Garwin Family Foundation

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Garwin Family Foundation

Furthering study. Fostering achievement. GFF was founded as a not-for-profit organization in 1993 by Leo and Ruth Garwin.

In line with these guiding principles, the GFF has underwritten many educational programs since 1994, including: the Law and Medicine programs at Southern Illinois University, the Speech and Theater Department at Carbondale Community High School (CCHS), the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale, and the Science Center in Carbondale. In addition, it has contributed to the Southern Illinois Symphony and

the Southern Illinois Music Festival, as well as to Carbondale Community Arts. The latest project underwritten by the GFF is the CCHS Student Sponsorship Program for Talented Students in Arts, Sciences and Math. The current President/Secretary is Marsha Ryan, and the current Vice-President/Treasurer is Mark Garwin.

08/27/2026

Katya Chyzhyk’s last weekend at Vanderbilt University included visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and the National Museum of African American Music in downtown Nashville. After a fun weekend, Katya completed more PCR lab work and prepared for her final class project.

"The final presentation was basically just a summary of all that we had learned in class, and it wasn’t that intense, especially compared to other classes. We continued with our DNA extraction, which was very tedious and involved a lot of vortexing buffers. After we extracted the DNA, we performed an ethanol precipitation to hopefully increase the concentration of DNA in our sample. Annabelle and I were able to get a small pellet of DNA to show up in our precipitation tube, so our precipitation did work," Katya reports.

"I think my best memories were made during my second week, as I felt a lot more comfortable around my classmates and had actually gotten to know them. I definitely enjoyed my second week more in terms of classwork as well. Dr. Clements realized that we had too much free time that we couldn’t be trusted with, so he gave us more procedures to complete for our cougar eDNA extraction, as well as adding on the blood typing PCR for the last day. Genetic Detectives as a whole was less academic-based and more experience-based as well, especially compared to other VSI courses; we didn’t have a lot of lecturing, but Dr. Clements was ready to discuss literally any genetics-related question we had, making the class feel more personal. I greatly appreciated all of the lab work we did as well. Now, though, I feel like I could do a PCR in my sleep. Spending two weeks at a professional research lab at a top-tier university may have been the best two weeks of my summer," Katya says.

We are happy to hear that your experience at Vanderbilt University has been both fun and engaging, ending with new PCR skills and great memories. Great work, Katya!

Learn more about Katya's experiences at Vanderbilt University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/26/2026

During her fourth week in the lab at SIU, Mollie learned about a lead reduction technique using acids.

"Chloe came in on Monday to start the protocol, so when I was there on Tuesday, I soaked the filters in water. After their allotted hour, I moved them to the fume hood to dry. During the waiting period, Dr. Kinsel shared a paper with us in which the authors reduced lead leaching in dirt. She hoped that their methods could be applicable to our project, as the lead in the filters has been a problem for us. Instead of soaking the dirt in nitric acid, as we had been, the authors of the paper tested both hydrochloric acid (HCl) and citric acid. Their results showed a marked decrease in lead content, so we decided to use those acids to soak one batch each. Chloe and I made up the HCl solution that day, and in that process, I realized that it looks much less scary than one would think. I made a comment to that effect, and she remarked, “it’s always the colorless, odorless ones that get you.” Not terrifying at all. I also learned the proper method of adding acid to water, which will probably be helpful in the future," Mollie explains.

"The next morning, I worked on the first and second batches of filters on my own for about an hour until Chloe arrived. When she did, we digested the nitric acid filters, and replaced the secondary containers (for measuring) for the acids. After we finished, we remade the 0 ppb solution for the ICP-MS, which is part of the calibration curve that allows the instrument to detect different elements. Then, we finished the last nitric acid batch, and Chloe had me calculate how much citric acid we would need to make the dilution we were aiming for," Mollie adds.

We are happy to hear that you learned new techniques and got a chance to work more independently in the lab. Good job, Mollie!

Learn more about Mollie’s experiences at Southern Illinois University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/25/2026

Reka reports that her second and final week at Northwestern seemed to fly by while students worked on their final class projects. In between classes and working on finals, Reka and her friends had time to participate in activities on campus, plus visit downtown Chicago, Evanston, and the beach.

"As much as I loved my first week at CPP, it was nothing compared to the connectedness, celebration, and validation that I experienced so intensely throughout the second week. I am most definitely looking forward to staying in touch with my friends, classmates, and professor, as all of these people made my time at Northwestern a million times more profound. Truly, I cannot express in words how grateful I am to have met all of these amazing people and to have the constant support of the Garwin Family Foundation in pursuing this kind of opportunity; in just the past two weeks, I have changed momentously for the better," Reka says.

