Kevin Xu

We are interested in understanding the biomechanics of various organisms by analyzing how physical structure affects the organism’s mechanical functions in nature. From amoeba pseudopods to barnacle larvae antennae, we are primarily interested in understanding the feeding and locomotive mechanisms of different organisms and figuring out what advantages these specific mechanisms confer to each organism. By studying the interface of organism biomechanics and system fluid/solid mechanics, we can elucidate the basic physical rules that govern different kinds of organisms.

Coco Xu

This summer, I will continue to work on this research project which studies issues affecting access to the civil justice system by reading judicial opinions from U.S. Court of Appeals. These issues include class certification, damages, standing, sufficiency of pleadings and attorney’s fees. Judges from federal appellate courts have great discretion in deciding these issues and setting precedents for lower courts to follow. Their decisions on certain issues — including what groups of individuals can bring on lawsuits as a class, how much punitive damage can be granted to a […]

Candace Yee

This summer I’ll be using an ecomorphology flume— an artificial channel of water made to simulate the movement of water through a deltaic marsh— in McCone Hall to determine how wetland vegetation, particularly the biofilm that grows on the vegetation, influences sedimentation rate. I’ll be helping to set up the experiments, collect water samples from a pump attached to the flume, as well as process the samples and data collected to see how suspended sediment in the flume changes with time. From this lab work, we hope to better understand […]

Tianyu Claire Qiao

In this summer I plan to assist Professor Vinod K. Aggarwal to research on the Global Great Power Competition, especially the Geo-Economic and Geo-strategic Dimensions between the U.S. and China in the 21st Century. We will look at the contours, dynamics, and characteristics of this new rivalry and who are the main contestants and what are the main areas of competition.

Emily Kinnaman

This summer, I will be continuing my work with the Nemea Center by helping on their ongoing excavation in Nemea, Greece. We will be excavating at the cemetery of Aidonia as well as doing conservation work and assisting in the museum. The artifacts at this site range from prehistoric to Byzantine periods, so it is really helpful for learning more about a broad range of history.

Bernard Gburek

I will be researching race movements in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s including the Civil Rights movement, the Black student movement, the Chicano, Native American, and Asian American movements of the late 1960s, and the white reaction to these movements.

Ann Sun

I will be responsible for managing a database of over 6,500 senior government officials in African countries from 1980 to 2010. Focusing on women government officials in particular, I will develop new measures to assess their professional trajectories with new information on the positions held, including policy portfolios, promotions, years in office, and previous professional background. This work will entail tracking down hard-to-find biographical information, coding new data, and undertaking preliminary statistical analyses.

Nicolas Pappas

The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), a Medicare value-based purchasing program, was established in 2012 to reduce the number of hospital readmissions by improving the quality of health care. This would not only improve patient health care, but also save each person’s tax dollars by reducing excess readmissions. Excess readmission ratios are used to measure hospital performance for six specific diseases: Heart Failure (HF), Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pneumonia, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery, and Elective Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty […]

Macyn Vogel

This summer, I will continue my apprenticeship with the Office of Laboratory Animal Care, learning all the different aspects that go into the proper care of the laboratory animals on UC Berkeley campus. During the school year, my role as a URAP is to assist my mentor, Dr. Frohlich, and the Animal Health Technicians, with triage and treatment of research animals. I have also been working with a population of training rats rat enrichment as part of my URAP duties. The URAP summer stipend will allow me to expand on […]

Homza Hireed

During Exercise, there is an increased demand for energy. To produce energy required to perform work and sustain physical activity, respiration must match the elevated metabolic demand. Although the signaling mechanisms is unknown for the acute ventilatory response to exercise, lactate is known to accumulate in the blood stream. To determine lactate’s role as a chemical signal, I will be conducting behavioral experiments to assay whether lactate and other metabolites play a key role in exercise-induced hyperventilation through activation of the carotid body. I will be doing treadmill experiments as […]