UC Davis undergraduates take center stage to showcase their research

URSCA 2023 audience members overhead shot
The poster sessions, along with the arts and design exhibits, are open to the public at the 37th Annual Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday. (Gregory Uriquiaga/UC Davis)

UC Davis undergraduates take center stage to showcase their research

  • by Ginger M Welsh

UC Davis student Rogelio Castillo did not expect undergraduate research to open a path for him to create change in his community of Lindsay, California. But his family’s past experiences with rushed and impersonal health care turned him to science to discover ways to improve health and the quality of patient-provider relationships. 

Castillio, a fourth-year student majoring in neurobiology, physiology and behavior, is one of 1,017 students who will present their undergraduate research projects at the 37th annual Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities conference at UC Davis April 24 and 25. 

Two men smiling and talking in a cluttered research lab, photo
Rogelio Castillo, left, speaks with principal investigator Keith Baar at the Baar Lab in Briggs Hall. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

Pursuing research

Every year, thousands of undergraduates participate in faculty and independent research projects. The Undergraduate Research Center prepares students for the annual conference by familiarizing them with the process and academic rigors of presenting research in a scholarly manner.

“Research is in the fabric of what our university does,” said Raynell Hamilton-Starks, director of the Undergraduate Research Center. “Our students ask questions. They look for answers. They think critically and they try new things.”

Fourth-year student Azucena Virgen said her initial interest in high school biology grew into a long-term goal to lead a research lab and mentor future scientists. She credits her introduction to lab work as what set her on this path. Virgen will present her research on Hydra and its ability to regrow entire body parts. 

Student presenters share research

The conference is free and open to the public. Poster presentations and the arts and design exhibit take place in the University Credit Union Center from 1-5 p.m. Friday. Oral presentations are in Wellman Hall from 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday.

To participate in the conference, students submitted an abstract of their research with approval from a faculty sponsor. Iliya Voytsyshyn, a fourth-year student majoring in systems and synthetic biology, worked closely with his faculty mentor to develop an app that helps scientists propose new treatments for rare neurological disorders. 

This is the second time he presents his work at the conference.  He said these opportunities are crucial to his success as a budding researcher. 

“My coursework, combined with these types of hands-on learning experiences at UC Davis and UC Davis Health, prepared me well for my next career steps,” Voytsyshyn said.

Three researchers in white lab coats and blue gloves talking in a laboratory
Iliya Voytsyshyn discusses his research with graduate student Klaudia Braczyk and principal investigator Kyle Fink, at the Fink Lab at UC Davis Health. (Wayne Tilcock/UC Davis Health)

The Undergraduate Research Center, a unit of the Office of Undergraduate Education, encourages and facilitates research opportunities for UC Davis undergraduates. Programs and events offered through the Undergraduate Research Center are open to all students. New opportunities, jobs and funding support are regularly added to the website.