We are happy to hear that you had a valuable learning experience at Northwestern, plus made several meaningful connections while there. Good job, Reka!

Learn more about Reka’s experiences at NorthwestermUniversity. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/22/2026

Justice Rawlinson reports on his experiences at Interlochen Center for the Arts where he attended "Classical Voice Intensive." His first few days were spent settling in, making friends, getting to know the counselors, attending placement auditions, and enjoying the lake.

"The biggest element of singing the instructors pushed was emotion. Everyone has different ways of connecting to a song, but there are three steps you can take to make adding expression and emotion easier. The first is understanding the lyrics. If the lyrics are in a language you speak, typically this step is not that hard, but if you do not speak the language, you should translate the lyrics. The next step is analyzing the music. This involves knowing the composer’s background; a lot of times knowing about the composer’s life explains why they wrote how they wrote. The accompaniment can also tell you a lot about the story of the piece. The last step is applying the piece to your life. Maybe this is past hardships you faced or maybe it's thinking back to joyous moments,” Justice explains.

Justice was amazed by the instructors at Interlochen. "I could go on and on about how wonderful they were, but what stuck out to me the most is how down-to-earth they were. I did not get to work with Professor Dutton very much, but every interaction with her was authentic and genuine. She made me interested in pursuing a double major in Music Education and Vocal Performance, instead of just Music Education," Justice says.

We are happy to hear that your experiences at Interlochen helped you to clarify your educational goals in Music Education and Vocal Performance. Great work, Justice!

Learn more about Justice’s experiences at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/21/2026

David reports that his second and final week at Washington University has surpassed the first week in many ways. He completed and shared research, explored chemical applications to preservation of natural resources, navigated the city, and found ways to enjoy himself when not in the classroom.

"One of our assignments was to choose a recent environmental article in the news and summarize it, critique it for bias, and finally offer our thoughts on how to take steps to mitigate the issue at hand. Funny enough, when I was looking through possible articles, I found one talking about the spread of alpha-gal syndrome by lone star ticks on Martha’s Vineyard, an island on the southeastern portion of Massachusetts; just the previous week I had watched a video on YouTube discussing the exact same topic, and so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the article. To put it briefly, lone star ticks are an invasive species in the northeastern portion of the United States, and their bites transfer a non-naturally occurring sugar to humans that can activate an allergy to mammal products, most commonly beef and pork, but also dairy. In the span of five years, from 2020-2025, the number of tests administered jumped 18,000%, which was so shocking to me," David explains.

"I want to comment on how rewarding of an experience this has been. I can’t believe how quickly two weeks have flown by. I’ve met so many people who I feel like I’ve known for years. It’s all become like a second life, and it feels so weird to leave it behind. I want to thank the Garwin Family Foundation for this amazing, amazing opportunity," David says.

We are happy to hear that your time at Washington University has been a rewarding experience, and included forming many friendships with the people you have met. Great work, David!

Learn more about David’s experiences at Washington University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/20/2026

GFF Celebrates the 2026 Summer Program!

GFF Director Dr. Marsha Garwin Ryan, GFF Program Manager Vanessa Sneed, and several sponsored students celebrated the end of the 2026 program with dinner at Pagliai's Pizza in Carbondale last Sunday. GFF sponsored students who attended were Margaret Davis, Reka Nabe, Alexei Kadyrov, Justice Rawlinson, Anne Popit, Mollie Mandell, and Katya Chyzhyk. A good time was had by all.

Congratulations Students!

08/19/2026

Reka Nabe reports on her first week at Northwestern University where she attended "It’s a Matter of Life and Death: Bioethical Decision-Making."

"Over the course of the week, we moved through topics like child organ donation, informed consent to care, abortion, physician-assisted su***de, and euthanasia, addressing each with the same amount of thoroughness and care that our professor gave us on the first day of class. On the third day of class, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, where we got to view a set of 18 fetuses that show different stages of gestational growth and development, which, when we asked how they were obtained, led to an unfortunate explanation that they were the results of miscarriages. I had never seen anything like that exhibit before, so it was a saddening but also captivating experience. On a lighter note, our professor also bought us all astronaut ice cream (freeze-dried ice cream bars) because, for lack of a better explanation, he’s just awesome like that. He also let us make a Spotify jam to listen to on the car ride back and celebrated when he heard Fleetwood Mac and The Cure were popular within our group," Reka says.

"I had so much fun while simultaneously learning so much about the world and myself at CPP. In a week, I gained a set of experiences as valuable, if not more, than those I’ve had in the past six months. I am immeasurably grateful to have this opportunity," Reka exclaims!

