2022-23 Koret Scholars

Congratulations Current Koret Undergraduate Research Scholars

Alina Aguilar

Alina Aguilar
Mentor: Andrew Skemer
Project: SCALES diffraction grating design project for Keck Observatory
Major: Physics (Astrophysics)
College: Stevenson

maxine altura Maxine Altura
Mentor: Mark Amengual
Project: Cross-linguistic influence in Tagalog-English bilingual speech
Major: Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism
College: Nine
Donovan Baker Donovan Baker
Mentor: Melissa Jurica
Project: Determining required factors for intron recognition by U2 snRNP
Major: Neuroscience
College: Stevenson
Megumi Barata Megumi Barata
Mentor: Martha Zúñiga
Project: How do autoreactive T cells escape the Grim Reaper?
Major: Human Biology
College: Rachel Carson
Kora Cadle Kora Cadle
Mentor: Rut Molinuevo
Project: Investigating endoreplication in human endometrial cells and its effects on endometriosis
Major: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
College: John R. Lewis
Jaxon Chester Jaxon Chester
Mentor: Alan Christy
Project: Chanpuru: An exploration of contemporary Okinawan & Hawaiian material cultures
Major: Film and Digital Media and Global Economics
College: Porter
Tasha Cohen Tasha Cohen
Mentor: Kristina Chew
Project: Potions and distortions: Who were the witches of ancient Rome?
Major: Anthropology and Classical Studies
College: Rachel Carson
Samantha Contreras Samantha Contreras
Mentor: David Lederman
Project: Magnonics for THz applications
Major: Physics
College: Porter
Atirath Dhara Atirath Dhara
Mentor: Ryan Foley
Project: Investigating the hypo-luminous supernova 2008ha
Major: Physics
College: Cowell
Karina Diaz Alvarez Karina Diaz Alvarez
Mentor: Emily Hentschke
Project: Breaking the silence: Investigating food insecurity for immigrant communities
Major: Psychology and Legal Studies
College: Oakes
Rebeca Diaz-Perez Rebeca Diaz-Perez
Mentor: Jennifer Parker
Project: "We Triumph” mural proposal
Major: Art
College: Kresge
Valeria Galindo Valeria Galindo-Eguiarte
Mentor: Susan Pit
Project: The effect of alkalinity on subsurface carbon cycling in Elkhorn Slough
Major: Earth Sciences
College: College Nine
Andrea Galvez Andrea Galvez
Mentors: Chris Vollmers, 
Alex Zee, Kayla Schimke, Matthew Adams, Dori Deng
Project: Optimizing the R2C2 protocol for the sequencing of mammalian cDNA
Major: Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics
College: Stevenson
Valerie Garcia Valerie Garcia
Mentor: Rebecca London, Xiomara Lopez, 
María Dolores Castillo
Project: Whose HSI?: A Look into the undergraduate Latinx/e/a/o and Chicanx/e/a/o student experience at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Major: Sociology
College: Merrill
Ann Gobei-Bacaylan Ann Gobei-Bacaylan
Mentor: Frankie Gerraty
Project: Coastal connections: Assessing vertebrate scavenger assemblages across an urbanization gradient
Major: Ecology & Evolution 
College: Rachel Carson
Ben Goldstein Ben Goldstein
Mentor: Kat Gutierrez
Project: Sowing seeds: Filipino American stories from the Pajaro Valley
Major: Film & Digital Media and Literature
College: Porter
Spencer Greene Spencer Greene
Mentor: Emily Sinclair
Project: Lost passion - a bachelor's of music recital
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Music
College: Porter
Marke Grober Maryke Grobler
Mentor: Needhi Bhalla
Project: 
In C. elegans, does PCH-2 inhibit early double-stranded breaks from becoming crossovers?
Major: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
College: Oakes
Sawyer Hall Sawyer Hall
Mentor: Joshua Krissansen-Totton
Project: Constraining background N2 atmospheric inventories of exoplanets to distinguish biotic O2
Major: Astrophysics and Computational Math
College: Cowell
Emily Hallam Emily Hallam
Mentor: Craig Fellers, Hannah Hausman
Project: Offloading illusions: Unravelling beliefs about note-taking
Major: Psychology
College: Kresge
Nathan Ho Nathan Ho
Mentor: Michael Stone
Project: Bulk in vitro expression of the three-way junction of RNA from human telomerase for cyclic peptide screening
Major: Chemistry with a biochemistry concentration
College: Kresge
Mel Jones Mel Jones
Mentor: Shaun McKinnie
Project: Directed evolution of cyclase dsKabC: Transforming a glutamate receptor agonist producing enzyme into an antagonist producer
Major: Chemistry with a biochemistry concentration
College: Oakes
Elina Juvonen Elina Juvonen
Mentor: Megan Moodie
Project: Family and foreign: Investigating representation and contradiction in 1950's women's magazines

