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Spotlight on Academics: Isabela Harmon ’22 and Jessica Maurice ’22 Explore the Social Hierarchies of Fish

For years, neuroscientists have been asking the deceptively simple question: Why do animals behave the way they do? Isabela Harmon ’22 and Jessica Maurice ’22 are working with Assistant Professor of Biology Tessa Solomon-Lane to fill in pieces of this puzzle.

Lars Schmitz Co-Authors Paper on Ecomechanics and Evolution, Published in Cell

Associate Professor of Biology Lars Schmitz has co-authored a paper, published in Cell, on the role of ecomechanical models and functional traits in understanding phenotypic diversity.

Spotlight on Students: Daisy Achiriloaie ’24 Co-Authors Paper in Experimental Biophysics

Not many people can say they co-authored a scientific research paper in experimental biophysics during their first year of college. Unless, that is, you’re Daisy Achiriloaie ’24.

Assistant Professor Sarah Budischak’s Research on Parasitic Worms Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Assistant Professor of Biology Sarah Budischak co-authored a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B that examines why parasitic worms survive longer in some hosts’ intestines than in those of others.

Class of 2018: Carmen Abbe ’18: 5C Roller Derby Team Founder Is on a Track to Medical School

Carmen Abbe ’18, a human biology major from Seattle, has balanced her time at 61´«Ã½between taking science and humanities courses and playing on the roller derby team she founded as a first-year student. After graduation, she hopes to continue incorporating her passions; Abbe has her sights set on attending medical school, expanding on her thesis research, and engaging with the derby community in Seattle.

The 5C Women’s Roller Derby team, which began as a casual club with a few intermittent members, has grown into an official intramural 5C sports team, now 25 members strong. It is one of only four collegiate teams in the U.S. and regularly participates in monthly Inland Empire scrimmages. In 2018, the team attracted enough members to be able to host about against another team from Arizona State University. The event was the first-ever interstate, intercollegiate roller derby match.

Capstone Day: Mandeep Sandhu Brings a Religious Perspective to STEM

Growing up in Granada Hills, California, Mandeep Sandhu ’18 was “the kid digging in the garden identifying insects or creating mini science projects in the kitchen,” as she recalls. While her interest in science grew out of a desire to “better understand the physical world,” Sandhu was also drawn to learning about spiritual aspects of existence.

Professor Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert Awarded Fulbright to Conduct Genetics Research in Poland

As a first-time applicant and winner of this highly prestigious award, Associate Professor of Biology Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert will serve as a visiting faculty member and researcher at the University of Warsaw Institute for Genetics and Biotechnology in Poland beginning next fall.