We are happy to hear that you had a valuable learning experience at Northwestern, Reka!

Learn more about Reka’s experiences at Northwestern University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/18/2026

Francis Bu reports on his first week at Boston University where he attended the RISE Internship Practicum.

“My favorite memory from this week was attending a watch party for the United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina FIFA World Cup match, during which the U.S. earned a major victory and advanced to the Round of 16. The cheers, the groans, the countless calls for the referee to “open his eyes,” and the electric atmosphere created an experience I will never forget. It gave me a taste of the vibrant urban life that I do not often have the opportunity to experience back home in Carbondale. A close second was the Fourth of July fireworks and drone show, which I had the opportunity to watch from the banks of the Charles River. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, especially because I experienced it along Boston Harbor on America’s 250th anniversary,” Francis reports.

“The lectures primarily covered the fundamentals of neuroscience for students with little or no prior experience in the subject. Fortunately, I was well-prepared and already familiar with much of the material from the neuroscience course I took at WashU during the summer of 2025. Aside from the sheep brain dissection on the first day, our lab sessions focused mainly on crickets. We measured action potentials in response to various stimuli applied to isolated cricket legs and whole crickets, allowing us to gain a hands-on, real-world understanding of the concepts we had learned during the morning lectures. I firmly believe that seeing tangible evidence of textbook concepts makes them far more memorable and leads to a deeper understanding of the underlying neuroscience,” Francis says.

“Overall, my first week at BU has been an incredible experience,” Francis exclaims!

We are happy to hear that you had a wonderful experience during your first week. Good job, Francis!

Learn more about Francis’ experiences at Boston University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/15/2026

During week three of her internship program, Mollie developed a structured plan for soaking filters in the lab.

"This week, we finally had a structured plan to continue with the research. Chloe soaked a batch of filters the night before my first shift at the lab, so the waiting time decreased. The next day, we drained the dishes of nitric acid and replaced it with water. With that, we continued the rest of the protocol that we established in the weeks before. While we waited for the filters to dry, we planned out my role in the project and what we will need to do for the rest of the summer. Dr. Kinsel assigned me a scientific-style report that will detail our method for soaking the filters and how it fits into the rest of Chloe’s project, so throughout the week, I took notes on the protocol. Before we left that day, we soaked another batch of filters, as we needed 20 filters to make the calculations for their average background readings," Mollie reports.

During the week, Chloe introduced Mollie to the "infamous smoking machine that is the backbone of the project."

"It was much less impressive than I thought it would be. It belongs to Dr. David Gilbert, a professor emeritus in the psychology department. Back in the day, he would recruit SIU students to sit in the small cubicle with electrodes on as the machine puffed away in order to read their brainwaves in reaction to ci******es," Mollie adds.

"This week was great! I feel like I definitely understand my role in the lab now and what I need to do before my six weeks are over. I can’t believe I’m already halfway through. I would never have been able to experience this without the help of the Garwin Family Foundation, and I appreciate it so much," Mollie says.

We are happy to hear that you are gaining a greater understanding your role in the lab and getting an opportunity to work with new tools. Good job, Mollie!

Learn more about Mollie’s experiences at Southern Illinois University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/14/2026

Anne reports that her second and final week began with students working in groups to brainstorm and create research projects. After experiments were complete, students spent the next two days analyzing their data.

"The information we collected was then condensed and displayed on our research posters, which we spent around a day designing, and presented to our peers and counselors as well as our professors and their colleagues on our final day of class. I was able to listen to my classmates explain their projects and findings in depth, which I found riveting, as they were all unique and drastically different from my own. Additionally, I relayed the details and results of my group’s project to both of my professors individually, which may seem intimidating, but I was beyond excited to display how much I had learned during the week," Anne adds.

"My professors were the biggest contributors to my educational advancement over my two weeks at Notre Dame. Our course was a perfect balance of lectures, lab work, and research, but we also made time for some friendly competition with an end-of-session neuroscience quiz bowl, which I am delighted to report my team won. This last week of class was fast-paced and a little hectic, but learning how to conduct, display, and present real research in such a short time was immensely rewarding, especially at this stage in my life," Anne says.

“I loved every minute I spent at the University of Notre Dame this summer, and I cannot express my gratitude to the Garwin Family Foundation enough for allowing me to gain not only an extended education, but lifelong friends, and a deeper understanding of how to navigate the intellectual world," Anne adds.

We are happy to hear that you learned so much at Notre Dame and left the experience with lifelong friendships. Great work, Anne!

Learn more about Anne’s experiences at Notre Dame University. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

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