http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ucsd_libraries_ulrprize/rss Recent eScholarship items from UC San Diego Undergraduate Library Research Prize Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:14:45 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9680f8t5 <p>Honorable Mention 2024 Data &amp; GIS Category, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery). </p><p> Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common cancer in which the role of transf RNA derived fragments (tRFs), a relatively novel class of small non-coding RNA, has yet be widely explored. It has been proposed that tRFs influence cancer proliferation by binding to mRNA transcripts and inducing their degradation through the recruitment of cleaving proteins. This study aims to characterize the expression of tRFs, oncogenes, a tumor suppressor genes in PTC with respect to the following subtypes: classical PTC, follicular variant PTC, and tall cell PTC. Across all cohorts, we found that tRFs are significantly dysregulated (p&lt;0.05), and that their expression is anticorrelated with dysregulated oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Binding affinity analysis further revealed that significant pairs of anticorrelated tRFs and genes have sufficient complementarity to form heteroduplexes,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9680f8t5 Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Do, Annie N. Ngo, Megan N. Magesh, Shruti Uzelac, Matthew Ongkeko, Weg M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zh6b7k9 <p>First Place Winner 2023 Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering Category, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery).</p><p> Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are disorders of the gastrointestinal system affecting a considerable portion of Western populations. With nearly 6.8 million individuals affected globally, the ability to accurately and efficiently diagnose the disease in patients is crucial. The gastrointestinal microbiome composition has been associated with several diseases, disorders, and cancers. Several microbial signature-based machine learning IBD predictive models have been developed but have yet to be implemented clinically due to poor external accuracy. This study analyzes the microbial compositions of 1612 stool samples from 665 patients across seven distinct shotgun metagenomic cohorts in constructing an IBD diagnostic model capable of high predictive accuracy and robustness. We created a 14-species diagnostic ML panel and validated the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zh6b7k9 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Sky Boland, Brigid S. Uzelac, Matthew Li, Wei Tse Chakladar, Jaideep Yu, Michael Andrew Wang-Rodriguez, Jessica Ongkeko, Weg M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fm8j4h2 <p>Winner 2024 Special Collections &amp; Archives Category, nominated by Ameeth Vijay (Department of Literature).</p><p> Analysis of Susan Howe's poem, "The Midnight," which considers the history of the poet's mother and Howe's use of dialetheism. </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fm8j4h2 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Elliott, Mia https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mn8g6r6 <p>Winner 2025 Social Sciences, Arts &amp; Humanities Category, nominated by Andrea Mendoza (Department of Literature).</p><p> In this thesis, I analyze the work of Nina Mingya Powles through a critical mixed race lens. Powles is a multiracial author and poet who writes about her experiences navigating multiracial girlhood as she travels to and lives in various locations tied to her heritages. Focusing on Powles’s use of water imagery, I examine how both her prose (Small Bodies of Water) and poetry (Magnolia) illustrate the multiracial body’s fluid nature. I argue that the multiracial body is a fluid entity that permeates racial boundaries via its occupation of peripheries, allowing it to exist beyond the rigid classification of colonial racial categories. Through this occupation, multiraciality exists in and moves through the contested in-between space, deconstructing socially constructed categories of identity that dictate power hierarchies within the colonial framework. Although... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mn8g6r6 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Taylor, Lauren https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77m8t9v2 <p>Honorable Mention 2025 Special Collections &amp; Archives Category, nominated by Anna Joy Springer (Department of Literature) </p><p> The artist's visual directions for recreating the artwork includes textual content used in the book and images of the process and completed work.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77m8t9v2 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 McFadden, Tate https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6z8733dg <p>First Place Winner 2022, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery) </p><p> Patients with cardiovascular disease display significant similarities with inflammation-related genes in COVID-19. Immune dysregulation provides specific explanations for increased COVID-19 disease severity. Coronary artery disease patients display the most similarity to COVID-19 immune landscape. Identifying immune targets vital to treating COVID-19 patients with CVD comorbidities. </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6z8733dg Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 John, Daniel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xr9n6b8 <p>First Place Winner 2021, nominated by Amato Evan (Scripps Institute of Oceanography) </p><p> The role of clouds in climate remains unknown. Arctic regions are the first places to experience climate change. This project hopes to identify the relationship between Arctic Sea ic melt and Arctic cloud cover changes. Findings included maximum precipitation occurs in Summer, and cloud cover minimum occurs in late Winter; there is large annual change in cloud cover in the Northeast edge of Greenland; and large annual change in cloud cover in Arctic Ocean.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xr9n6b8 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tam, Rachel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rm7157j <p>First Place Winner 2022, nominated by Stanley Lo (Department of Cell and Developmental Biology) </p><p> The goal of this study is to develop a quantitative survey informed by education field research to examine the conceptions of diversity in a larger population of faculty across the nation. The results of this survey could serve as a reflection tool for instructors that would allow them to better understand their own conceptions of diversity. In doing this, we hope to increase instructors' awareness of their biases and perceptions of diversity in order to encourage conceptual change as well as positively promote equity and inclusive classrooms.