Congratulations to all of last year’s SBME Synergy students!
Allison Dummel
Allison Dummel is a third year student in the Faculty of Sciences, working on her Biology degree. She is working with the Blakney Lab to develop a procedure for freeze-drying RNA-encapsulating lipid nanoparticles in order to increase the shelf life and stability of future RNA vaccines.
Amy Ker
Amy Ker is a UBC medical student part of the Class of 2025. Amy grew up in Vancouver, on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Traditional Territory. She completed her BSc at McGill in Neuroscience in 2020. After spending time researching the development of spinal circuitry in her undergrad, Amy became interested in the complexity of brain and spinal cord injury. She hopes to continue pursuing this interest in the field of medicine by exploring novel treatment options for nervous system injury. She will be working with Dr. Michael Berger at ICORD investigating functional outcomes following nerve transfer surgery. She is grateful and excited to be a part of the SBME Summer program.
Angie Peng
Angie Peng is currently a second year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of British Columbia. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, skiing, and baking. Angie is originally from Calgary, Alberta, and is interested in neurodegenerative diseases and therapeutics. She also has a mechanical engineering role on the Biomedical Engineering Design Team (BEST). This summer, Angie will be working under the guidance of Dr. Shernaz Bamji to ultimately determine factors which impact myelination rates, with future applications in regenerative medicines for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. She will be working with cuprizone treated demyelinated mice, and exhibiting differing expression rates of the palmitoylating enzyme DHHC9 to measure its sufficiency in increasing myelination. Angie is extremely eager to see what this summer holds, and looks forward to the opportunities provided under Synergy.
Ardin (Art) Sacayanan
Ardin (Art) Sacayanan is a graduating student majoring in biomedical engineering, specializing in cellular bioengineering. This summer, he will be working with Dr. Laksman to study arrythmias in patients with a history of sudden cardiac arrest. In his spare time, he likes to hike, camp, read, sketch, paint, build, and do a bit of gardening. He has also developed an interest for watching movies recently, and he welcomes suggestions. He looks forward to meeting everyone.
Christian Thorson
Christian Thorson is a first-year bachelor of science student at UBC. Christian has lived in Vancouver for most of their life, and graduated from Mulgrave school last year. Christian’s project involves the usage of machine learning to automatically grade prostate cancer. Christian’s interest in machine learning and the intersections between health and engineering was kickstarted by working under Dr. Abolmaesumi on a machine learning project – Christian had the opportunity to sit in on several meetings with his team, who were at the time collaborating with the Vancouver General Hospital echocardiography lab on the implementation of artificial intelligence in echocardiography.
Christina Pan
Christina Pan is a third year student in UBC’s Biochemistry Honours program. While at UBC, she completed the Science One program in her first year and continues to be involved with this program as a Wellness Tutorial Leader – providing first year students with tools to help them manage their time, stress levels, and general wellbeing. Over the summer, she will be working on a project that seeks to identify substrates of MALT1 and whether or not the cleavage of known substrates will vary with different CBM platforms. Outside of school, Christina enjoys playing the piano and tennis.
David McKay
David McKay is a 4th year undergraduate student in the Biomedical Engineering program at UBC. His project this summer will focus on characterizing stem cells while optimizing their maintenance and differentiation to insulin-producing cells for type 1 diabetes treatment in the Kieffer Lab. He enjoys playing soccer, going for long runs, and listening to podcasts while cleaning. He looks forward to meeting everyone in the Synergy program and seeing their projects on Research Day.
Emilie Wang
Emilie Wang is studying integrated sciences at UBC while minoring in health and society. She loves long walks, being outside in the sun, and is always happy to read a good book. This summer, she is working with Dr. Jenna Usprech. Her project focuses on research communication and education strategies that can promote science and health literacy in newcomer women to BC.
George Xu
George Xu is an undergraduate student in Engineering Physics, with a focus on software and biomedical imaging. His current project aims to develop an AI lung nodule management system, with an end goal of integration with a microwave treatment system.
