Welcome to the 2022 Summer Research Program! Below, find important information and events, faculty flash talks, and profiles of some of our student researchers.
This year the SRP program will run from May 31 to August 5, with an all-day conference scheduled for Wednesday, August 3.
Events, deadlines, and other important information for each week:
- Before the Program:
- Contract: Sign and return your SRP contract to urc@oxy.edu by 5:00pm on April 1 to confirm your place in the program.
Housing: Complete the URC Housing Survey by 5:00pm on April 1 and complete the REHS Housing Form by April 15.
CITI Ethics Training: This is required for all program participants: send your certificate of completion to urc@oxy.edu. (instructions emailed with contract)
Human Subjects Research: If your project requires review by the Human Subjects Research Review Committee or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, begin the process of getting that approval ASAP. Please note you cannot begin your research until this approval has been granted, and you will not receive a stipend check until that process is complete. If you are working with non-human animals, please speak with your mentor about the status of your approval. If your project has been approved e-mail your approval form to urc@oxy.edu. For questions, please contact them directly at hsrrc@oxy.edu. The HSRRC will not be meeting during the summer: you must submit your application for approval no later than mid-April.
Accounts Payable: All SRP participants are encouraged to sign up for the Accounts Payable direct deposit before the start of the program (May 31st). Please note if you were employed in the academic year and were enrolled in direct deposit payments those are different than the accounts payable direct deposit. If you do not sign up for AP direct deposit your check will be mailed to your address on file within 3-5 business days after the pay date.
- Week 1 (May 31-June 4):
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Tuesday, May 31, 3:00pm (Sycamore Glen): Welcome Reception
Thursday, June 2, 12:00pm (Academic Quad): Peer Mentoring Group Meeting
- Week 2 (June 6-June 11)
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Monday, June 6, 10:00 am (Sycamore Glen): Coffee Break
Wednesday, June 8, 12:00 pm (Mosher 1): Professional Development Workshops
“Starting and Maintaining Strong Mentoring Relationships”
Prof. Clair Morrissey (URC Director, Philosophy)
Prof. Jeff Cannon (Chemistry)
Alumni Reunion Weekend is June 10-12. Academic Quad is off limits due to even set-up
Thursday, June 9, 12:00 pm (South JSC Quad): Area Group Meetings/Lunch
Our Thursday luncheon has been moved to the South JSC Quad from 12 to 1pm.
Saturday, June 11, 10:30 am (Berkus Courtyard): Succulent Planting
Join us for a fun morning planting succulents! RSVP by Thursday 6/9 @ 5PM by email mmunoz2@oxy.edu
Coffee from Cafe de Leche and donuts from Colorado Donuts will be provided.
Community Events:
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2022 GRAY-HILL SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Caltech’s best graduate students share their research with our OXY undergraduates. Friday's from June 10th to July 29th, from 4:30PM-5:30PM in Mosher 1, with refreshments starting at 4PM on Mosher Patio.
Friday, June 10, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm (Mosher 1): Jake Evans
“A Love Letter to X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Characterization of an Earth-Abundant Oxygen Evolution Catalyst”
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OXY ARTS PRESENTS:
F L O W ! by Mary Fagot.
Saturday, June 11, OXY ARTS Sidewalk, 11 am-2 pm:
F L O W ! exhibition opening day. Featuring an ice cream truck, live twisting by balloon artist Addi Somekh and a live synth performance by David Scott Stone! Reserve timed entry tickets here.
Announcements & Reminders:
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SRP Pay Day: Friday, June 10
Checks will be direct deposited. If not enrolled in Direct Deposit,your check will be mailed to your campus box
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- Week 3 (June 13-June 18)
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Monday, June 13, 10:00 am (Sycamore Glen): Coffee Break
Tuesday, June 14, 12:00 pm (Mosher 1): Professional Development Workshops
“Well-being as a Student Researcher”
Luci Masredjian (Director of Disability Services and Student Support)
Thursday, June 16, 12:00 pm (Academic Quad): Area Group Meetings/Lunch
Community Events:
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Dinner at Joy!
Tuesday, June 14, 5:30 PM (Outside Berkus Garage): Meet to walk to Joy for dinner.
Organized by Nathan Tam
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Movie Night!
Thursday, June 16, 7:00 PM (Choi Auditorium): Shrek 2
Ice Cream Sundae Bar. Organized by Kel Kline
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2022 GRAY-HILL SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Friday, June 17, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm (Mosher 1): Linh Le
“Partial synthetic models of FeMoco with sulfide and carbyne ligands: Effect of interstitial atom in nitrogenase active site”
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Red Hen Press Book Fair:
Saturday, June 18, 3:00-5:00 PM (1540 Lincoln Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103):
Book Sale, Food Trucks, and Open Mic. Masks and proof of vaccination required inside.
