CHR Training Programs | U-RISE and Bridges to the Baccalaureate (BttB)

Daniela is a 3rd-year Biomedical engineering student working with her mentor, Dr. Luke Perreault, on his research project of decellularization of plants with the objective of creating scaffolds that can support cell growth. She has been continuously working on this since the summer of 2026 and into Fall semester while gaining hands-on experience in research.

Audel is a 3rd-year biomedical engineering student. He works with Dr. Nathaniel Martinez, M.D., Ph.D., investigating CD20’s functional ligand using Pfeiffer B cells. His research interests include regenerative medicine and developing therapies that improve patient outcomes.

Serenity is a 4th-year Biological Sciences major. In her time as a BttB scholar, Serenity worked for over a year with Dr. Adam Seal on research focused on acute kidney injury in agricultural field workers. To prepare for the main study, she contributed to a side project assessing collegiate sports teams for serum creatinine, hydration, and heat stress using wet-bulb globe temperature measurements. She supported IRB preparation, coordinated behind-the-scenes logistics, and assisted with data collection and analysis. This work will help to identify factors contributing to kidney injury and informs strategies to protect high-risk populations from heat- and work-related kidney damage.

Analisa is a 4th-year biology major. She is working with mentors Dr. Andres and Nathaniel Martinez developing a Chronometric Biosensor, whcih is a low-cost paper-based point of care diagnostic test that uses reaction time to quantify biomolecules.

Victoria is a 4th-year kinesiology major with a concentration in exercise science. Her research, under the mentorship of Dr. Todd Hagobian, focuses on creatine supplementation and performance with simulated acute altitude exposure. Victoria's summer research experience here at Cal Poly additionally included project design, investigating the effects of oat-derived supplementation on the clearance of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS).

Sam is a 4th year undergraduate student currently pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Earth & Soil Sciences. Under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Taylor, his current research work focuses on the social and thermoregulatory behaviors of rattlesnakes. Outside of his research, Sam is a competitor on the Cal Poly soil judging team, and plans to pursue an M.S. in Soil Science after completing his bachelor’s program. 

Yesenia majored in biological sciences in her time at Cal Poly SLO. She worked with mentor Dr. Alejandra Yep on Investigating the Potential Adverse Effects of Farm Work on UTIs. In her time as a U-RISE scholar, Yesenia attended and presented at 2 conferences. She graduated from Cal Poly SLO early and has begun applying for graduate school. Yesenia is currently working in a clinical capacity.

Arthur majored in biomedical engineering in his time at Cal Poly SLO. He worked in the lab with his mentor Dr. Trevor Cardinal to study Myoblast and Aggregated Endothelial Cell Coculture. In his time as a U-RISE scholar, Arthur attended and presented at 3 conferences and was listed as a co-author on 1 published paper. Arthur graduated from Cal Poly SLO in June 2026. He applied and was accepted into a PhD program at the University of California San Diego and started in Fall 2026.

Rebeka majored in public health in her time at Cal Poly SLO. She worked with mentor Dr. Adrienne Lent on studying Rural-Urban Long COVID-19 Disparities and the Role of Race/Ethnicity. In her time as a U-RISE scholar, she attended and presented at 3 conferences and was listed as a co-author on 1 published paper. Rebeka graduated from Cal Poly SLO in June 2026. She applied and was accepted into a MPH program at Brown University and started in Fall 2026.

Gwynn is a 4th-year biomedical engineering major. In her time as a U-RISE scholar, she worked with mentor Dr. Kristen Cardinal on Culturing Human Carotid Artery Endothelial Cells and determining if they can be used in the lab’s Blood Vessel Mimics. Gwynn is expected to graduate from Cal Poly SLO in the Fall 2026 semester. 

Solomon majored in biomedical engineering at Cal Poly SLO and worked with mentor Dr. Trevor Cardinal in the Microcirculation and Vascular Regeneration (MAVR) lab on research related to blood vessels, muscle fiber stem cells, and cell isolation and culturing. Solomon’s Summer Research Experience in 2024 was at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, where he worked in the lab of Shayn Peirce-Cottler, PhD, a biomedical engineering researcher who develops and uses experimental and computational techniques to study and design new approaches for growing and regenerating injured and diseased tissues by manipulating the structure and composition of the microvasculature. In his time as a U-RISE scholar, Solomon attended and presented at 1 conference. He graduated from Cal Poly SLO in June 2026. Solomon applied and was accepted into the Oregon Health & Sciences PhD program and started in Fall 2026. 

Edgardo majored in Public Health at Cal Poly SLO and worked with mentor Dr. Marilyn Tseng on research related to ethnic enclaves and the potential protective effects they can have on residents’ health outcomes. Edgardo’s Summer Research Experience in 2024 was at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at Brown University. At Brown, he worked with Dr. Elissa Jelalian, whose research is aimed at improving obesity prevention and treatment interventions for children and adolescents. In his time as a U-RISE scholar, Edgardo attended and presented at 4 conferences and was listed as a co-author on 2 published papers. He graduated from Cal Poly SLO in June 2025 and applied and was accepted in a MPH program at Columbia University starting in Fall 2025.  

Adam majored in microbiology at Cal Poly SLO and worked with mentor Dr. Alejandra Yep on research related to inhibiting iron acquisition as a novel therapeutic strategy against UTI’s, along with research investigating fish mycobacterium outbreaks. Adam’s Summer Research Experience in 2024 was at the SUNY Buffalo in Dr. Chelsie Armbruster’s lab, broadly focused on investigating microbe-microbe interactions, host-microbe interactions, and patient characteristics that influence disease severity. Adam graduated from Cal Poly SLO in June 2025 and applied and was accepted into a PhD program in Biomedical Sciences at the Jacobs School of Medicine at University of Buffalo starting in Fall 2025.  

Carissa majored in biomedical engineering at Cal Poly SLO with a concentration in bioinstrumentation. She worked with mentor Dr. Trevor Cardinal on The Assessment of Myoblast Activity from Stromal Vascular Fraction of Mice. Carissa’s Summer Research Experience in 2024 was at the Euan Ashley lab at Stanford University. Dr. Ashley’s lab is focused on precision medicine where they develop methods for the interpretation of whole genome sequencing data to improve diagnosis of genetic disease and to personalize the practice of medicine. In her time as a U-RISE scholar, Carissa attended and presented at 1 conference and was listed as a co-author on 1 published paper. She graduated from her undergraduate program at Cal Poly in June 2025 and applied and was accepted in the MS program in Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly in Fall 2025, graduating with her MS in Spring 2026.