2023-24 Levinson Scholars

Kavin Srinakarin (Ken) is a senior at the University of Washington pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a Minor in Education. His broad research interest is to understand the complex ways in which individual difference factors, significantly those sensitive to social environments, such as race, gender, attachment style, and mental health history, impact social learning and chronic pain, and how those mechanisms go awry in clinical disorder. His research interests dovetail nicely with a larger translational study at the Center of Neuroscience, Neuroendocrinology & Clinical Translation focused on understanding mechanisms of vicarious fear extinction learning in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Ken’s current project aims to investigate the impact of gender matching on extinction learning, specifically whether gender matching moderates the relationship between Anxiety Group and Extinction. He hopes that findings will highlight a potentially significant moderator to vicarious fear extinction, and that incorporating gender matching to potentiate vicarious extinction learning will provide a mechanistic explanation for enhancing fear extinction recall for patients with SAD. Ken aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology post-graduation and continue his research in translational science to inform clinical applications. Outside of research, he serves as the Vice President of Psychology at UW, the undergraduate psychology organization on campus, as well as a member of the Psychology Departmental Honors Program. Ken also enjoys directing short films, performing theatre, volunteering within the community, and playing recreational volleyball!

Mentor(s): Angela Fang, Ph.D., Psychology
Project Title: Learning Safety from Like Others: Effect of Social Categorization on Vicarious Extinction Learning

Dave Young is a junior at the University of Washington majoring in Biology and Psychology with a minor in Global Health. In his freshman year, he joined the Hsieh Lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. His primary project investigates how tRNA levels and mRNA translation regulate the development of neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Within the Hsieh Lab, Dave has been involved in a project characterizing 3’ untranslated region mutations in prostate cancer patients’ genomes and a CRISPR screen aimed at identifying functional cis-regulatory elements in the 5’ untranslated region of four major cancer types. After graduation, Dave hopes to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. program, aiming to integrate his research on therapeutic targets for cancer with patient treatment in a clinical setting. He expresses his gratitude to his mentors, Drs. Yeon Soo Kim and Andrew Hsieh, for their immense contributions to his undergraduate education and incredible research experience.

Mentor(s): Drs. Yeon Soo Kim & Andrew Hsieh, Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Project Title: The Role of tRNA in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Development

Tara is a Junior Interdisciplinary Honors student majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Bioethics. For the past two years, she has worked in the Guo Lab of Microbiology where she studies DNA replication proteins using biochemical and genetic techniques. One key event in DNA replication is unwinding the DNA double helix at the replication fork, which promotes the DNA strand to wrap around itself, forming knots termed “supercoils”. Resolving these supercoils is necessary for replication to continue and is performed by the essential DNA replication proteins topoisomerases. Her main project focuses on how topoisomerases are recruited to supercoils in the model system Caulobacter crescentus. By uncovering a previously unknown mechanism, Tara hopes her research could inform the development of more targeted therapies for treating disease such as bacterial infections and cancer. After graduating, she plans to attend an MD/Ph.D. program to explore mechanisms of DNA replication, repair, and gene expression, and their role in the development of disease to ultimately improve patient care by translating this research to clinical treatments as a Physician Scientist.
In addition to her research, Tara enjoys working as an Undergraduate Research Leader, mentoring other undergraduates in their pursuit of research. She also serves as the President of Free Radicals, the undergraduate chemistry club associated with the Department of Chemistry. In her free time, she enjoys painting, baking, and going on walks in nature. Tara is extremely grateful for the mentorship and guidance from everyone who has supported her on her research journey, especially Dr. Monica Guo and the whole Guo Lab for providing a very positive environment to grow as both a student and researcher. She is very honored to be awarded the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award and would like to thank the generous support from the Levinson Family to further her project and research career.