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OXY ARTS PRESENTS:
F L O W ! by Mary Fagot.
June 11 - August 6 (OXY ARTS):
GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm*
Thursdays: extended drop-in hours until 8pmTimed entry every half hour. RSVP recommended. RESERVE FREE TICKETS.
F L O W ! is an invitation to discover the magical nature of the everyday physical properties that surround us through a series of immersive art installations.
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- Week 4 (June 20-June 25)
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Monday, June 20: Observing Juneteenth. No Coffee Break
Thursday, June 23, 12:00 pm (Academic Quad): Area Group Meetings/Lunch
Community Events:
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Tie-Dye!
Friday, June 24, 12:00 PM (Sycamore Glen): Come tie-dye some t-shirts with us! Pizza lunch will be provided. Limited supplies available. Students are encouraged to bring any clothes they may want to tie-dye. Organized by Matthew de Koch.
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Oxy Arts F L O W !
Friday, June 16, 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM —exhibition hours— (OXY Arts & Bagel and Slice on York): Visit the interactive exhibit on Fluid Dynamics. Peer mentor Sebastian will lead his group at 3:30 PM from the HSC. Tickets for timed-entry and more details on the exhibition are available here. Afterwards, you're welcome to try Bagel and Slice on York at around 4:15 PM. Organized by Sebastian Lechner.
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2022 GRAY-HILL SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Friday, June 24, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm (Mosher 1): Hyungdo Cho
"Photoinduced, Copper-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Alkylations of Anilines by Racemic Tertiary Electrophiles: Synthesis and Mechanism"
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OXY ARTS PRESENTS:
F L O W ! by Mary Fagot.
June 11 - August 6 (OXY ARTS):
GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm*
Thursdays: extended drop-in hours until 8pmTimed entry every half hour. RSVP recommended. RESERVE FREE TICKETS.
F L O W ! is an invitation to discover the magical nature of the everyday physical properties that surround us through a series of immersive art installations.
Announcements & Reminders:
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SRP Pay Day: Friday, June 24
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Meeting with a Faculty Writing Specialist or a Research Librarian, each counts as a professional development workshop. Schedule and sign up here: Faculty Writing Specialist — Research Librarian
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The in-person end of Summer Research Program conference will take place on August 3rd. Plan accordingly to be present at the all-day conference for your presentation as well as to support your peers. A form requesting your presentation title and whether it is a poster or talk will be sent soon. For now, plan to meet with your mentor to discuss your presentation format.
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Come in to the URC office to get your picture taken for our end of summer conference program booklet! All researchers must have their picture taken by July 8th.
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- Week 5 (June 27-July 2)
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Monday, June 27, 10:00 am (Sycamore Glen): Coffee Break
Tuesday, June 28, 12:00 pm (Mosher 1): Professional Development Workshops
“Becoming a Responsible Researcher”
Prof. Clair Morrissey, URC Director, Philosophy
Wednesday, June 29, 12:00 pm (Bio Science 113): Professional Development Workshops
“imposter Syndrome and Finding Your Place as a Researcher"
Robin Maxile, Director of Racial Equity
Thursday, June 30, 12:00 pm (Academic Quad): Area Group Meetings/Lunch
Community Events:
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Scientific Fresco Painting:
Thursday, June 30, 5:00 PM (Sycamore Glen):
Peer Mentor Alyssa will be explaining the basis of one of the oldest art mediums -the fresco painting- through the lens of science and then you'll all get to paint your own watercolor/oil pastel on plaster to take home.
Organized by Alyssa Pfitzer Price.
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2022 GRAY-HILL SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Friday, July 1, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm (Mosher 1): Emily Laubscher
"Deep learning-enabled measurement of metabolic signaling dynamics"
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OXY ARTS PRESENTS:
F L O W ! by Mary Fagot.
June 11 - August 6 (OXY ARTS):
GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday-Saturday: 11am-4pm*
Thursdays: extended drop-in hours until 8pmTimed entry every half hour. RSVP recommended. RESERVE FREE TICKETS.
F L O W ! is an invitation to discover the magical nature of the everyday physical properties that surround us through a series of immersive art installations.
Announcements & Reminders:
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Meeting with a Faculty Writing Specialist or a Research Librarian, each counts as a professional development workshop. Schedule and sign up here: Faculty Writing Specialist — Research Librarian
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Come in to the URC office to get your picture taken for our end of summer conference program booklet! All researchers must have their picture taken by July 8th.
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The URC will need to know some information about all SRP participants to begin prepping and scheduling the August 3rd End of the SRP Conference.
