Santai Yang

Is magnetic switching in in-plane van der Waals magnetic thin films more energy-efficient than conventional magnetic materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy?  Despite that it is easy to read magnetic signals from magnetic materials with perpendicular anisotropy, writing information into the perpendicular magnetic films takes much energy due to the inefficient ways of generating magnetic fields or large current density to switch the magnetic domains. Moreover, the reading of in-plane magnetization switching of a single material has been challenging via electric methods.  Here I propose to investigate the current-induced magnetization switching […]

Mira McQuown

The project goal is to use microscopic approaches to statistically evaluate patterns in lithic resource utilization and obsidian sourcing using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) on samples from two archaeological sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains. XRF studies have led to knowledge about how Native people had wide-spread networks of trade, since obsidian can be sourced to specific locations across the state. Examining lithic (stone tool) samples provide markers for social interactions and exchange, showing the patterns of source use before and during European contact. If Native people living in the mountains […]

Christine Wakayama

Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) is a catastrophic epilepsy that occurs in children between 3-24 months of age. IESS is frequently associated with developmental regression and cognitive deficits. In over half of cases, IESS progresses into other forms of intractable epilepsy. The ketogenic diet, however, can be an effective therapy for epilepsy–in particular children with intractable IESS. While the mechanism of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy is not known, its use has been implicated in reducing neuroinflammation. Specifically, levels of cytokines may serve as markers of disease […]

Eunice Tsang

The marine carbon cycle plays a key role in regulating Earth’s global temperature and climate, as the largest reservoir of bioavailable carbon is stored in the ocean. In particular, marine particulate organic matter (POM) plays a crucial role in sequestering CO2 away from the atmosphere through their vertical transport of carbon from the surface ocean to the seafloor. While sinking, POM can be remineralized back to CO2 via microbial or animal heterotrophic processes, or they can disaggregate into smaller particles. Mechanistic understanding of the degradative processes acting on POM, and […]

Candance Sorensen

My research project focuses on investigating the comorbidity of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in women and people AFAB. While PMDD is a common hormonal mood disorder affecting up to 8% of women of reproductive age, it is understudied. Recent studies have suggested a high prevalence of PMDD in women with ADHD, with estimates as high as 45%. The impact of PMDD on daily functioning, mental health, and quality of life is significant, with symptoms including irritability, mood swings, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and increased risk of suicide […]

Shakuntala Sadhu

Hormones play an important role in our body and its everyday functions, however it is not clearly understood how hormones relay information back to endocrine organs and the brain. Ménière’s disease is an inner ear disorder characterized by hearing and balance dysfunction. Patients with Ménière’s disease often appear to have elevated levels of the hormone vasopressin (AVP) in their plasma and exhibit distension of the endolymphatic duct and sac (EDS), a part of the inner ear which helps to regulate endolymphatic volume and pressure. By characterizing the AVP hormonal circuit […]

Brayan Ortiz Ramos

During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration began the process of repatriating Mexican laborers – roughly 1.8 million people would leave the United States during this period. The Mexican state – embroiled in agrarian reform – took the repatriation of their countrymen as a positive for the country and enacted policies in line with Cardenista redistribution. One effort, however, proved of a different character. Starting in 1933, an attempt was made to construct colonies of the newly arrived Mexicans from the United States. These artificially constructed neighborhoods were intended […]

Kunal Puri

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by the infiltration of inflammatory immune cells into the CNS, leading to destruction of myelin sheaths of the nerves and subsequent development of lesions along the brain and spinal cord. Patients with MS are subject to cognitive and muscular dysfunctions that detrimentally progress overtime leading to debilitating loss of basic human functions. Treatments for MS are currently still limited in action and not comprehensive enough to provide definitive care towards effectively addressing MS.  During MS, activated […]

Ruhao (Irene) Pang

In the framing process of affirmative action, how is our fragmented news system increasingly tailored to targeted audiences of particular political stripes? What interpretation is made available in news publications? In 2014, the decision of Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action expanded the influence of affirmative action on college admission. This decision further triggered left-leaning and right-leaning news outlets to inform and set agenda for specific groups.As opposed to the existing agenda-setting research or content analysis research in the 1980s or 1990s for the public at large with unified […]

Denise Mendez

Student parents, a subset of non-traditional students, face unique challenges balancing family, school, work, health, and finances, making it difficult to pursue higher education. My research aims to explore how student parents develop and utilize social capital compared to their non-traditional peers to navigate their undergraduate journey. Social capital, defined as the social resources an individual has access to through their social network, is a vital factor when determining educational access. My research will bring attention to the experiences of student parents and differentiate them from other non-traditional identities. UC […]