Will Yuen

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
My focus was pre-clinical research concerning a promising potential therapeutic to alleviate Renal Ischemic Reperfusion Injury (IRI), an unavoidable injury in the organ transplant setting. There are currently no effective treatments for this inevitable injury. To do this my lab and I developed a novel in vitro cold hypoxia and reperfusion protocol to best model transplant related IRI in tubular epithelial cells (TECs), the main target of this type of injury. This involved subjecting TECs to 6h of cold hypoxia followed by a designated time of reperfusion (incubation in fresh media at 37C). My research confirmed that this model properly mimicked renal IRI in vitro by confirming the presence of inflammation, kidney injury, and cell death in TECs via qPCR, flow cytometry, and fluorescence staining assays across multiple time points (0h, 2h, 16h, and 24h of reperfusion) compared to control. I then investigated the effect of the potential therapeutic on these same factors. The therapeutic is an siRNA knockdown of XBP1, a vital transcription factor in the ER stress pathway that results in inflammation. Compared to non-transfected cells, TECs transfected with XBP1 siRNA displayed less inflammation, kidney injury, and cell death imaged/quantified via the same assays used previously. This emphasized that the knockdown of XBP1 in TECs is a promising potential therapeutic to alleviate IRI.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I found it particularly compelling that this type of injury (IRI) is quite unavoidable during/after transplantation and that we somehow have not developed any effective solutions to this injury. Furthermore, renal IRI contributes to the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) down the road, which only further emphasizes the significance of this injury and the need to alleviate it.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I knew I wanted to do research during my time at Northwestern even before I got accepted here. Northwestern has a fantastic reputation as a top school for research and education and it’s extremely important to make sure to appreciate that and take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you here. You have the opportunity to work with and help the greatest minds of their field and be apart of something much bigger than yourself, your lab, and even Northwestern. That something is contributing to the advancement of knowledge of what you are studying and making a genuine difference in the world no matter how small. For me more specifically, contributing to the development of a possible therapeutic to an injury that currently has no effective treatment and the possibility that my work could actually make a difference in the field and eventually in the real world fills me with pride and appreciation for the opportunities I was given here.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
My research experience has been extremely positive here at Northwestern. My first year summer I had an amazing experience working in the Social Cognition Lab under Dr. Bodenhausen and Jordan Daley (now Dr. Daley!) on the Skin Tone and Persuasion Study. Then, starting my second year summer I got involved in research regarding renal transplant at the Comprehensive Transplant Center in Feinberg, working under Dr. Zhang and I’ve been at said lab since. I’ve been very lucky with amazing, generous, and kind PI’s, post-docs, and grad students that I’ve worked with who genuinely cared about me and I hope that I have been able to help contribute to their projects and labs as much as possible. Through my experience I’ve learned the utmost significance of diversity of research and interdisciplinary experience. There are so many ways in which biology and psychology interact and when you engage in interdisciplinary study/research you can bring nuanced ideas to each subject from the other. Research has taught me and refined many important skills such as organization, time-management, problem solving, communication and collaboration with very different kinds of people, perseverance, grant/manuscript writing, ethical research practices, creativity, and scientific literacy in multiple different fields. I’d say the hardest part of research by far is troubleshooting when you experience a problem with a project.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Don’t be afraid to email your professors or reach out to any whose research interests you, that’s how I got all of my research experience. Make sure to find something you genuinely care about and grow that interest through contributing to research. Make sure to appreciate your PIs for the opportunity they gave you, do not waste the opportunity of being at Northwestern and being apart of something more significant than yourself. Be honest with yourself, your PIs, and your coworkers and practice good communication with all of them. Finally, try to have a diverse research experience, be open to different perspectives and explanations because they often work together.

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
Chicago Bulls

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
The Giving Tree

Sophia Chang

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
This past summer I studied the relationship between the Asian-Minnesotan community and policing and how this relationship is shaped by social movements. I conducted 8 in-depth interviews with Asian residents of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), discussing opinions about the Asian American community and politics, as well as opinions about social movements such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I grew up in Minneapolis, and throughout high school I worked with Asian community groups in St. Paul, so I have always been interested in the politics of the Asian American community in Minnesota. I also felt compelled to conduct my research due to the relevance that Minnesota holds in both the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate Movement.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I have always been interested in the complexities of the Asian American community, specially the politics of the community. The Asian American community is incredibly diverse and complicated in many regards. I often feel that there are large gaps in research that do not address the Asian community, or makes inaccurate generalizations that erases its complexities. I wanted to provide more nuance to the Asian American community through research, to more accurately represent the community, and also create research for my community. I want Asian Americans to have access to research that is relevant and interesting to them.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
I have greatly enjoyed my time with research this past summer, thought that doesn’t mean it has always been easy! Research required me to continuously hold myself accountable to deadlines, as well as a commitment to my work. I gained experience with problem solving, and learned to embrace the unknown in many ways. My research took me to unexpected places, my questions and framing changed over time. Instead of constraining myself to a pre-determined path, I learned to embrace change.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
I think the undergraduate research grant is a great opportunity for anyone interested in research. Before this past summer, I had no research experience. The support given to me was very helpful, and it also provided an opportunity for self-exploration. I also would strongly encourage people in the social sciences to pursue undergraduate research. Too often there is a perception that research is meant for the “hard sciences,” but research is really for everyone. Whatever your interests are, even if you lean more to the humanities, like myself, there is a way for you to research it!

