By Elita Kutateli ’26
As the fall semester came to a close, the hallways of The Nucleus filled with excitement as seniors gathered to present their research after months of hard work and showcase their newfound talents in the sciences. Professors beamed with joy watching their students present their work, friends and family brought flowers to cheer on their loved ones, and students were eager to share what they had been working on for so long.
Simran Sethi 鈥�26, majoring in biochemistry and minoring in computer science, worked with Keck Graduate Institute Professor Barbara Kraatz Fotini, who specializes in genome variations and how they impact the risk and development of colorectal cancer, to research gene expression. Sethi used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR in her research, observing what occurs on the DNA level when a potentially cancer-causing gene is removed.
鈥淚 use gene-editing techniques to 鈥榢nock down,鈥� or reduce the activity of, this gene and then observe how that change affects the expression of other genes,鈥� Sethi says. 鈥淓ssentially, I鈥檓 asking: if we remove a gene that helps regulate transcription, what happens to the rest of the system?鈥�
Undergraduate research enhances the academic experience
Undergraduate research is a key part of the student experience at Scripps. The academic environment pushes students to take action and faculty foster a space where students are encouraged to take intellectual risks, pursue their questions about the world, and transforming聽 classroom learning into meaningful and independent scholarship.
Scripps students can deepen their expertise and contribute new insights to their fields through research opportunities, even ones outside their majors.
Environmental science major Ana Rowley 鈥�26, who extended her summer research at Washington State over the fall, looked at how climate change impacts organisms, specifically copepods, and how they respond to shifts in temperature. As a non-biology major, the opportunity for Rowley to work in wet labs exposed her to further areas of study.
鈥淭his project was very biology-focused, so many of the concepts were completely new to me,鈥� Rowley says. 鈥淚 learned a lot through the process. It was really exciting to expand my knowledge, even in a field where I鈥檓 not an expert.鈥�
Flannery Warner ’26Flannery Warner ’26 had a similar experience in her research, learning a great deal of chemistry even as a biology major and reflected on how invaluable the work was.
鈥淭his research exposed me to a side of healthcare I鈥檓 interested in but I wouldn鈥檛 otherwise get to experience, the chemistry and pharmaceutical side of the industry,鈥� Warner says.
Warner developed a method to test the legitimacy of a chemotherapy and anemia drug, called leucovorin calcium, using pill samples from all over the world. Warner explained that this is a common issue with pharmaceutical drugs鈥攎any organizations will use cheaper materials for production, resulting in a faulty medicine that impacts patient treatment.
鈥淚 thought it was important to gain experience in this area, especially since it connects research directly to patient care. Knowing that my work could contribute, even indirectly, to real-world medical outcomes was really motivating,鈥� Warner says.