Biochemistry undergraduate student researchers Madison Bang (Su group), Precious Calderon (Vallim group), Helen Elmer (Gelbart group), Peter Fernandez (Koehler group), and Samantha Wu (Rodriguez group) receive the prestigious Science Dean’s Prize at this year’s UCLA Undergraduate Research Showcase.
The Science Dean’s Prize at UCLA’s Undergraduate Research Week recognizes exceptional undergraduate researchers in the fields of life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. The prize not only acknowledges the students’ achievements but also emphasizes the importance of faculty mentorship in guiding and supporting undergraduate researchers.
Madison Bang conducts research in Professor Maureen Su’s group in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. She was recognized for her project titled, “Epigenetic Regulation by Histone Demethylase UTX Mediates Chronic Autoimmunity in Inflammatory Neuropathy Model”.
Precious Calderon conducts research in Professor Thomas Vallim’s group in the Department of Biological Chemistry. She was recognized for her project titled, “Editing Efficiency Analysis of Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) CRISPR/Cas9 Targeting Genes in the Bile Acid and Lipid Metabolic Pathways”.
Helen Elmer conducts research in Professor William Gelbart’s group in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She was recognized for her project titled, “Brome Mosaic Virus Phase Diagram for Optimization of RNA Packaging within Virus-Like Particles”.
Peter Fernandez conducts research in Professor Carla Koehler’s group in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. He was recognized for his project titled, “A Novel Small Molecule Modulator That Inhibits Mitochondrial Import of Mutant Alanine-Glyoxylate Aminotransferase via High Throughput Screening of Human Cell Models of Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1”.
Samantha Wu conducts research in Professor Jose Rodriguez’s group in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She was recognized for her project titled, “Leveraging site-specific click-mediated fluorescent labeling to track the aggregation of a-synuclein and other amyloidogenic proteins”.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@ucla.edu.
