Society to increase awareness in the sciences and provide students from the ghetto with the same opportunities that he was fortunate to have in his life. The program has grown to include 50 high school students from 20 schools (grades 9-12) in under-resourced and under-represented neighborhoods, who are paired with 43 prominent researchers in laboratories around the city including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University Medical Center, Columbia University, Rockefeller University, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hunter College of CUNY, New York University, American Museum of Natural History, Fordham University, Bronx River Alliance, The Gaia Institute, and the Lehman College of Natural Sciences.

Dr. Battacharya personally went to schools to interview and based his final choice on students’ motivation, enthusiasm and performance, and on recommendations from principals and science teachers. All the students are given a thorough background in the sciences related to the projects, accompanied by frequent lectures and tutorials given by scientists and researchers. All of the students are provided rigorous training relating to the techniques, safe and proper handling of devices, instruments, and chemicals relating to the ongoing projects. They are also given individual projects to complete by the end of the summer term. Proper guidance is given to enable them to build self-confidence and presentation skills. At the end of the summer, students will be required to summarize their work and present their results in the laboratory and will be encouraged to compete with other students at several regional and national science conferences and competitions. To encourage continuity of research begun in the summer, there is an after-school year-round research program. All students receive a stipend of $1750 for their summer research. Recently, grants totaling $100,000 were awarded to the program by the American Chemical Society and the New York Community Trust.

Dr. Battacharya is proud that many of his former students have participated and won several science competitions including the New York Times scholarship. Many have presented their work at national symposia in Chicago, San Diego, and Colorado. Some students have been accepted into leading universities like Penn State, Rutgers, Strathmore, Dartmouth, and medical school at UMDNJ. And perhaps most meaningful and indicative of the success of the program, all of the students have expressed an intense interest in the pursuit of research and education in the sciences and medicine. #

Dr. Sat Bhattacharya is President & CEO of Harlem Children Society, a research scientist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and President of Sigma X Honor Society, Rockefeller University Division. For more information about Harlem Children Society, visit www.HarlemChildrenSociety.org.