“A Lasting Difference”: Donor’s Fund Enables Travel, Inspires Collaboration

November 3, 2025

By Katya Hrichak

Graduate research can take a person far—in miles traveled and in life. Andrew Kligerman, Ph.D. ’77, learned this firsthand while studying at Cornell and is now paying it forward to help current graduate students expand their horizons through the Andrew Kligerman Fund.

Dr. Kligerman wrote his first paper early in his doctoral program under Dr. Stephen Bloom, then in the department of poultry science. At the time, Andrew didn’t grasp that his area of study, the effects of radiation on fish chromosomes, was an area of increasing scientific interest and concern. Publishing the paper resulted in an invitation to the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna, Austria. Attending the conference and leaving the country for the first time was transformational for Dr. Kligerman—but even more transformational was that he credits it for leading to his 30-year career with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Having experienced the ways in which attending a conference can influence a person’s life trajectory, the Andrew Kligerman Fund is now offering monetary support to doctoral students presenting their research at conferences.

“I wanted to give back to Cornell, because what I accomplished there really set the stage for the rest of my scientific career,” said Kligerman. “I wanted to give back.”

As Dr. Kligerman learned, conferences prove beneficial for not only presenting one’s research, but for networking, setting up collaborations, and making connections that can lead to careers after graduate school. This year’s Kligerman Fund recipients are making the most of these opportunities.

“It is an honor to receive support from the Andrew Kligerman Fund,” said Adam Youlin He, a doctoral candidate in computational biology, who presented his research at the American Society for Human Genetics 2025 Annual Meeting. “Attending in person allows me not only to share my own research but also to fully engage in discussions, attend workshops, and strengthen collaborations that are difficult to achieve remotely.”

He noted that the costs of travel and lodging would have been a significant barrier to attendance without the Kligerman Fund grant, a sentiment with which Yu-Wei (Andy) Chang, a doctoral candidate in biomedical and biological sciences who will be attending the American Association for Cancer Research 2026 Annual Meeting, agreed.

“Support from the Andrew Kligerman Fund truly makes a lasting difference. For many graduate students, especially international students, the cost of attending conferences is a barrier that limits our opportunities for growth,” he said. “Donor contributions directly empower students to share their research, build critical connections, and take important steps toward their careers. I am deeply grateful for this support, and I know it will continue to have an impact long after the conference itself.”

At a time when the financial climate for scientific researchers feels uncertain, Isabel Delo, a doctoral candidate in genetics, genomics, and development who attended the International Society for Regenerative Biology conference, and Subash Bhandari, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering who will attend the Midwinter Conference of Immunologists, especially appreciated the funding.

“This opportunity relieved a lot of the financial burden my department and I are facing,” said Delo.

From presenting research to attending career panels to speaking with experienced researchers about their journeys through science, current graduate students are making the most of their conference experiences.

“I’m really glad that other students have the ability to do that because it just really opens your eyes, not only to the science, but to how other people live and what other countries are like,” said Dr. Kligerman. “It just really opened the world for me.”

The Andrew Kligerman Fund was established in honor of Bernard Polikoff, Dr. Kligerman’s great uncle, whom he credits with inspiring his love of science by spending time looking through a microscope together when Andrew was young.

Gifts of any amount support graduate students in pursuit of their degrees. Visit Cornell’s Giving website to explore your options.