Mentor(s): Monica Guo, Microbiology
Project Title: A DNA Binding Protein Recruits Type II Topoisomerases by Direct Interaction to Promote DNA Replication

Megan Fung is a senior at the University of Washington studying Bioengineering. She joined the Warren Lab the summer after her sophomore year, where her research is focused on T-cell immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma, the most prevalent form of kidney cancer. In solid tumors, T cells encounter an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and have difficulty crossing tumor blood vessels and invading the extracellular collagen matrix to interact with tumor cells. Megan is currently working with a three-dimensional microphysiological system to replicate the tumor microenvironment and determine which specific phenotypes of T cells invade solid tumors better. By contributing to this area of research, she hopes that effective T-cell immunotherapy treatments for other diseases involving solid tumors can also be developed. Megan would like to thank Dr. Warren, Dr. Miller, and the other members of the Warren Lab for their guidance and support. She would also like to thank the Levinson family for their generosity and is honored to have received the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award.

Mentor(s): Edus H Warren, Ph.D., Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology & Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
Project Title: Optimizing T-Cell Infiltration in a Human 3D Renal Cell Carcinoma-on-a-Chip for the Development of T-Cell Immunotherapy

Joy Chen is a senior majoring in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. She joined the Nabet lab her junior year, where she investigates cancer-signaling networks by selectively degrading protein targets. Her current research focuses on degrading a mutated Janus kinase 2 protein called JAK2(V617F). JAK2(V617F) is frequently associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a group of blood cancers that have limited, effective treatment options. By degrading this mutant protein, Joy hopes to learn more about JAK2(V617F)’s role in cancer development and contribute to the development of therapeutics for myeloproliferative neoplasms. After college, Joy plans on pursuing either a Ph.D. or M.D. and engineering new biotechnologies for difficult-to-treat diseases. In her free time, Joy enjoys volunteering for HuskyADAPT and going on hikes with friends and family. Joy would like to thank her mentors, Dr. Behnam Nabet and Christina Kuismi, and other members of the Nabet lab for their invaluable mentorship. She is honored to have received the Levinson Emerging Scholars award and is grateful to the Levinson family for their generous support of undergraduate research.

Mentor(s): Dr. Behnam Nabet, Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Project Title: Targeted Degradation of the Oncogenic JAK2V617F

Jasper Geldenbott is a junior in the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at the University of Washington. Since September of 2022, he has had the opportunity to work in the Control and Trustworthy Robotics Lab (CTRL), whose mission it is to push the boundaries of safe, aware and cooperative robotic systems for use in dynamic environments, under the guidance of Professor Karen Leung. His current research is focused on developing a real-time amenable robotic path-planning algorithm, which proactively cooperates with people in chaotic environments such as warehouses and hospitals. Modifying a common robotic path-planning method called Trajectory Optimization allows a robot to display traits such as being legible, that is, moving in a way that clearly conveys its intent to avoid ambiguity, and being proactive, the ability to influence a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting for something to happen, and then responding with highly reactive, unpredictable actions. These traits influence prosocial interactions where everyone equitably compromises their performance to benefit the group as a whole.

Outside of the CTRL lab, Jasper is a member of the UWashington Formula Motorsports team where he is designing a new cooling system for the vehicle, which came in 3rd place in the 2023 North America competition.

Jasper will continue mentoring students within the CTRL lab and within the lab’s high school outreach program, which gives him a chance to share his enthusiasm and knowledge about fascinating developments in robotics. He hopes to continue research in graduate school after his time at the University of Washington.

With this award, Jasper is excited to be able to continue advance his project to become deployable in the real world, creating safer working environments for people who frequently work alongside robotic devices. He would like to thank the Levinson family for their generous support and Professor Leung for her exceptional mentorship since he joined the CTRL Lab.

