4th Cohort
Charlotte Han
2026-2027 charlottehan@ucmerced.edu
Charlotte collaborates with Dr. Hirosha Geekiyanage to study microRNAs (miRNAs) and their effects on cellular processes and diseases, developing high-titer lentiviral vectors for research in mice and cultured cells. She is skilled in producing and purifying lentiviral vectors and assessing transfection efficiency in Neuro-2a (N2a) cells, as well as in viral production, fluorescence microscopy, and western blotting.
Gannon Connors
2026-2027
Gannon works with Dr. Kara McCloskey studying the potential role of cannabidiol (CBD) and CBD analogs in vascular dysfunction. Skills include sterile cell culture, hydrogel fabrication, image analysis and angiogenesis
Kacie Ng
2026-2027
Kacie works with Dr. Katrina Hoyer on valley fever, a fungal respiratory disease from inhaling Coccidioides spp. spores. She studies hematopoietic stem cell differentiation during systemic Coccidioides infection by assessing common lymphoid and myeloid progenitors in a mouse model. Skills include animal handling, fungal infection delivery via retro-orbital injection, and flow cytometry.
Delia Rodriguez
2026-2027
Delia works with Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos studying the evolutionary dynamics of viruses.
Samathasri Boggula
2026-2027
sboggula@ucmerced.edu
Sam works with Dr. Jennifer Manilay studying the impact of pesticides on thymocyte development. Their early work established a reproducible dual MitoTracker staining protocol for simultaneous assessment of mitochondrial mass and membrane potential in developing thymocytes. Skills include animal handling, cell staining and flow cytometry.
Julian Reyes
2026-2027
Julian is working with Dr. Joel Spencer to characterize the homing dynamics and spatial distribution of bone marrow progenitors following transplantation. To examine bone marrow homing dynamics, green fluorescent protein expressing whole bone marrow is transplanted into wild type host. We then extracted the thymus, performed whole organ tissue clearing, and imaged the sample using a custom two photon microscope. The subsequent whole organ image datasets were then processed in a custom imageJ analysis. Skills include animal handling, tissue clearance, flow cytometry, fluorescent imaging and image analysis.
Delaney Chen
2026-2027
Delaney works with Dr. Hirosha Geekiyanage studying microRNAs (miRNAs) in cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and disease progression. The goal of this project is to generate high-titer lentiviral vectors expressing miRNAs for intravenous administration in mice and transduction of cultured cells. Skills developed include production and purification of lentiviral vectors in HEK293T cells followed by evaluation of transfection efficiency in Neuro-2a (N2a) cells. Skills include viral production, fluorescence microscopy, and western blots.
Pablo Zurita Cruz
2026-2027
Pablo works with Dr. Jennifer Manilay studying the impact of pesticides on thymocyte development. Their early work established a reproducible dual MitoTracker staining protocol for simultaneous assessment of mitochondrial mass and membrane potential in developing thymocytes. Skills include animal handling, cell staining and flow cytometry
Jennifer Garcia Villa
2026-2027
Jennifer works in Dr. Kara McCloskey’s laboratory where she performs cell reprogramming, focusing on generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from cheek cells. Additionally, she is involved in the induction of endothelial cells using these specialized stem cells. To enhance reprogramming efficiency, she has explored the incorporation of a DNA polymerase alpha (Polα) inhibitor. Her skill set encompasses sterile cell culture, hiPSC reprogramming, chemical inductions, and flow cytometry.
Jazmin Magana-Alvarez
2026-2027
@ucmerced.edu
Jazmin works in Dr. Nestor Oviedo’s laboratory on Planarian neoblasts stem cells responsible for tissue maintenance and regeneration. They are examining if mitochondrial mass (MTG) may provide an additional marker for characterizing neoblast heterogeneity and distinguishing functionally distinct cell states. Skills include planarian tissue dissociation, nuclear and MTG staining, and flow cytometry.
