Learning how the world of mice and men works

It’s not uncommon for students at yeshivas in the Five Towns to spend a gap year in Israel before heading off to college, however, most don’t begin that year by studying the cardiomyocytes, or the heart muscles of mice.

Tzvi Heimowitz, a Woodmere resident and 2018 graduate of Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, also in Woodmere, began his research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel on July 1, as part of the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute.

Heimowitz spent a month studying the regeneration of cardiomyocytes of mice in hopes that the research could help people with heart disease. “Unlike most cells, when cardiomyocytes die they don’t grow back,” he said. “So if someone has a heart attack their remaining cells have to work harder to pump the same amount of blood.”

Two summers ago, Heimowitz studies hydrogen fuel cells as part of SUNY Stony Brook’s Garcia Research Scholar Program, and in 2017 he had his first experience working with mice when he studied depression in their brains at Rockefeller University in New York City. Heimowitz said there wasn’t any particular moment where he became interested in science, but, “I’ve always been interested in finding out how the world works.”

He was one of 19 Americans selected for the program along with 54 other students from around the world. He worked closely with Avraham Shakked, his mentor and a Ph.D. student from London, as well as two students from Germany and one from New Zealand. “I very much enjoyed working with Tzvi,” said Shakked. “It is very important to show young people what science research is really like, and to open their eyes to how much there is left to discover. I was particularly impressed by Tzvi’s enthusiasm about the project, his willingness to deepen his understanding about how exactly heart regeneration can be achieved, and how that may become a clinical reality in the next 5 to 10 years.”

Heimowitz also toured Israel as part of the program. Jeffrey J. Sussman, the vice president of marketing communications and public affairs for the American committee at the Weizmann Institute of Science said that, “Beyond the lab, [the students] tell us that the opportunity to explore Israel was eye-opening,” he said. “Through ISSI, they experience Israel as a diverse, multifaceted place — and a hub of cutting-edge science and technology … United by their shared love of science, they often form lifelong friendships.”

Founded in 1934, the Weizmann Institute and has been running the International Summer Science Institute since 1969. “Since its earliest days, the Weizmann Institute has been committed to advancing science education worldwide,” said Elaine Yaniv, the national vice president and executive director of the New York Tri-State region of Weizmann’s American committee. “The Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute helps Weizmann fulfill this mission by nurturing the next generation of science leaders. In addition to conducting research alongside some of the world’s leading scientists, these outstanding students have the opportunity to form meaningful connections with peers from around the world.”

Since the program ended on July 27, Heimowitz has remained in Israel and is studying at Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah in Modiin. After his gap year, he said he plans to study at the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch University.