Mentor(s): Professor Karen Leung, Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics
Project Title: Legible Robot Planning for Prosocial Human-Robot Interactions

Jasleen Kaur Sidhu is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Biochemistry. She joined the Klevit Lab in the summer of her second year where she is researching the small Heat Shock Protein HSPB5 and its disease mutant HSPB5 R120G, which is implicated in cataracts. Small Heat Shock proteins are chaperones that associate with misfolded “client” proteins to delay aggregation under stress conditions and maintain a healthy proteome. Jasleen’s current research aims to determine how the loss of arginine at residue 120 of HSPB5 affects the electrostatic properties of the protein’s structured domain and its resulting effect on HSPB5’s chaperone activity. She hopes that her research will provide insight to how mutations affect the protein’s conformation, ligand interactions and chaperone activity and be a step forward to understanding the overall chaperone mechanism of HSPB5. After graduating from UW, Jasleen plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. When not in school or lab, Jasleen can be found gaming my weekend away or watching shows with my roommates. She enjoys running, reading fantasy books and listening to K-pop. She is incredibly honored to be a Levison scholar and would like to graciously thank the Levison family for their generous contribution to supporting her undergraduate research.

Mentor(s): Dr. Rachel E. Klevit, Department of Biochemistry
Project Title: Electrostatic Properties of HSPB5 and its Disease Mutant R120G

Gloria Shen is a junior at the University of Washington studying Neuroscience. She joined the Dhaka Lab at the beginning of her sophomore year to study the molecular biology of pain and how the body establishes the valence of sensory stimuli. Her work is focused on investigating how cannabidiol (CBD) acts on the nervous system to disrupt nociception and create analgesia in a larval zebrafish model. To accomplish this, Gloria uses a suite of behavioral experiments to classify the properties of CBD and PO4-ERK expression for global nervous system profiling; she employs genetic knockout models of receptors that CBD interacts with such as cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1, CB2) and noxious nociceptors TRPA1 and TRPV1 to clarify the contribution of each receptor to CBD-mediated analgesia. She hopes that this work contributes to the development of novel non-opioid pain therapeutics. After graduating, she intends to pursue an MD pathway to pursue her passion for medicine and healthcare.

Outside of this project, Gloria is pursuing a minor in dance and serves as a co-founder of Traditional Chinese Dance at UW. She is extremely grateful to her mentors, Bryce Lecamp and Dr. Ajay Dhaka, for their continued support and guidance. She would like to thank all of the Dhaka Lab members for helping her grow as a researcher and Dr. and Mrs. Levinson for their invaluable support through this award.

Mentor(s): Dr. Ajay Dhaka, Department of Biological Structure
Project Title: Investigating the Mechanisms of Cannabidiol-mediated Analgesia in Larval Zebrafish

Glorianna Gutierrez is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Neuroscience. During the summer after her sophomore year, she became involved in research through the NIH-funded ENDURE program. Joining the de la Iglesia lab, she focuses on studying circadian rhythms in relation to epilepsy. Her primary project entails developing a machine learning algorithm for epileptic activity detection aiming to create a predictive seizure-prevention system. Glorianna’s dedication to her work has earned her recognition, including the Mary Gates Scholarship, which supports her research. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience to delve deeper into circadian rhythms, brain disorders, and machine learning applications in neuroscience. Her long-term career goal is to become a research scientist dedicated to investigating circadian rhythms to enhance people’s quality of life and treat brain disorders. Glorianna is extremely grateful to her mentors for their support and is honored to have received the prestigious Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, which will further assist her in achieving her future aspirations.

Mentor(s): Dr. Horacio de la Iglesia, Biology
Project Title: Testing the Efficacy of a Machine Learning Algorithm’s Ability to Predict Epileptic Activity in a Mouse Model of Dravet Syndrome