Ipek Egilmez
Ipek Egilmez is finishing up her fourth year as an undergraduate student at SBME. She will be working in the Shakiba lab this summer. She moved to Canada from Turkey in 2018 to pursue a degree in engineering as one of the 35 international students in her admission year to be given the International Leader of Tomorrow Award by UBC for her achievement in academics, as well as leadership skills and community engagement projects. Ipek is in the cellular bioengineering stream of the Biomedical Engineering degree, and also doing a minor in Microbiology and Immunology. She is the team lead of UBC BEST’s Biochemical Innovation Team, and also one of the three founding members of the non-profit Building Blocks Employment.
Jason Sunardi
Jason Sunardi will be entering his third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in the fall, majoring in Biomedical Systems in the Engineering Science program. This summer he will be conducting a research project in the Yachie lab focusing on developing a novel random mutagenesis tool for high-resolution cell lineage tracing and gene editing. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, playing strategy games, and watching movies. He’s looking forward to a great summer at SBME!
Jessica Jung
Jessica Jung is a fourth-year student enrolled in the Cellular Bioengineering stream of the Biomedical Engineering program at UBC. She recently completed her co-op placement at Amgen BC where she worked collaboratively with the Functional Screening Group to examine the applications of advanced cell culture systems for bioassay antibody screening. Jessica’s final co-op term will be completed this summer at the Neural Circuits for Computation, Cognition and Control (NC4) Laboratory at UBC headed by Dr. Manu Madhav. Her work will entail optimizing and performing the protocol for iDISCO brain clearing, immunolabeling and imaging of whole brain tissue using light sheet microscopy. Jessica is actively involved with student-led teams including her role as Vice President External of Engineers Without Borders UBC, where she works with an interdisciplinary team to foster global thinkers by facilitating connections among community members and introducing them to new perspectives.
Karolina Moo
Karolina Moo is a second year undergraduate biomedical engineering student at UBC, originally from Ottawa, Ontario. She believes in technology’s potential to improve human health and diagnosis, and is particularly interested in fostering collaboration between engineers, medical professionals, and researchers alike. Karolina is also passionate about helping students from underrepresented populations pursue their interest in engineering and STEM, which she does through outreach and mentorship. Through the Synergy program, Karolina will be working with Dr. Karen Cheung and graduate students to develop a microfluidic airway-on-a-chip model to study the effect of air pollution and woodsmoke on COPD, in addition to working on the Mend the Gap spinal cord injury project. Outside of school and work, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, learning new languages and singing with her a cappella group.
Kate Halverson-Kolkind
Kate Halverson-Kolkind is a fourth year student currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences at UBC. Kate became interested in research during high school, when she participated in a program offered by Oregon Health and Sciences University. She gained laboratory experience working within the Department of Proteomic where I assisted research in cataract formation. Through the experience, Kate came to appreciate the importance of collaboration, persistence, and curiosity. This summer Kate will assist Dr. Anna Herrmann in developing immunomodulating polymer conjugates to target and treat glycocalyx dysfunction in inflammatory conditions.
Katelin Flick
Katelin Flick is completing her third year of mechanical engineering at Dalhousie university and is working towards a certificate in biomedical engineering. Katelin first became interested in biomedical engineering after being introduced to it in her previous job when she was tasked with the mechanical design of a biomedical device. She is excited to have the opportunity to learn more about this field while working with a great team.
Katrina Jewell
Katrina Jewell is a second-year biomedical engineering student passionate about applying engineering principles to better understand and manipulate biological systems and improve the lives of others. Her current research with the Biomedical Engineering Student Team investigates the potential of cinnamon polyphenols as a novel treatment for insulin resistance and diabetes. Through the Synergy program with the Zandstra Stem Cell Bioengineering laboratory, Katrina will be developing a molecular reporting system to track expression of key transcription factors during in vitro T cell differentiation. These sensors will be used to drive the expression of transgenes to enhance T cell differentiation, which has the potential to massively lower the cost of and thereby increase accessibility to T cell therapy.
