January 20, 2026

by Emilia Koenigsmark ‘29 and Lauren Ferguson

Franco Miyashiro ‘27, a first-generation scholar at Ramapo College of New Jersey, dreams of entering a PhD program in neuroscience to help find cures for diseases and illnesses.

So when he was offered the opportunity to conduct research in a large, professional science lab, he seized it.

Miyashiro, a neuroscience and biochemistry major from Pompton Lakes, NJ, spent eight weeks in the Child Health Institute of NJ Summer Research Program (CHIRP) thanks to a partnership between Ramapo’s neuroscience program and the Honors Program at Rutgers New Brunswick.

The prestigious, highly-selective research program focuses on “research training in the understanding of mechanisms underlying childhood diseases with mentoring by Robert Wood Johnson Medical School faculty” and includes “hands-on laboratory research, weekly exposure to clinical research, as well as a symposium at which students present their research findings,” according to the Honors Program at Rutgers New Brunswick.

It usually fields students from Rutgers, but the partnership allowed for Miyashiro to take part as well, explained Dr. Naseem Choudhury, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ramapo.

“I thought he had a really good, strong experience of being in a lab, learning different types of skills, and also just getting familiarized with what labs look like and what research looks like outside of a small four-year college,” Choudhury said.

Miyashiro spent the summer living in New Brunswick, learning both his way around the lab and different research techniques, helping to conduct research on the onset of schizophrenia at the molecular and cellular level. Specifically, he explained, the research looked into “one gene that humans have, called SETD1A, and how mutations in this gene lead to differences in neuronal mechanisms … that will eventually give rise to the symptoms we see in schizophrenia.”

Miyashiro never would have had the experience he did if it wasn’t for his mentor at Rutgers, Dr. Swathi Chodisetty, he said. “She took me under her wing,” he said, taught him skills and techniques, and got him involved in research.

Franco Miyashiro ’27 is studying neuroscience and biochemistry at Ramapo College.

At the end of the experience, Miyashiro presented his research in front of faculty, peers and family. The title of his presentation was “Contributions of mutations in SETD1A nonenzymatic region in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.”

“His presentation was incredibly well-received because he came off as charismatic and knowing his information,” Choudhury said. “A number of people came up to me and said, ‘He’s wonderful. He’s really amazing.’’ And I was like, ‘Yup. He really is.”

Miyashiro – a  McNair Scholar, member of the Ramapo’s Honors Program, and a Legacy Leader for the College’s  First-Generation Student Center – was thankful his family was there to witness his presentation.

“My family was supportive no matter what, even if they loosely understood my project. That’s the case for a lot of first-gen STEM students,” Miyashiro said. “Even if they don’t understand exactly what you are doing, due to several factors such as language barriers, they will still cheer you on throughout the entire process, especially if that means you are accomplishing your goals.”

Choudhury said as more Ramapo scholars seek to pursue doctorate degrees, partnerships like this are vital.

“Our students are great, and more and more of them are applying to PhD programs and PhD programs are asking to see what kind of research they have done. While we have opportunities on campus, this is a totally different type of exposure,” she said.