Ella is a junior at the University of Washington studying Chemistry and anticipating studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She joined the Theberge Group led by Dr. Ashleigh Theberge at the beginning of her freshman year. Ella has worked on two bioanalytical chemistry projects in the lab, CandyCollect: a lollipop-inspired microfluidic device designed to test for respiratory illness and STOMP: Suspended Tissue Open Microfluidic Patterning. She is currently working on engineering and culturing new suspended tissue geometries with multiple regions to act as models for diseases with unique physiologies. With the help of the Levinson Scholars Program, Ella will develop a domed geometry with two regions to investigate if oxygen gradients form within the tissue coculture. This model will be applicable to many diseases with oxygen-gradient pathologies, including cancer. Following model development, drug screening will be conducted with the new geometry to investigate the ability of the coculture dome to act as a small-scale, ethical method for testing pharmaceuticals. Through her research, Ella hopes to develop translational models applicable to studying cancer and autoimmune diseases. She intends to continue towards a career in research post-graduation by pursuing an MD-PhD to study immunology. Outside of the lab, Ella enjoys rock climbing, biking, running, and reading. She is also involved in the Biology 113 program as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, enjoys singing in UW’s Treble Choir, and looks forward to volunteering at the UW Food Pantry this year. Ella would like to thank her mentors, Dr. Theberge and Dr. Amanda Haack, for their phenomenal support; the BCME lab for their encouragement; and her family for their love while she pursues her research. She would also like to thank the Levinson Family for their generous support and the Office of Undergraduate Research for their facilitation of undergraduate research at the University of Washington.

Mentor(s): Dr. Ashleigh Theberge, Department of Chemistry, School of Medicine – Department of Urology; Dr. Amanda Haack, Department of Chemistry
Project Title: Investigating Oxygen Gradients in Physiologically Relevant Systems Using Open Microfluidic Patterning

Dania Ahmed is a junior pursuing a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. During her sophomore year, Dania was named an Undergraduate Research Fellow by UW’s Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. Driven by a commitment to improving the lives of individuals dealing with cardiovascular conditions, she joined the Yang Lab. Through unraveling the mechanisms underlying heart disease, she aims to translate discoveries into better diagnostics and therapeutics for patients. One of the captivating frontiers in this field of medicine involves using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM) to model heart diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy. Funding from the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award will allow Dania to test a hypothesis that restoring desmin levels that are deficient in cardiomyopathic cells with the MYH7 E848G mutation – associated with dilated cardiomyopathy – will help recover contractile function. In collaboration with her mentors, Dania will restore normal desmin protein levels in iPSC-CMs expressing the MYH7 E848G mutation, and assess the contractile effects of desmin upregulation on cardiomyopathic iPSC-CMs by utilizing a single cell contractility assay called traction force microscopy. Dania’s favorite part about research is that every answer leads to a new question, a paradox she hopes to continue exploring by pursuing a PhD in stem cell biology. Reflecting on her journey so far, Dania draws a parallel between her earlier self and an undifferentiated stem cell, and would like to thank her phenomenal mentors, Dr. Alex Loiben and Dr. Daniel Yang, for helping her differentiate with purpose and passion into the vast world of science.

Mentor(s): Daniel Yang Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Center for Cardiovascular Biology, Department of Medicine
Project Title: Elucidating Desmin Insufficiency in MYH7 Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Wenxuan is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. She joined the Jung lab at the beginning of her sophomore winter quarter and started to explore the role of activin A in colorectal cancer and acute pancreatitis, areas in which the lab has made important progress. Acute pancreatitis includes sudden inflammation of the pancreas with high morbidity and mortality rates and limited therapeutic options, making it a critical area for research. Wenxuan is driven by the urgent need to shed light on this disease in order to contribute to the development of more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Her individual project focuses on the intricate interplay between activin A and the JNK signaling pathway and their impact on macrophages during the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Wenxuan plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Immunology. She is deeply grateful for the guidance of Dr. Jung and the consistent mentorship of Dr. Wiley, as well as the kind financial support of the Mary Gates Research Scholarship. Wenxuan is honored to join the ranks of the Levinson Scholars and wishes to express her sincere gratitude to the Levinson family, believing that their support will play an important role in advancing her research endeavors.