Do you have a podcast/documentary/piece of shareable media related to your research? Post the link(s) to share here!
I was greatly inspired by a podcast that discusses Asian America, Time To Say Goodbye, specifically the episode featuring Naomi Murakawa, a professor of African American studies at Princeton University. “How to not think like a cop, with Naomi Murakawa” https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EvDWkXay9gwMpgJG8BL1V?si=09VE394-QQShZe0TF15t7w

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
I could give a 10 minute presentation off the cuff on the TV show Veep, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ masterful performance as Selina Meyer.

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
My favorite childhood story was The Little Red Hen

Maddie Kerr

Please provide the tile and a brief summary of your research/conference presentation.
My presentation, which summarized the full-length paper that I wrote from this research, was called “Invisibilization Under the Microscope: Experiences of PhD Students with Chronic Illness.” As the title suggests, my research explored the healthcare, social, and academic experiences of PhD students who identified as having a chronic illness or chronic health condition. I used a case study approach, drawing on qualitative interviews with 16 participants. Broadly, my findings centered around how participants described their simultaneous sense of invisibility and hypervisibility around chronic illness in a university context. This pattern extended across many participants’ interpersonal interactions, experiences with institutional systems (e.g., medical leave, accommodations), and understandings of embedded cultural norms and power relations within academia. In my paper and presentation, I also identified several concrete ways that academics can create more accessible, anti-oppressive PhD environments, based on participants’ narratives. This made it especially exciting to share my findings with an audience of higher education researchers and practitioners who wanted to learn about supporting this particular group.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I began with a broad interest in how disability is constructed and treated within academia, particularly after reading about the concept of “academic ableism.” This concept describes the ways in which structures and practices in higher education often marginalize disabled people, regardless of conscious intentions. A lot of research on disability in academia has focused on undergraduates, with a growing body of literature exploring faculty experiences, but I found very little work that centered PhD students. I thought this was a critical gap, given that PhD programs operate as an important gateway to academic careers. The focus on chronic illness specifically came from my interest in exploring healthcare access as part of accessibility in higher education. Chronic illnesses are distinct in that they often necessitate ongoing medical support, but conversations about disability access in higher education often just focus on the classroom.

What conference(s) did you present at and how did you find out about them?
I presented at the American Education Research Association’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. I was fortunate to learn about the opportunity from a mentor (formerly at the Office of Undergraduate Research!) with expertise in research on higher education. Having this mentor’s support throughout the whole process definitely helped me have a positive experience with the conference.

What was it like presenting at a conference? Anything that you didn’t expect?
My presentation was a paper session, which meant that I gave a 15 minute talk to an audience as part of a small panel. To be honest, I was terrified for this presentation for weeks leading up to the conference. What gave me the ability to not only give my talk but also communicate in a way that I felt proud of was remembering the purpose of research (in my opinion) – that is, to share it with others to help drive material, justice-oriented change. One thing I didn’t expect was the overwhelmingly supportive and engaged response that my presentation was met with. As an undergraduate, I wasn’t sure how I would interact with an audience of more advanced scholars and professionals, but they really treated my ideas with earnestness.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in presenting at a conference one day?
First, try to push back against any imposterization that you feel – you have valuable ideas to share, and you’re worthy of giving yourself this opportunity. I never thought I would be capable of this kind of presentation, but having this chance to push myself showed me that being afraid and uncomfortable isn’t the same thing as being unable or undeserving. Second, don’t be afraid to draw upon your support network throughout the whole process, from identifying a conference, crafting your submission, using the submission portal, registration/logistics, practicing your presentation, and navigating the conference itself. Conferences can be intimidating, but having guidance from your professors, academic advisors, OUR staff, peers, and family can make a huge difference.

Here’s a link to the slides that I presented during my talk!: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16AhBEngMg–gr9Xj-1LsnpzpatuVPMupARn0X1c-2gU/edit?usp=sharing

What was a memorable interaction that you had on campus this week?
More of an observation than an interaction, but I’ve seen so many tiny dogs in little sweaters being walked around recently and it brings me so much joy.

