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.

09/02/2026

Francis says that during week three at Boston University, his lab work shifted from wet lab to computational work.

“We spent the week reviewing basic coding syntax, coding simple models, and programming LIF (leaky integrate-and-fire) neurons to simulate how nerve cells generate action potentials. We spent a lot of time covering learning, memory, and sleep, including the consolidation and recall of memories, memory engrams, and synaptic plasticity,” Francis reports.

“I am looking into researching and modeling neuronal circuits involved in neurological diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or schizophrenia. While I am personally not interested in pursuing a career in research or industry, the work is still really interesting and important,” Francis adds.

Francis says he has enjoyed having freedom to explore while at RISE.

“One thing I really liked about RISE is that the program gave us a lot of freedom to explore and roam around. The solo roaming range is pretty large, and you can go virtually anywhere if you are with a buddy. The program also organizes a wide range of social activities, including lawn games, trips to the beach, shopping on Newbury Street, and attending baseball games, all at no additional cost to us. Overall, the program provides the perfect balance of academic work, free time, and social activities,” Francis says.

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

08/29/2026

Margaret Davis said that during her Architecture class at SCAD, she learned about the Revit architectural design software system.

“I learned Rhino during my previous Architecture programs, but learning about Revit is new to me. I know that many architects and architecture firms use both Rhino and Revit. When I found out I was going to learn Revit, I felt excited. I was thankful that most of my third week was learning about the Revit system. I learned how to do commands the original way but also the shortcuts. When learning about Revit, we as a class built a home, and during the process, the professor asked us to photograph our work on Revit and send it to our parents. I sent mine to my mother. When we finished our model in Revit, we were told to render it. In the past, when rendering, I would put a picture of my model through Photoshop, but during this program we used AI. My professor set up the command for rendering in terms that the system does not change my building at all, but it will only add in a setting and people, which will show the building’s height and intent. I found that AI is a useful tool,” Margaret explains.

“In my Sketching and Drawing class, we learned perspective drawing. We warmed up with sketching boxes, then sketching a bigger image where it was an object or person in a perspective that, when looking really close, is odd and disproportionate, but stepping back the odd angles make the drawing show depth,” Margaret says.

We are happy to hear that you were introduced to cutting-edge software and techniques at SCAD, and were able to work with them in your art projects. Great work, Margaret!

Learn more about Margarets experiences at SCAD. Visit our website at https://garwinfamilyfoundation.org

08/28/2026

Francis Bu says his second week at Boston University was “nothing short of amazing.”

“On the academic side, RISE is definitely the most prestigious summer program I have ever attended. By far, these are the smartest peers I have ever met and worked with. The caliber of some of the students here is truly remarkable. Truly, these students are the best of the best. Many of them have published several research papers, competed at ISEF, and just about everyone has taken 10+ AP courses,” Francis says.

“Throughout the second week, we continued our morning lectures by exploring neural circuits, sensation, perception, movement, and navigation in greater depth. After lunch, we spent our afternoons in the lab studying the action potentials and spiking patterns of crickets and worms exposed to various stimuli. These experiments allowed us to visualize the concepts discussed in our lectures while learning how to collect and analyze data meaningfully. Although the labs were not especially difficult, they were structured effectively to provide valuable insight into the scientific process and the fundamental principles of neuroscience,” Francis explains.

We are happy to hear that you had an amazing experience at Boston University and were able to connect with so many talented students. Good Job, Francis!

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

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

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