Mentor(s): Drs. Barbara Jung & Mark Wiley, Department of Medicine
Project Title: Investigating the Effect of Activin A on Innate Immune Response in Acute Pancreatitis

Carrie is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Biomechanics and minoring in Dance at University of Washington. Since February 2022, she has had the joy of working in the Olanrewaju Lab to pursue the intersection between engineering and biological research in order to make medical technology, replacing the need for complicated techniques and expensive equipment. Her current research focuses on 3D printing microfluidic devices to rapidly measure HIV drug concentrations to improve health outcomes in individuals by helping them take their medications. As a high school student, Carrie also researched in the Prekeris Lab at CU-Anschutz where she was mentored by Dr. Cayla Jewett to characterize the role of the Rab19 protein in primary cilia formation and ciliogenesis in trisomic cells from 2019-2021.

Carrie plans to pursue graduate studies in biomechanics or tissue engineering to continue exploring within the world of research. She hopes to share her love for science by mentoring students and to contribute to making scientific education available to all ages and communities outside of the traditional scientific circle!

With this award, Carrie is beyond excited to dedicate her time to continuing to build her skillset in the lab and improving accessibility in both medical technology and scientific knowledge. She is incredibly grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Levinson for their generous support and to the lovely people in her lab.

Mentor(s): Ayokunle Olanrewaju, Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Towards 3D-Printed Autonomous Microfluidics for Rapid Measurement of Antiretroviral Drugs

Beau Lonnquist is a junior at the University of Washington majoring in Bioengineering. He is passionate about exploring the intersection of computation and medicine, and how machine learning can be used to address diverse medical challenges. He joined the Baker Lab during his sophomore year and spent the last year learning core protein design principles and applying them to DNA-binding proteins. Although some of these monomers were capable of binding to their target DNA sequence, they were unable to induce changes in genetic expression on their own. By engineering novel homodimerization domains or rigidly linking these monomeric minibinders, the number of intermolecular contacts made with the DNA can be increased. Beau hypothesizes that this will lead to enhanced DNA-binding affinity and repression of a target gene. Successful designs could have applications in synthetic gene circuits, serve as biosensors, and even lay the groundwork for de novo transcription factors. After earning his undergraduate degree, Beau plans to pursue a PhD before moving into the pharmaceutical industry where he hopes to apply his research experience to drug discovery. Beau is flattered to have received the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award and would like to express his gratitude to Dr. Cameron Glasscock, Robert Pecoraro, and Dr. David Baker for their unwavering patience and support. He would also like to acknowledge the support of the Levinson family for supporting his research and allowing him to continue to do what he loves.

Mentor(s): David Baker, Biochemistry
Project Title: Computational Design of de novo Transcription Factors for Genetic Manipulation

Amber Graves is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in biochemistry and philosophy with a minor in bioethics. She joined the Maly Lab at the end of her sophomore year to work on mapping the conformational dynamics of Lck, which is a non-receptor tyrosine protein kinase involved in T cell activation. T cell activation is vital to the adaptive immune response, as it results in both the proliferation of T cells responsible for the detection of a pathogen or cancer cell, and the production of cytokines that are necessary for coordinating an immune response. Amber is interested in using chemoproteomic methods to identify regions on Lck that are differentially reactive upon T cell receptor stimulation, which would pave a route for the development of covalent ligands that stabilize Lck in its conformational extremes, directly modulating T cell activation. The modulation of T cell activation has the potential to be used in CAR T cell cancer therapies, as the use of covalent ligands that selectively stabilize Lck in its active state can act as a driver for CAR T cell activation.

After graduation, Amber hopes to pursue an MD-PhD, in which they can continue chemical biology research relating to the development of cancer therapies while also working in patient care. Outside of research, Amber is interested in learning more about various ethical frameworks and social philosophy, and how it relates to the development of current societal structure. Amber is incredibly grateful for Dr. Zachary E. Potter and Prof. Dustin J. Maly, as well as the members of Maly Lab, for their mentorship and guidance in her research. Amber would also like to thank the Levinson family for their generosity and commitment to supporting undergraduate research.

Mentor(s): Dr. Dustin J. Maly, Department of Chemistry
Project Title: Identifying Conformation-Dependent Reactive Regions of Lck Using Parallel Chemoselective Profiling