Senator Martins Honors Intel Semi-Finalist From Manhasset

Senator Jack M. Martins recently honored Jun Kit “Timothy” He when the Senator visited Manhasset High School. Tim was one of the semi-finalists in the 70th Intel Science Talent Search competition.

Tim’s project, “Gene Expression Profiling and EKG: The Development of a Novel Prognostic Mechanism for Cardiac Allograft Rejection,” addressed heart transplant recipients. His project used gene expression levels in white blood cells and EKG variables to create an equation that can predict rejection without the biopsy.

A senior at Manhasset High School, Tim will be attending Brown University in the fall as a medical student. “My dream is to be a doctor specializing in the thoracic area so I searched for a project dealing with the heart or lungs,” Tim said. “After interacting with researchers at the lab, I gained a personal interest in transplantation. The honor also belongs to my mentors at Columbia University who gave me a chance to be part of their group, teaching me with patience and kindness.”

Senator Martins recognized Tim by entering a proclamation is his honor into the official record of the New York State Senate. Senator Martins presented Tim with a copy of the proclamation.

“Tim is a very impressive young man who is going to make an outstanding doctor. He is a credit to his school and the entire community,” Senator Martins said.