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SUMMER RESEARCH
ENRICHMENT INTERNSHIP​
"Research is creating new knowledge."
-Neil Armstrong
SUMMER RESEARCH
ENRICHMENT INTERNSHIP​
2024 SREI Mentors
Meet the mentors for SREI Summer 2024!
SREI Mentor
Undergraduate
About
SREI Mentor
Undergraduate
About
SREI Mentor
Undergraduate
About
2023 SREI Mentors
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Luke Chi
My name is Luke Chi and I am a third-year human biology major at UCI on the pre-med track. I am a part of the Center of Neurobiology and Behavior research department at UCI in the Spatial Neuroscience Lab studying human path integration, spatial memory, and large-scale navigation in complex environments using fMRI and fully immersive VR. I am the Co-head of the research committee at the An Lành Free Clinic Project, analyzing trends in stress, health literacy, demographics, and prominent diagnosis in order to serve the underserved community in Orange County. I’m also a tutor at the UCI Intercollegiate Athletic Department and a former instructor at JustTalk, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities for foreign students to improve their English communications skills at no cost through online platforms. See you soon!
Anmol Gill
My name is Anmol Gill, and I am a third year Biological Sciences major. I am hoping to become a Physician Assistant in the future. I am currently the co-lead of the Retrospective Study as part of the UCI Free Clinic Project. Our goal is to evaluate the magnitude of the association between metabolic syndrome such as hypertension among patients with diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the uninsured, Hispanic population at the Lestonnac Free Clinic. I am also the Treasurer/Fundraising chair for the Physician Assistants Coming Together (PACT) Club on campus. I immensely enjoy uplifting and supporting others whether that be in an environment of medicine, research, or education. This has led me to where I am today.
Safa Zarah
Hi! My name is Safa and I am a third-year Psychology major here at UCI. I am originally from Afghanistan, but I grew up in Orange County. I have a strong passion for research and am currently conducting research focusing on TBI. During my free time, I enjoy hiking, exploring new coffee shops, cooking, and spending quality time with family & friends! I'm excited to get involved with the SREI program and make this an enjoyable and enriching experience for you all.
Eric Tran
Hello! I'm Eric, an incoming 4th year Human Biology major at UCI. I am also the current president of the Free Clinic Project. My research experience consists of a year at Dr. Lew's lab where we research Neuroscience Core Concepts and focus on pedagogical work. Outside of school, I enjoy gaming and playing sports with my friends. This will be my second year as a part of SREI so I hope to make this an enjoyable experience for you all!
Emily Nguyen
Hi everyone! My name is Emily Nguyen and I am a first year undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at UCI. I am passionate about advocating for health equity and hope to improve patient experiences through the collaborative pursuits of clinical research. In addition to being a part of the research committee for the Free Clinic Project, I am currently working under Dr. Sadigh Gelareh to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of multi-level interventions that mitigate financial toxicity for oncology patients. Though I am relatively new to the field of research, I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and insights as a mentor for SREI!
Saivishnu Tulugu
Hi everyone, my name is Saivishnu (Sai) Tulugu and I'm a third-year public health year student. I'm passionate about health and social justice and want to dedicate my academic and professional interests to addressing healthcare disparities and finding ways to combine population and clinical medicine techniques to address treatments for cardiovascular disease. I am currently working in Dr. Akbari's Lab where we aim to study neurological outcomes in a rodent model after cardiac arrest. I hope to explore the connections between global ischemia, neurological deterioration, and arrhythmias. I'm also involved in clinical research as a part of the HELIOS lab aiming to find more culturally informed ways to address medication adherence and hypertension control. Apart from research, I'm involved with environmental work on campus such as The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) funding sustainability-related projects at UCI. My goal for SREI is to inspire mentees to follow their research passions and address any of their worries/uncertainties about getting started. You all got this!
Roseanne De Guzman
Hello, everyone! I'm Roseanne De Guzman, an incoming 4th Year pre-med student at UC Irvine. As a research project lead in the Free Clinic Project, I hope to work against inequity throughout undergrad and, eventually, a career in the healthcare field. This is something I also pursue through clinical research at the Family Planning Lab with Dr. Thiel de Bocanegra, where I specifically study reproductive and maternal health among Filipinx/Fil-Am women. I've also worked as a cardiologist's Medical Assistant in addition to being involved in campus organizations like We (Skin)care at UCI and the Campuswide Honors Student Council. Skin care is a personal love of mine, along with reading, drawing/painting, photography, travelling, hiking (easy trails), etc.!
