UBRP Summer 2024 Snapshot
Click on the pictures below to learn more about each student or activity!
Gagana Amenei, UBRP: "I am a Nutritional Sciences major at the University of Arizona. My goal is to work as a physician in Tuscon and improve equity in healthcare. In my free time I like to experiment with fashion and paint! My research looks at the relationship between women’s hormones and post-partum opioid relapse. We hope to find the factors that may contribute to relapse and optimize hormones to reduce opiate cravings. UBRP has helped me fall in love with clinical research and data analysis. Working full time was definitely a learning curve, but it was a very rewarding experience. I learned how to navigate a professional environment and it made me want to continue conducting clinical research as a physician."
Jake Shaw, PHIRE (Place-based Health Informatics Research Education): "I am double majoring in molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry. I transferred from Pima Community College and am working on grad school applications. My interest lies in probing protein structures to inform drug design. My research this summer is looking at the role of iron in cancer. We all need iron to survive, especially immortal cancer cells. I hope to produce a biosensor for visualizing deep-tissue iron. My dream has been research for a while now. The opportunity to immerse myself in the summer research schedule has allowed me to see so many angles on my project that I would have missed otherwise. I know that this experience will enable me to be a stronger scientist in my future endeavors."
Leila Yazzie, EHS-RISE (Environmental Health Sciences - Research for Indigenous Student Engagement): "I am a Sustainable Plant Systems major in my senior year. I am interested in researching plant-microbe interactions in the soil. I am assisting a research with Dr. DeVore about the use of how much of Arsenic and Uranium will be in a synthetic resin. UBRP has given me the opportunity to look more into topics that I am interested in researching where I can also emphasize the importance of it in human health."
Gamaliel Luna, UBRP: "I am a Neuroscience and Cognitive Science major who is currently entering their senior year. I wish to eventually earn my PhD and I love research! I study mitochondrial transcellular transfer in the fly's (Drosophila) nervous system. This transfer can provide the basis for a new therapeutic intervention to rescue neurons from injury. I am now certain that I love research and that I am willing to spend my career devoted to solving these kinds of problems."
Micaila Marcelle, Beckman Scholar: "I’m Micaila, a double major in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, though my research interests fall within computational biology and biomathematics. My research is in population genetics, with a particular focus on demographic inference under realistic rates of deleterious mutation. Since few experiments in the past have been able to consider human-realistic rates of harmful mutations, I hope to see how including this factor can impact how we infer the characteristics of brief genetic bottlenecks. The UBRP experience has given me the resources necessary to participate in research to a far greater extent than I can during the school year, allowing me to see whether this is something I want to pursue post-graduation and, if so, exactly what I’d like to explore."
Viviana Romero, EHS-TRUE (Environmental Health Sciences - Transformative Research Undergraduate Experience): "I am a microbiology student going into junior year. My lab is researching environmental chemical exposures that impact reproductive health and fertility. Being in UBRP for just a couple weeks so far I have learned a lot more than I have expected. Not just in the topics of my lab but also just the process of working with my research team and in a lab. My hope is to be able to share the information with those willing to listen and hopefully teach them new concepts."
Each summer, students have opportunities to join the UBRP community by participating in educational field trips, social events, and community service activities, including the annual UBRP Ethics Retreat, held at Biosphere 2, pictured here.
Talia Owen, EHS-TRUE (Environmental Health Sciences - Transformative Research Undergraduate Experience): "I am majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I am interested in the biology of cancer and am passionate about reproductive health. I am in Dr. Craig’s lab and we are researching how phthalates (chemicals found in plastics) affect the female reproductive system. It is important because phthalates could be a contributor to infertility, which affects 1/5 women. The EHS-TRUE experience has introduced me to the world of research, and for the first time in my life I feel like a scientist. It has reignited my passion for science and will help me learn what kind of research I really want to pursue and provide me with resources and connections in my field. I am really enjoying my experience so far with UBRP and am so thankful to be working in my lab. I have already learned so much and have found amazing mentorship."
Jordan Singleton, UBRP: "My name is Jordan and I currently a biochemistry major. I really enjoy sports, reading, and painting in my free time. I am researching the bioavailability of iron within soils that span a multitude of climates and regions. My research hopes to better understand rock weathering and how that can be applied to agriculture, climate change, and even the steel industry. I really wanted to throw myself out there and try to experience something that I never really thought of doing. In doing so, UBRP has showed me how incredible the research process is and how much effort people put into their careers."
Paige Wagstaff, UBRP: "My name is Paige and I am going into my senior year this fall. I am an Anthropology major with an emphasis on human biology. I am working on two projects that deal with the gut microbiome and hormones related to parental care. We are using models in non human primates along with humans to understand the connection between hormones, microbiome, behavior and their evolutionary insights to adapting to environmental changes. This has opened doors for me to do possible field research and given me the tools to understand how to do ethical research. I feel that I am creating connections with my place of interest along with others interested in biological research, creating relationships for future collaboration, and getting a glimpse into the life of a researcher. I am also given the resources to understand my research and how I can impact others and the environment through my research."
In additional to their full-time research placements, UBRP students participate in professional development workshops and attend scientific seminars each week during the summer.
Mohima Ali, UBRP: "I am a Neuroscience & Cognitive Science major and I am interested in Neurogenetics. I am researching speech language disorders, specifically on preschoolers. It is important because it not helps with early intervention but also depends our understanding of language development. It has been a significant experience as it has given me insights into what full time research looks like. This gives me an idea of what it takes to be become a researcher."