5 Ways UC Berkeley Students Lead in World-Changing Research
At Berkeley, students are committed to exploring and developing solutions for the world’s toughest challenges. Being part of a campus that’s a research powerhouse means that all of our students — undergraduate as well as graduate — have countless opportunities to take part in research alongside top faculty and in research centers across campus. We asked some of our undergraduate students to share how their projects are making a difference. Here are some of their stories.
Design a Handy Prosthetic
Bryanna Benicia, Mechanical Engineering
As part of her class on upper limb prosthetics, Bryanna Benicia and her team members designed the Theohand, a simple grasping prosthetic tailor-made for their young partner, Theo, a 3-year-old born without a right hand. Their periodic meetings with Theo and his parents informed design choices in several ways, such as opting for a toy-like knob and flexible materials that would be easy for a child to operate. For students interested in design, Bryanna says to “challenge your perspective of what design can be.” In particular, the Invention Lab has been important in her journey. “[The staff] care about you and want to see your project succeed,” she says.
Help Others Through Sound & Science
Greg Devine, Neurobiology and Music
Greg Devine combined his passions for music and neuroscience when he started researching how music can help people regulate their emotions as part of his participation in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). The fellowship provides funding so that students in the College of Letters and Science can spend the summer doing concentrated research in preparation for a senior thesis. Greg investigated the merits of the dimensional and the discrete models of emotion as they relate to sonic experience. His experience at SURF has allowed him to use both his majors to work on a project he’s passionate about. “It was a fun experience as a musician and as a scientist,” he says. “I want to help people help themselves… by empowering them to use music effectively to regulate their emotions.” To that end, he has led music therapy sessions in which he improvises music to facilitate the emotional expressions of a group. In the future, he hopes to pursue an MB PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience or Clinical Psychology.
Rediscover the Black Cultural History of Berkeley
Tessa Rissacher, English and Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies
“I certainly didn’t plan on doing it,” says transfer student Tessa Rissacher. What started as a helpful tip about a dusty archive to use in a class project has since turned into an extended cultural history project about Rainbow Sign, a “black-oriented cultural center” in Berkeley that flourished in the 1970s. Created by Mary Ann Pollar in 1971, Rainbow Sign hosted poetry readings, political figures, art exhibitions, dance classes, African dignitaries, and numerous renowned musicians in its comfortable and welcoming environment. The final project barely scratched the surface of the archive, so Tessa expanded the project. Two honors theses, several papers, numerous interviews, and more than a hundred written pages later, it’s hard to remember a time before Rainbow Sign. “You’re going to get [to Berkeley] with ideas of what it is you’re going to do and that’s great,” says Tessa. “Be willing to follow shiny things that go off the path, cause you never know what’s going to fall into your lap.”
Exploring Native American Voices Through Playwriting
Drew Woodson, Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies
Inspired by his own experience as a Native actor, Drew Woodson wrote his first play, Your Friend, Jay Silverheels, over the last year. Drew’s shift from actor to writer was “a complete 180,” but, under mentorship from playwright and Professor Philip Kan Gotanda of Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies, Drew was able to find his voice through his characters. Your Friend, Jay Silverheels focuses on the experiences of three Native actors in the Bay Area as they confront issues of love, family, and representation. Keep an eye out — he hopes to put on readings in the coming months and, eventually, a full showcase.
Breaking Down Barriers With Tech
Stella Seo, Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
As the daughter of an immigrant, Stella Seo understands language barriers. That’s why she and her team designed an application that uses machine learning to improve communications between patients and healthcare professionals, winning the Open Science to Advance Health Equity track at “the world’s premier and largest medical hackathon,” MedHacks. There’s a real need for interpretative solutions. “Especially considering the refugee crisis,” says Seo, “a bunch of people are displaced from their homes and don’t necessarily live in places where the country’s main language is their native language. So we wanted to address this.” Stella is a Fung Fellow, which provides her the opportunity to learn the latest in design, and gain experience with real, hands-on projects. Next year, she hopes to work on her own project with the Fellowship at the cutting edge of health and wellness tech to enhance the public good.
Article by Declan Kuta, UC Berkeley Class of 2020, Geography major