Santosh Sankaran
Hey, my name is Santosh Sankaran. I am a soon to be fourth year Biological Sciences student. My research experiences include working in a prostate cancer immunology/pathology lab. Our research was oriented towards differentiating the prostate cancer tumor microenvironment between racial groups in terms of gene expression and epigenetic alterations. This would help identify prognostic markers that contribute to the marked increase in prostate cancer mortality in Black-American patients. As someone who is passionate about civic issues and working to amend disparities in healthcare, I believe my research is a great fit for the person I am. I look forward to helping you all identify research niches that reflect the person you are. Outside of research, I enjoy volunteering outdoors in my free time. I enjoy the outdoors as well as contributing to a cause beyond me. I do everything from tree planting to gardening. As for personal hobbies? I love reading science fiction.
Tanvi Sondhi
Hi everyone! My name is Tanvi Sondhi, I am a fourth year Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major at UCI. I'm interested in pursuing a career in health care! I am an undergraduate researcher in the Prescher lab where I'm working on developing an imaging technique for macrophages using bioluminescent reporters and spectral phasor analysis. I am also a member of the Free Clinic Project research committee, where we analyze patient data from the An Lành Free Clinic for trends in demographics, health literacy, and stress. Outside of research and school, my interests include baking, reading, and travelling!
Gabbie Pacho
Hi, my name is Gabbie and I'm an incoming fourth year at UCI studying biological sciences. I transferred to UCI from UC Santa Cruz last year and am serving as the Head of Public Relations for FCP this year. I have a strong passion for contributing to causes that provide equity for all, which is why I enjoy being a part of FCP so much. I worked as a medical scribe, optometrist's medical assistant, and will be interning for another optometrist this summer. At UC Santa Cruz, I was an undergraduate researcher involved in a neurobiology lab where we studied the effects of nicotine on the brain. I am hoping to get more involved in research at UCI this upcoming year. My career goal is to become an optometrist, and my goal as a mentor for SREI is to help you all find something you are passionate about doing within the field of research. I hope to make this an enjoyable and memorable experience for you all :) But besides school and work, in my free time I enjoy working out, playing volleyball, trying new foods, and playing the piano.
MEET THE MENTORS
2022
Allyson Lee
allysl1@uci.edu
Hi! My name is Allyson Lee, a second year biological sciences major at UCI. I'm interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field, whether through directly interacting with patients as a healthcare professional or indirectly, by working in a clinical laboratory or research setting. Currently, I'm part of the Hochbaum lab's osmotic stress project, which aims to understand how bacteria survive in conditions of stress, such as the presence of osmolytes or antibiotics. Being in a research lab showcased how classes are really just providing the background material that can then be used to understand and solve real-world situations. I believe that participating in research underscores how essential critical thinking skills are to addressing any sort of problem in the world, and doing it in a supportive team environment just makes the whole process much more enjoyable. Having some sort of question or concern, being able to devise a way to solve that uncertainty, generating results, and being able to interpret them in a way that brings about understanding is a hands-on learning experience that I find to be rewarding and motivating. I wish that I was able to participate in tangible learning experiences earlier on, and by being a mentor for SREI, I can help steer students in the direction of participating in hands-on learning experiences. I look forward to working with everyone and being a part of your educational journey!
Neiman Araque
araquer@uci.edu
Hello! My name is Neiman Araque, and I am currently an upcoming fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Psychological Science and Philosophy at UCI. My research experience includes being a part of the Child Narratives Lab under the direction of Dr. J. Zoe Klemfuss. Our research in the lab primarily focuses on how children construct a narrative of their memory, observing different cognitive, social, and environmental factors that affect this ability. Much of the research in the lab concerns topics not only of theoretical developmental psychology, but of applied topics such as forensic psychology as well. Last year, I led a grant-funded project that looked at juror’s perceptions of children in court and how it affected their believability. My career goal is to eventually work in academia as a professor and potentially do psychological clinical work on the side. I enjoy teaching and sharing knowledge with others, since knowledge has been very impactful in my own life. I also enjoy applying what I learn into practice. When I am not conducting research, I am giving a campus tour, helping produce TEDx Talks, or performing improvised comedy. Don’t ask me to make a joke though, I’m off the clock.
Saivishnu Tulugu
stulugu@uci.edu
My name is Saivishnu Tulugu and I'm a second-year public health year student. I'm passionate about health and social justice and want to dedicate my academic and professional interests to addressing healthcare disparities and finding ways to combine population and clinical medicine techniques to address treatments for cardiovascular disease. I am currently working in Dr. Akbari's Lab where we aim to study neurological outcomes in a rodent model after cardiac arrest. I hope to explore the connections between global ischemia, neurological deterioration, and post-recovery viability. Apart from research, I'm involved with environmental organizations on campus such as Earth Reps and The Green Initiative Fund. My goal for SREI is to inspire mentees to follow their research passions and address any of their worries/uncertainties about getting started.