Major: History and Anthropology
College: Stevenson
Kasey La Kasey La
Mentor: Liv Hoversten
Project: What was my error? Online processing of speech disfluency by foreign-accented speakers
Major: Cognitive Science and Linguistics
College: Merrill
Nancy Lau Nancy Lau
Mentor: Alvaro Cardenas
Project: Security of embedded vehicle access system software implementations
Major: Computer Engineering
College: Crown
Yitong Lei Yitong Lei
Mentor: Noriko Aso
Project: 
Imaging of Chinatown: Dreams, futures, and changing racializations of 唐人街
Major: Critical Race & Ethnic Studies
College: John R. Lewis
Yadira Lewis Sadira L. Lewis
Mentor: Jess H.K. Law
Project: 
Ambiguity in adjectival modification of -er nominals: An experimental approach
Major: Linguistics
College: Merrill
Nathan Ling Nathan Ling
Mentor: John Morgan
Project: Disease and development: Bobcat (Lynx rufus) response to ongoing threats in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Major: Environmental Studies
College: Cowell
Zoe Ruby Linstrom Zoë Hruby Linstrom
Mentor: Dee Hibbert-Jones, Sean Monaghan
Project: Deities of pollution
Major: Art
College: Porter
Rae Manusco Rae Mancuso
Mentor: Peter Raimondi
Project: 
The ongoing recovery of Heliaster kubiniji following a disease and subsequent mass mortality event
Major: Art and Marine Biology
College: Porter
Emmett Marks-Froot Emmett Marks-Froot
Mentor: Martin Devecka
Project: The evolution of magical names in classical antiquity
Major: Philosophy and Classical Studies
College: Porter
Julian Martinov Julian Martinov
Mentor: Peter Rothman
Project: Decentralized information verification
Major: Computer Science
College: Crown
Shivani Modha Shivani Modha
Mentor: Steven McKay
Project: We Belong-Pertenecemos: Institutions of belonging vs. not belonging in mixed status communities
Major: Sociology and Philosophy
College: Cowell
Axel Nateras

Axel Nateras
Mentor: Angela Brooks
Project: Overexpression vs. endogenous expression
Major: Human Biology
College: Cowell
Sabrina Nguyễn Sabrina Nguyen
Mentor: Kristina Chew
Project: Roman conceptions of Jewish people
Major: Classical Studies
College: Cowell
Ivette Orozco Sanchez Ivette Orozco Sanchez
Mentor: Zac Zimmer
Project: Tijuana, transformations of a city
Major: Spanish Studies and Literature
College: Merrill
Remington Plischke Remington Plischke
Mentor: Laurel Fox
Project: Oak response to stress: water-use efficiency and community interactions on a scale of lichen overgrowth
Major: Ecology & Evolution
College: Cowell
Natalie Rivera Nataliia Rivera
Mentor: Sean Keilen
Project: Human suffering through eyes of Buddha and Shakespeare
Major: Literature
College: Cowell
Damiana Rojas Damiana Rojas
Mentor: Greg Gilbert
Project: 
The response of Botrytis cinerea to fire in the coast redwood forest 
Major: Environmental Studies
College: Oakes
Isabelle Shapiro Isabelle Maru Shapiro
Mentor: Phoebe Lam
Project: Inorganic carbon in the remote South Pacific and the California Coast
Major: Environmental Sciences
College: Merrill
Rakshya Sharma Rakshya Sharma
Mentor: Angela Brooks
Project: Identifying RNA splicing patterns in cancer using MESA
Major: Computer Science
College: Nine
Sara Sotelo Sara Sotelo
Mentor: Michael Chemers
Project: UNIBeauty and her wicked daughters: A complete dramaturgy
Major: Education, Democracy, & Justice
College: Merrill
Damien Stoffel Damien Stoffel
Mentor: Juan Poblete
Project: Attention and autonomy in the information age
Major: Literature
College: Porter
Iakov tarenenko Iakov Taranenko
Mentor: Alvaro Cardenas
Project: Security of software implementations in embedded vehicle access systems
Major: Computer Engineering
College: Cowell
Lucas Tilley Lucas Tilley
Mentor: Kent Eaton
Project: Informal mining in the Orinoco Basin: Indios, selva y soldados
Major: Politics
College: Kresge
Zia Truong Zia Truong
Mentors: David Haussler, Yohei Rosen
Project: Modeling of pH in a cell culture system
Major: Biomolecular Engineering
College: Nine
Dylan Waste Dylan Waste
Mentors: Kent Eaton, Kristy Golubiewski-Davis
Project: Disinformation and deception: Measuring Russian operations in the Latin American information environment
Major: Politics
College: John R. Lewis
Noelle Yaitanes Noelle Yaitanes
Mentor: Carrie Partch
Project: Investigating the role of kinase tails in the regulation of circadian rhythms
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
College: Porter
Michela Yang Michela Yang
Mentor: Yuk Shing Lam
Project: Use and access of mental health resources among college students
Major: Psychology
College: Cowell
Jaiden Zak Jaiden Zak
Mentor: Will Steinhardt
Project: The effect of contact area distribution on the frictional properties of a modeled fault
Major: Earth Sciences
College: Stevenson
Austin Zaman Austin Zaman
Mentor: Oskar Elek
Project: 3D visualization of polyphy
Major: Computer Science
College: John R. Lewis
Joe Zheng Joe Zheng
Mentor: Micheal Loik
Project: Living solar panel (temperature project)
Major: Molecular, Cellular, Development Biology
College: Rachel Carson

2023 Koret Mentor Award Recipients

At the end of the spring quarter, before the Koret Slam event, students are sent a google form to nominate their mentor for special recognition. The Faculty Director of Honors reviews the student responses and selects up to 10 mentors (2 in each division) for the Koret Mentor Award. Mentors recieving this award are recognized at the Koret Research Slam and their names and Divisions will be listed here on this page.
To see last year's Koret Mentor Award winners, click here.

 

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