Hello! My name is Ciara Himes and I'm a rising junior majoring in molecular and cellular biology, with minors in astrobiology and biochemistry. I have been working in the Baltrus lab for about a year now, researching horizontal gene transfer in megaplasmids. Not much is known about the horizontal transfer of certain genes in the family of megaplasmids that I'm studying, so my research aims to uncover the importance of one of these genes and how deleting it from the megaplasmid might affect the host's phenotype. Working in the Baltrus lab and being in the Undergraduate Biology Research Program has taught me valuable skills in conducting research and in communication. When I'm not in the lab, I like to have fun with my friends and explore Tucson. On my own, I like to read (usually Sci-Fi), make my own jewelry, or hang out at the Scented Leaf on East University.

Hello! My name is Esha Mathur. I am a rising junior at the University of Arizona. I am

majoring in Biology with an emphasis in Biomedical Sciences, and minoring in Pharmaceutical

Sciences. Since the summer of 2022, I have been working with Dr. Julie Armin to understand

how policies affect cancer care access for individuals with Intellectual or Developmental

Disabilities (IDD). My time in Dr. Armin’s lab inspired me to do my part to aid this marginalized

community. Last year, I began working with autistic children as a behavior technician. I have

gotten to see first-hand the challenges individuals with IDD and their families face. I hope to

continue to make a positive difference in the IDD community both in and outside of the lab! In

my free time, I love exploring Tucson’s hiking trails with my dog, Buddy. My favorite is Tanque

Verde Falls, where there are almost always pools of water to enjoy! I also love making jewelry.

You can often catch me making a pair of earrings at a local coffee spot!

My name is Veronica Hode, a Biochemistry major at the University of Arizona. It's been almost a year now since I joined the Porreca and Navratilova lab through UBRP. Our lab focuses on understanding the factors that bring about pain, with emphasis on neuropathic pain, visceral pain, and pelvic pain. We particularly focus on understanding the prevalence of pain in females because women are prone to experiencing pain more often than men. The project I work on focuses on elucidating the role of prolactin in endometriosis-associated pain. Endometriosis affects women in the reproductive age group and can cause severe pelvic pain. Figuring out the part that prolactin plays in endometriosis-associated pain may help in developing treatment solutions for women affected by this condition. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy staying home, watching various tv shows, reading books and webtoons, cooking, and dancing with my sister.

My name is Allan Paxson. I am of the Hopi and White Mountain Apache Native American tribes in Northern and Eastern Arizona, respectively. I am currently in my third year at the University of Arizona majoring in Physiology and Medical Sciences with a minor in Educational Psychology. My current research project is within the Cress Lab at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Right now, I am working on identifying compounds that will eradicate smooth muscle-invasive tumor cells using cell viability assays. In my free time, I enjoy working with student-athletes at the Kasser Sports Medicine Center as an Athletic Training Technician and enjoy trying new art techniques such as pottery, drawing, painting, and writing. Also, I can’t forget to mention that my other favorite activity is trying out local Tucson coffee shops and restaurants #supportlocal!

Hello! My name is David Jurkowitz and I am a junior studying biochemistry and Hebrew. I work in the Wheeler lab, which applies computational biology tools to genomics, biological sequence annotation, and drug discovery. My current project looks at computationally predicting binding pockets in proteins, which is done through comparing measurements of amino acid sequence conservation with known or predicted structural data. Through my lab, I have learned to code in Python, manipulate protein structures with pymol, and run scripts on the university's high performance computing cluster. When not in classes or lab, I am often at the Hillel building or Olami house, two of the Jewish centers on campus, on a hike or bike ride, or planting trees around the city with Tucson Clean and Beautiful.

My name is Ariel Cheng and I am a junior majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Theater. I have been working with Dr. Jana U'Ren at the BIO5 institute on campus for almost a year now. With her lab, I have been able to travel to Toolik Field Station, an isolated research station in Alaska, where I conducted fieldwork for my independent project! I am currently working on identifying the fungal community found in Alaskan wild berries. These berries benefit both indigenous people and native wildlife. With my project, I hope to raise more awareness about how these communities may or may not protect these berries against climate change. When I'm not conducting research, I am out and about exploring the world around me! Currently, my hobbies consist of mushroom scavenging, paleontology, modeling and acting!

Hello! My name is Christopher Sterzinar, and I am a Senior majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at the University of Arizona. I work in Dr. Carol Barnes' lab, where we focus on understanding how the brain changes across the course of aging and how this influences the processes of learning and memory. My current project involves identifying the age-related differences in brain activity between young and old rats as they complete a cognitive task. In my time outside of the lab, I enjoy baking, drawing, and hanging out and chatting with friends. Additionally, I organize gaming tournaments for individuals across Arizona!

Hi there, my name is Ryan Bowser and I'm currently an undergraduate studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, with a minor in Biochemistry. I joined Dr. Carol Gregorio's lab through the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP), and I immediately fell in love with our research! The Gregorio lab studies interactions of cardiac muscle proteins such as leiomodin (Lmod), to better understand the regulation of muscle contractions. Although it can sound complicated, we are really just trying to better understand how our hearts work, so we can help more people with cardiovascular disease. Outside of the lab, I enjoy running, baking sourdough bread, and coding fun projects with Python!

My name is Alexis Henderson, and I am a Junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona. On campus, I volunteer in the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center (ASTEC), work as an Athletic Training Technician with McKale Center, and perform research. I have been researching biomechanics with Dr. Kristen Renner for over a year, and participated in the Undergraduate Biology Research Program through her lab during the past summer. In the lab, I use motion capture to gather kinetic and kinematic data on human movement, which can then be analyzed and applied to predict injury risk. My main focus is applying this knowledge to athletes, as my goal is to enter an MD/PhD program to become an orthopedic surgeon with a sports medicine emphasis. This summer, I will be researching abroad in Canada with the BRAVO program, investigating injuries in disc golf athletes, and how studying their full-body mechanics can prevent further damage. I am very excited to learn more about the field of sports medicine and apply my skills as a future surgeon and researcher to help athletes prevent and recover from injuries.

My name is Summer Blunk and I am a current senior undergraduate in the department of molecular and cellular biology. I am originally from Southern California and moved to Tucson for college. Some of my hobbies include cooking, dirt bike riding, off roading and playing video games. I originally came to UA as a biomedical engineering major, but within my first year I realized I was much more interested in Biology than the engineering. I changed my major to MCB and have been excited about Biology ever since. I currently work in the Nagy lab on campus and we are most interested in developmental biology and evolution. I am currently applying to graduate schools and have three interviews coming up! I am very excited to continue my career as a scientist.