Complete the following forms by Tuesday, July 12:
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If you would like to invite off-campus guests complete this form:
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- Week 6 (June 4-July 9)
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Monday, July 4: Holiday. No Coffee Break
Tuesday, July 5, 12:00 pm (ZOOM): Professional Development Workshops
Graduate School Panel, with:
Prof. Kevin Williams (Economics)
Prof. Irina Rabkina (Computer Science) Prof. Michael Amoruso (Religious Studies)Zoom link: Join Zoom Meeting ID: 88938734394 Passcode: 522787
Thursday, July 7, 12:00 pm (Academic Quad): Area Group Meetings/Lunch
Community Events:
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Visit to LACMA:
Saturday, July 9, 10:00 AM (LACMA):
Visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. RVSP via email to mmunoz2@oxy.edu. Limited spaces available. Organized by Rees Walker.
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2022 GRAY-HILL SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS:
Friday, July 8, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm (Mosher 1): Sepand Nistanaki
“Enantioselective Reactions of Vinyl Carbocations”
Announcements & Reminders:
- Meeting with a Faculty Writing Specialist or a Research Librarian, each counts as a professional development workshop. Schedule and sign up here: Faculty Writing Specialist — Research Librarian
- Come in to the URC office to get your picture taken for our end of summer conference program booklet! All researchers must have their picture taken by July 8th.
- The URC will need to know some information about all SRP participants to begin prepping and scheduling the August 3rd End of the SRP Conference.Complete the following forms by Tuesday, July 12:
- Student Conference Info
- If you would like to invite off-campus guests complete this form:
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Faculty Flash Talks:
Featured Student Projects:
- Pooja Bansiya
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Pooja Bansiya '24 is a Cognitive Science Major. This summer she is working with Neda Rabii '22 and Qiyao Wang '25 on a study that looks at learning ambiguous patterns and novel objects and their patterns. They invite people to participate in their study, participants get an EEG electrode cap placed on their head and their brain activity is analyzed. Pooja and her team give a totally new set of objects to participant and they see how they learn those over time. A lot of what they do is considered neurolearning and they try to see how participants are able to learn different patterns over time and see how their brains are able to make connections.
Pooja started the research over the fall and spring semester with her mentor Prof. Nelli and with the URC's funding she was able to continue it through the summer program. She loves talking to participants while they're setting up and capping them. She loves building new aquaintances through her research, assisting community events, and jamming out with her friends after work.
- Alyssa Pfitzer Price
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Alyssa Pfitzer Price '23 is from Louisville, Kentucky, and loves finding the connections between art, science, and the environment. She knits, paints, does film photography, printmaking and more! She also swim for Oxy, scuba dive, and loves just being around the ocean.
Alyssa's project is “All Things Boring about Sponges” studying the effects of ocean acidification on sponge bioerosion in reef systems. This type of erosion has the power to inflict damage on reefs and alter marine community structure in extremely short periods of time. Prof. Amber Stubler (Biology Dept), Lauren Samaniego and Alyssa are working specifically with Cliona celata sponges to understand how their growth and behavior of boring into calcium shells/substrates is affected by climate change.
- Alika Williams
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Alika Williams '23 is from Las Vegas, Nevada. He's a Psychology & Public Health major at Oxy where he also works for bike share, is the bass section leader in Oxy's Glee Club, and is interested in Health Psychology. In their free time they love to skateboard, make music, and read.
The title of their project is "Perceived Healthcare Access Barriers for Pacific Islanders." In their research, they're collecting data about people's healthcare usage habits and how those have changed due to COVID-19. Additionally, they're interested in Pacific Islanders supplementing western healthcare with traditionally or culturally based medicinal practices. Alika is very excited about their project because indigenous pacific islander populations are underrepresented in healthcare research all while being disproportionately impacted by events such as the global pandemic. Alika is mentored by Prof. Patricia Cabral, Psychology.
- Nina Russell
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Nina Russell '23 is a Sociology Major and History Minor. Nina says Silver Spring, Maryland will always be her home, but her time out here at Oxy has been lovingly spent studying the sociology of disability. In her free time she enjoy hoarding books and watching movies on Kanopy!
Nina's project is called "Constructing Disability: Eugenics in the Golden State, 1928-1942." She commutes to Caltech to study an archive of the Human Betterment Foundation, a eugenics organization that was active in Pasadena during the 1930s. The goal of her research is to examine how the California eugenics movement utilized ableist rhetoric to advocate for—and carry out—the forced sterilization of entire classes of people: Latina women, immigrants, welfare recipients, and institutionalized people, most of them disabled. This is difficult research and a difficult history, but she feels that she can bring a much needed disability studies perspective to this subject. Her mentor is Prof. Trevizo.