Hi everyone, my name is Kaylen and I am a recent UCI graduate with a degree in human biology. I first joined SREI as a mentee back in 2018, gained much insight into the research process that shaped my academic career throughout undergrad, and will be returning as a mentor again this year. My research experience consists of 2 years in the Chan lab studying a novel protein involved in the oxidative stress response, presenting at Excellence in Research and UROP symposiums, and being an ambassador for the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at UCI. If you have any questions about how to find faculty and get involved in research at a large university, please let me know, as I am more than happy to help guide you. Outside of research, I love film and video editing, hanging out with friends, traveling, and trying out new foods. If you have new OC restaurant recommendations, I'm all ears!
My name is Luke Chi and I am a second-year Biological Sciences major at UCI on the pre-med track. I am a part of the Center of Neurobiology and Behavior research department at UCI in the Spatial Neuroscience Lab studying human path integration, spatial memory, and large-scale navigation in complex environments using fMRI and fully immersive VR. I am also a part of the research committee at An Lành Free Clinic Project, which analyzes trends in stress, health literacy, demographics, and prominent diagnosis in order to serve the underserved community in Orange County. I’m a former instructor at JustTalk, a nonprofit organization providing opportunities for foreign students to improve their English communications skills at no cost through online platforms. So, no need to stress! I’ll break the research down into easy chunks. I am telling you, research is at the forefront of unprecedented discovery; no one knows the answer, not even the teachers.
Hi everyone! My name is Kenny Diaz and I just graduated from UCI with a B.S. in Human Biology and a B.A. in Spanish Literature and culture. My research experience consists of being a member of the Cohen-Cory lab, the AREYTO Lab, and assisting with clinical research at the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. For the Cohen-Cory lab, I've been a lab member for the past two years and we focus on researching how certain drugs affect the growth of individual neurons in the eye/brain of tadpoles! We do this by labeling individual cells with a fluorescent protein and seeing how they grow over time following exposure to the drug. We are currently writing a paper about our findings that will be published this summer! For the AREYTO lab run by Dr. Julio Torres, I was a member of this lab from Fall 2020 through Fall 2021 and the focus of this lab's research was to investigate how people learn languages. Specifically, how people who grew up speaking Spanish learn a third language in comparison to people who learned Spanish later in life learning a new language. Lastly, I assisted with a poster alongside Dr. Shen at the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center where we investigated whether hormone replacement therapy would help reduce anxiety and depression in transgender and diverse gender patients. My overall career goal after college is to become a primary care doctor! Outside of school, I love playing video games, watching anime, taking care of my 3 aquariums and exploring new things!
Michael Nguyen
michaln4@uci.edu
My name is Michael Nguyen and I am a first year chemistry major. I am currently a part of the research committee for the Free Clinic Project. Our goal is to improve the quality of care that underserved patients at An Lanh Free Clinic in Garden Grove receive by running studies on their well-being. My team and I are involved in projects regarding stress, health literacy, and health insurance coverage of patients at the clinic. I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine, where I will continue doing research to expand the limits of medical science.
Jennifer Tran
jennit12@uci.edu
Hi everyone! My name is Jennifer Tran but I usually just go by Jen. I am just finishing up my senior year here at UCI as a Microbiology and Immunology major! After I graduate, I plan on taking a gap year before applying to medical school. I currently work in Dr. Lbachir BenMohamed's lab in UCI's School of Medicine and we do research on HSV-1, HSV-2, and SARS-CoV-2 in order to develop a vaccine against these viruses. Outside of research, I have a strong passion for education and I have been a part of the Bio Sci Peer Tutoring Program for almost three years now! Our program's goal is to provide free tutoring services in order to help our peers succeed in their courses. Being a part of my research lab for two years has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I've had in college and I look forward to imparting my knowledge on my time in my lab!
Roseanne De Guzman
rgdeguzm@uci.edu
Hello, everyone!! I'm Roseanne De Guzman, an incoming 3rd Year Pre-Med student at UC Irvine. As a member of the Research Committee here at the Free Clinic Project, I hope to work against inequity throughout undergrad and, eventually, a career in the healthcare field. To gain clinical experience, I currently work as a cardiologist's Medical Assistant. But on campus I'm also involved in organizations like We (Skin)care at UCI and the Campuswide Honors Student Council. Skin care is a personal love of mine, along with reading, drawing/painting, travelling, hiking (easy trails), etc.!
Madison Lansing
lansingm@uci.edu
Hi I’m Madison! I’m a third year Biological Sciences major with a huge passion for brain research. Although a lot of my life consists of school, my free time usually involves coffee, my cat and a Goodwill. Looking forward to warm weather and my time as a mentor!
Eric Tran
ericht1@uci.edu
Hello! I'm Eric, a Second Year Bio Sci Major looking to specialize in Human Biology. My research is limited but I hope to get involved over the summer and do my best to make SREI an enjoyable experience for all of you!