Makenna Clement-Ranney
Makenna Clement-Ranney was born and raised in Vaughan, Ontario, and is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Western Ontario completing an Honours Specialization in Genetics. This summer Makenna will be moving to Vancouver to work under Dr. Pamela Hoodless at the BC Cancer Research Institute on an NSERC USRA. Makenna’s project will focus on analyzing human induced pluripotent stem cells, using mouse and human in vivo data to establish the best in vitro model to study human liver development. Throughout Makenna’s undergrad, she has been a member of multiple peer support groups on campus, including the University Students’ Council Peer Support Center and the Genetic Mentorship Program, to provide students with support that is rooted in the shared student experience at Western University. Makenna loves to spend time outdoors hiking and swimming and is very excited to explore beautiful British Columbia. Makenna is excited to advance her knowledge in the field of research and aspires to one day pursue a career as a genetic counselor, whereby she hopes to use the principles of biomedical engineering to advance genetic testing and diagnosis, improving human health.
Marcus Shew
Marcus Shew is a third-year student at UBC. He is thrilled to be able to continue with research at the CBR and the opportunity to study the quality of red blood cell quality in fatty whole blood donations this summer. He is grateful for the support and mentorship of Dr. Dana Devine, Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari, as well as the Centre for Blood Research.
Melody Weng
Melody Weng is an aspiring UBC nursing student who has completed her second year in microbiology and immunology. She is passionate about equitable public health and STEM-focused educational initiatives. On the microbiology end, she has dabbled in research involving genome extraction and sequencing on microbial matter isolated from secondary wastewater treatment plants. This summer, she is excited to perform research exploring the efficacy of calcium administration in promoting hemostasis and reducing hypovolemic shock in trauma patients. She will be quantifying relationships between calcium administration, patient outcomes, and other relevant laboratory values with data from patient charts. Through her research, she aims to gain more insight into improving trauma patient prognoses by exploring best practices in calcium administration, providing trauma physicians with empirical guidance under time-critical situations
Nathan Louie
Nathan Louie is excited to be a part of the Synergy Program and to be working in the Foster Lab this summer! Nathan will be entering the final year of the Microbiology and Immunology program at UBC this upcoming fall, and is interested in research focused on bacteriology and host immune responses. Nathan enjoys running cycling, and going out to eat with friends!
Paniz Ghavimi
Paniz Ghavimi is a second-year student in the faculty of Sciences at UBC. Paniz is interested in human anatomy and physiology, and has a particular interest in the cardiovascular system. This summer, Paniz will be working in Dr. Conway’s lab, and investigating and exploring alternative roles for Factor D in vascular homeostasis. Paniz looks forward to developing skills and being a part of the CBR and SBME academic community.
Quan Nguyen
Quan Nguyen recently completed my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry Honours at UBC. Quan worked in the Kim lab for his thesis project, investigating the role of the actin cytoskeleton in platelet microparticle formation and release. During that time, Quan also investigated the mechanisms related to platelet activation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway. This summer, Quan looks forward to continuing my project to explore the signaling pathways (and intermediates) downstream of TLR4 activation in platelets.
Ralph Uy
Ralph Uy is a 4th year student at UBC majoring in Integrated Sciences with a focus on immunology and physiology. Ralph enjoys playing badminton or going to the gym, and is excited to be a part of the Synergy program!! As someone who is considering going into research in the future, being able to have the opportunity of working in a lab will help Ralph build skills and experience. Ralph is looking forward to working on his project.
Sana Ahmed
Sana Ahmed is a recent graduate with an Honours Biochemistry degree from UBC. Sana’s undergraduate thesis focused on examining the membrane contact sites between the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum using super-resolution microscopy, and is planning to continue this project by examining their dysregulation. This has Sana occupied at the lab but outside it she loves to play the piano, converse in Vines, and explore the sights that Vancouver has to offer.