Kate Carver

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
For the past 19 months, I have worked in the Perera Lab, a precision medicine research group at Feinberg. With the rise of high-throughput genome sequencing technologies, medicine is shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalized precision medicine. Tailoring treatments to an individual’s specific genetic makeup promises to increase drug efficacy and minimize side effects, thus improving overall treatment quality. My work seeks to identify genetic and epigenetic factors that regulate drug response. My first project, which was entirely computational, integrated multi-omic methodologies to identify novel epigenetic pathways that contribute to interindividual variability in drug response. My current project uses CRISPR prime editing to investigate a specific set of variants that regulate the GSTM3 gene, which is involved in the metabolism of several commonly-prescribed drugs.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
Precision medicine is a relatively new field that didn’t receive much attention until the Human Genome Project was completed. I was specifically interested in joining the Perera Lab because our research focuses on minority racial groups that are historically underrepresented in precision medicine research. It’s exciting to work in an emerging field of research that has the capacity to improve health outcomes, especially for populations that are traditionally underserved in healthcare.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
Coming to Northwestern, I had zero research experience. At the time, I was pre-med, but I always wondered what it would be like to work in a lab. Throughout my first year at Northwestern, I gradually came to the conclusion that my interest in being a doctor stemmed from my interest in pursuing unanswered questions, not from an interest in patient care. I joined a research lab in March of my freshman year and quickly decided that I want to pursue a career in biomedical research.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
The first few months of my research experience were incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding. I had no experience reading scientific literature and no experience communicating about research. I didn’t know how to take care of cells or use a pipette. Though I felt overwhelmed at first, I was excited by these challenges. Through my research, I have become a better writer and communicator, and I see these benefits in my everyday life. I have learned to value personal growth over outright success, which has made me a more resilient person. Though I have also gained several technical skills, developing these abilities has been the most valuable part of my research experience.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Northwestern has incredible resources for undergraduate research – take advantage of them. I found my lab through an OUR workshop. The work I did the past two summers was funded by undergraduate research grants. The Peer Mentors and full-time staff have been incredible resources for me during my time at Northwestern. Very few universities offer these opportunities. Be grateful for them and use them!

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
How to Build a 5 Star Island in Animal Crossing

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
Goodnight Moon

Eli Oesterheld

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
I conducted an independent research project called Quantifying the Human Aspect of Music Using Benford’s Law. I investigated if an excerpt’s adherence to Benford’s law, which has to do with the distribution of first digits in a natural dataset, would be “hearable” to a listener, and whether Benford’s law could be used as a proxy for the perceived “humanness” of a piece.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I’d learned about Benford’s law and its applications in fraud detection from podcast, and was interested as to whether it may have a similar functionality when applied to music. My interests in music research tend to center around listener perceptions and experiences, and I was interested in the idea of examining Benford’s law and music in a human subjects context.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
In music research specifically, there are so many questions that have yet to be asked and so many ways to go about answering those questions. Conducting interdisciplinary research allows me to engage with these questions from a variety of angles and with a variety of methods, and exposes me to ways of thinking about music (and the world more broadly) that I otherwise would not consider.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Although my project ended up going in a slightly different direction than originally intended, I found this experience both extremely fun and extremely valuable. I spent a fair amount of time troubleshooting and adjusting to unexpected findings, which while occasionally frustrating, taught me to be more flexible in my thinking and encouraged me to explore new directions with my work.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Do it! It’s intimidating, especially if your field of interest is more obscure or highly interdisciplinary, but finding faculty with similar/adjacent interests makes a huge difference. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who’s work you’re interested in, chances are they’ll be just as excited as you are.

What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
Grass!

Uwonkunda Sylvie Dushime

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
My research is about the popular radio drama in Rwanda called Ikinamico. It explores the history, scripts, performance, and thematic intentions of Ikinamico such as family and community dynamics, peace building and reconciliation and other social issues. It also highlights world-building through sound effects, and its use of orality and the Kinyarwanda language.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
I grew up listening to ikinamico and loved every moment of it. However, I was particularly interested in doing this research because all episodes are created entirely in Kinyarwanda unlike other media productions in popular culture that are more prone to use French and English in Rwanda.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I majoring in Media studies and minoring in Africana Studies and this has encouraged an interdisciplinary approach to research.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Doing this research on “Ikinamico”, like any other research, honed my critical thinking, interdisciplinary understanding, interviewing skills, writing proficiency, (cultural awareness even if I am Rwandan), creativity, presentation skills, ethical considerations, and adaptability. But for this particular paper, I want to highlight that my English and Kinyarwanda vocabulary has been enriched. I have particularly learned it is important to assess and reassess methodology and identify flaws prior to the research. While doing my research in Kinyarwanda is exciting and my attempt to expand research on indigenous ways of knowing is valuable, it was very difficult to translate my findings. I am wondering if the paper would be better off written in Kinyarwanda.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Spend more time on methodologies because it determines the direction of your research and helps in doing justice the work that you are doing.

Here’s one of the episodes : https://podcasts.apple.com/rw/podcast/ikinamico-ubenga-iziko-ntarigwaho-arigwamo/id1532976765?i=1000508743834