Undergraduate Research Week showcases student innovation and creativity
From lab breakthroughs to community-based inquiries, UCLA students are tackling some of today’s most pressing questions and Undergraduate Research Week offers a front-row seat to their work.
The weeklong event, kicking off Monday, May 19, features more than 1,700 students presenting original research and creative work across various disciplines. Among this year’s participants are Satema Lopez and Wilson Zheng, two students whose work highlights the diverse and impactful undergraduate research at UCLA.
Exploring cancer at the cellular level
Wilson Zheng
For Zheng, research means digging deep into the cellular mechanisms that fuel cancer. A fourth-year student studying molecular, cell and developmental biology, with a minor in biomedical research, Zheng works in the Lowry Lab, under William Lowry, associate director of education and technology transfer at the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and a professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology.
Zheng’s project focuses on targeting metabolic pathways with pharmacological inhibitors to try and prevent the development and progression of squamous cell carcinomas. These increasingly common skin cancers, often linked to UV exposure and aging, carry the risk of metastasis and serious health consequences.
Spend a day in the lab with Zheng:
Advancing health equity through culturally competent care
Satema Lopez
Lopez is a fourth-year student majoring in education and social transformation, with a minor in American Indian studies. Her research sits at the intersection of public health, social justice and advocacy for Indigenous communities.
Lopez began her research journey with the UCLA School of Dentistry, where she worked in Dr. Yvonne Hernandez-Kapila’s lab studying the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and periodontal disease. She has since expanded her focus to explore broader questions of health equity for Indigenous communities.
Her current research project, “Restoring Trust: Experiential approaches to culturally competent health care for American Indians in Los Angeles,” involves surveying Native patients in L.A. County to better understand their experiences within the health care system. In addition, she is interviewing Native physicians to illuminate their paths through pre-med and medical training, stories that speak to both systemic barriers and resilience.
See a day in Lopez’s life as a researcher:
Undergraduate Research Week is one of UCLA’s largest celebrations of student discovery. From STEM to the arts and humanities, these projects reflect the passion, purpose and potential of UCLA’s undergraduate scholars.
Learn more about Undergraduate Research Week here.
This article originally appeared in the UCLA Newsroom.
Courtesy of Sohan Talluri