Sarah Lim
Sarah Lim is a second year undergraduate student in the electrical/biomedical engineering program. She is interested in the application of technology to healthcare and is excited to be undertaking a research project which bridges medicine and engineering. Sarah will be completing her research at the BC Cancer Research Institute’s Terry Fox Laboratory in the Eaves Lab. She is looking forward to gaining experience utilizing cellular assays to analyze variable cancer and hematopoietic stem cell behavior.
Sofie Levy
Sofie Levy is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia completing her Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology. She spent the past year at Oak Tree Clinic as a co-op student assisting with clinical study visits for the BCC3 study which aims to learn more about the healthy aging of women living with HIV. She will now be working in the Cote lab to analyze how persistent viral infections may further contribute to HIV-induced chronic inflammation and affect all-cause mortality risk.
Stephanie Nguyen
Stephanie Nguyen is a biomedical engineering student who’s passionate about learning and creating nanotechnology, and anything related to therapeutics. She aims to be able to create novel solutions to address the needs in healthcare and industry, not just in the lab but also by working with organizations to disseminate awareness.
Sze Lok Ng
Sze Lok Ng is an incoming third-year Biomedical Engineering student. Sze enjoys reading, working out and hanging out with family and friends. Sze also greatly enjoys playing video games and watching Kdrama. Sze’s research interest is in developmental biology, especially in the process of stem cell differentiation, development and their regenerative properties. Moreover, Sze is interested in the similarities between cancerous cells and stem cells.
Tien Do
Tien Do (preferred name: Tien, pronunciation: /ti – en/, pronouns: she/her) has just finished the second year of her Joint Honours Combined UBC-BCIT Biotechnology degree. She is passionate about Microbiology and Molecular Biology, especially about how they can transform human health. As a recipient of the Centre of Blood Research Award 2022, she is going to work at Hancock Lab on evaluating the synergistic interaction between antimicrobial peptides and other antibiotics to tackle the current antibiotic resistance problem.
Tiffany Huang
Tiffany Huang is a second-year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in stem cell and tissue regeneration research. This summer, under the guidance of Dr. Fabio Rossi, Tiffany will be investigating the role of stromal cells in modulating muscle mass. In her spare time, Tiffany enjoys staying active by dabbling in calisthenics, playing sports and doing Kendo. She is also a project lead on the UBC Supermileage design team and is competing at the Shell Eco-Marathon competition this April.
Waris Bhatia
Waris Bhatia is in the final year of his undergraduate degree pursuing a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc) in the Department of Pathology. He is currently supporting the universal blood project in the Kizhakkedathu Lab at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR). His interests lie in conducting translational biomedical research as well as interdisciplinary health research. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, pottery, and going on long hikes.
Xavier Lam
Xavier Lam is a first year Applied Science student and Schulich Leader Scholar at UBC who was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. He is passionate about the use of technology and AI to improve health and well-being. Currently, he is a research assistant in the Human Motion Biomechanics Lab (HUMBL) at UBC using wearable sensors and machine learning to analyze soccer moves to predict the risk of injuries. His past personal projects include a machine learning algorithm that helps detect skin cancer, and an AI pipeline to expedite CT scan segmentation for mandible imaging. In his free time, he enjoys playing piano and saxophone, watching anime, and listening to jazz music. Xavier’s background as a competitive épée fencer for over 10 years inspired his Synergy project this summer. Under the supervision of Dr. Calvin Kuo, he will analyze the biomechanics of fencing lunges using motion capture techniques in order to examine the physical stresses responsible for common knee injuries in fencers.
Yasmin Lau
Yasmine Lau is a 4th year Biochemistry student in KMM Lab. Her ongoing projects heavily involve podocalyxin protein and consequences of its heterozygosity relating to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). For the past year, Yasmine has been studying and carrying out induction of nephrotic syndromes in in vivo renal disease murine models, working towards a mechanism of FSGS. Her current inquiries involve a multidisciplinary collaboration with other labs and experts at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to develop a non-invasive, inexpensive method of detecting and diagnosing fibrotic kidney disease with quantitative ultrasound (QUS). Apart from research, Yasmine’s interests include art projects of varying mediums, bone maceration, and foil fencing.