Jun 22, 2009 -- Yeshiva University’s (YU) focus on advanced undergraduate level research continues to intensify with the selection of five exceptional students for the Henry Kressel Research Scholarship in 2009. The scholarship—established last year by Dr. Henry Kressel, managing director of Warburg Pincus LLC and a Yeshiva College (YC) graduate—offers students the unique opportunity to craft a year-long intensive research project under the direct supervision of YU faculty. This year’s recipients include Isaac Kuyunov of Tel Aviv, Israel; Aaron Ciner of Bala Cynwyd, PA; Jane Kitaevich of Tbilisi, Georgia; and Elie Friedman of Teaneck, NJ. The program is modeled after the research fellowship at Harvard. “These students will embody the commitment to intellectual rigor, creativity and pursuit of knowledge that defines the Yeshiva University of the 21st century,” said Dr. Edward Berliner, executive director of science management and clinical professor of physics at YU The scholars will each receive a stipend of $7,500 for the year, along with travel money and appropriate research-support expenses. Following their research tenure, Kressel Scholars will present their work to the student body to stimulate a larger intellectual discussion on the topic. The students’ research, conducted under the mentorship of a faculty member, will focus on a variety of subjects. Isaac Kuyunov will research the role of proteins in bio-mineralization under the mentorship of Dr. Raji Viswanathan, professor of chemistry and associate dean of academic affairs at YC. “I have always been attracted to scientific exploration,” said Kuyonov, a YC chemistry major. “YU gave me the opportunity to learn from great faculty, who encourage and challenge me to do my best.” Avi Ciner, a biology major at YC, initially became interested in scientific research during his first summer of college. “YU provided me with housing and funding to conduct research on campus for two months,” he said. “That experience piqued my interest.” Ciner will be mentored by Dr. Yakov Peter, assistant professor of biology at YC, and will be researching multipotential reparative cells (MRC) in mouse lung tissue. “I enjoy doing research that I can relate to practical medicine and I hope that my results in the lab will help further what is known about MRCs and their role in the lung.” Growing up in conflict-ridden Georgia after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Jane Kitaevich decided to research the relationship between the role of ethnicity and the political behavior of minority groups. She will be mentored by Dr. Elizabeth Radziszewski, assistant professor of political science at SCW. “I want to research the nature of the conflict that tore apart my country for more than a decade,” said Kitaevich, an international relations and economics major at SCW. “I am endlessly grateful for my professors’ attention, care, encouragement and willingness to satisfy my thirst for knowledge both in and out of the classroom.” Eli Friedman’s research will involve writing a case history of 1967’s Keyishian vs. Board of Regents Supreme Court case. He became fascinated with the subject while conducting research on academic freedom in the 1960s and 1970s for his mentor Dr. Ellen Schrecker, professor of history at YU. “I entered YU with two basic academic goals: to receive a broad liberal arts education and to develop the research and writing skills necessary for serious graduate work,” said Friedman, a YC history major. “The variety of class offerings makes the first goal eminently achievable and the small class sizes allow students interested in research to develop their skills under close faculty supervision.”