Oron

Oron
Gann Academy
Waltham, MA

Mentors:
Noam Shoresh, Mia Caplan Uziel, Samantha Beik
Epigenomics

Oron has always loved computer science and mathematics, and has dedicated much of his time in school to studying those subjects. He decided to apply to BSSP so he could use those skills in another science discipline. He felt that computational biology was a field making huge advances, and he wanted an insider perspective on being part of the “big data” revolution.

Oron was tasked with implementing a simpler algorithm for predicting enhancer sequences from histone modification ChIP-Seq tracks, and worked to validate the output by comparing it to biological data and predictions from more complex algorithms. Throughout the process, he really enjoyed the Broad’s emphasis on uniting people with a variety of expertise to work on solving the same research question. “It’s immediately evident that people are pushing very different yet equally valid approaches, and because of this, problems are solved in brilliant and completely unexpected ways,” said Oron. This summer helped him understand the types of challenges and successes that come along with trying to solve a difficult scientific problem.