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rm7157j Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Trinh, Andy T. Wieboldt, Erik R. Suarez, Nicole A. Lo, Stanley M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qc9s7rh <p>Second Place Winner 2022, nominated by Amir Zarrinpar (Department of Gastroenterology) </p><p> Polycystic ovary syndrome is the leading cause of infertility and is often ineffectively treated. The LET mouse model replicates PCOS phenotype. Exposure to healthy gut microbiome ameliorates PCOS in mice. Gut microbes that express BSH can modify bile acids. BSH-expressing ENB facilitate bile acid deconjugation in mice. Mice with BSH-expressing ENB have improved insulin response. BSH does not affect normal mouse estrous cyclicity. Mice with BSH-expressing ENG have decreased androgen levels. BSH-expressing bacteria might have potential to prevent human PCOS.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6qc9s7rh Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chiang, Shiantel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mp3f95n <p>Winner 2024 Social Sciences, Arts &amp; Humanities Category, nominated by Weijing Lu (Department of History) </p><p> This research delves into legal consciousness and women’s agency during the early 1930s in China. In 1931, the Nationalist government implemented the Civil Code of the Republic of China, which granted women important legal rights, such as expanded property ownership and marriage autonomy. Notably, the Code unprecedentedly allowed individuals to be granted divorce by the courts on the grounds of intolerable domestic abuse. While existing literature have suggested an increase in divorce litigations initiated by abused women, indicating a rise in their legal awareness, there has been limited discussion on how abused women leveraged available resources to resist abuse and oppressive sociopolitical conditions prior to taking formal legal action. How did women experiencing domestic abuse navigate their situations in the years following the 1931 Civil Code? Through... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mp3f95n Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Jingyi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6km8s1j0 <p>Winner 2024 Life &amp; Health Sciences Category, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery) </p><p> Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is a cancer of the mucosal epithelium in the oral cavity, larynx, and pharynx. It is the 6th most common cancer worldwide and is typically diagnosed at later stages, resulting in lower survival rates compared to other major cancers. Current diagnostic methods include tissue biopsy, lymph node biopsy, ultrasound, immunochemistry, CT, MRI, and PET. The goal of this project is to develop a blood-based diagnostic test for HNSCC less invasive and more cost-effective than current methods. The test utilizes the microbiome and genomics to effectively diagnose patients in early stages. The blood microbiome showed many species to be differentially abundant between cancer and normal samples, with significant overlap between blood and tissue microbiomes. The microbiome shows promising potential as a diagnostic tool in blood samples for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6km8s1j0 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Yalamarty, Rishi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nb2z1qt <p>Winner 2024 Data &amp; GIS Category, nominated by Professor Colin Jemmott (Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute) </p><p> Although the amount of resources available on the internet seems to be growing daily, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the sea of information. While one might expect the influx of articles to make it easier to answer questions, the information accessible is often written well after the historical events have concluded, reflecting modern perspectives and interpretations. When answering historical questions, people often tend to rely on a simple Google search, which leads to websites such as Wikipedia. These sites can be problematic due to the unreliability of sources and the tendency to project 21st-century viewpoints onto historical information. These tools provide users with a surface-level summary that lacks the historical nuance and contextualization that is needed for a thorough understanding of the matter at hand. This project aims to... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4nb2z1qt Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Nandula, Srianusha Shenoy, Saachi Jemmott, Colin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k1381gf <p>First Place Winner 2021, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery) </p><p> African American and Hispanic individuals are more likely to test positive for COVID-19. African American, Hispanic, and Asian American individuals are more likely to face hospitalization, infection, and death due to COVID-19. We found that racial and ethnic minorities face a higher risk of COVID-19 ICU admission, hospitalization, and positivity. Soscioeconomic deprevation is a moderating variable for worsened COVID-19 outcomes in racial and ethnic minorities. Public health policies should address socioeconomic and racial disparities to reduce exposure and fatality due to COVID-19 in underrepresented populations</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k1381gf Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Magesh, Shruti https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fw0s1kj <p>Honorable Mention 2024 Special Collections &amp; Archives Category, nominated by Ameeth Vijay (Department of Literature) </p><p> The United States of America in the 1960s was characterized by big changes in the socio-political scenario, owing to the rapidly changing view of technology, science, and cultural art,marking the advent of the counterculture. With the Civil Rights Movement at its climax, there was a heavy division of race and among the people who remained conservative in the rising popularity of liberalism. This gave way to new movements in art, with localized artistic styles and innovations gaining popularity through close-knit, academically, and artistically associated groups of poets, painters, philosophers, etc. Larry Eigner, being one of them, linked to the Black Mountain school of poets, focused his poetry during this time mainly on literary-historical topics with special attention to the placement of words on the page and the creation of an environment through... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fw0s1kj Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Patel, Aashi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4008m83g <p>Second Place Winner 2022, nominated by Sheng Xu (Department of Nanoengineering) </p><p> Perovskites could be used for solar cells, LEDs, lasers, photodetectors and much more, but there are programs that need to be solved: their lifetime, efficiency, and toxicity. Examines the feasibility of making devices by growing single crystal perovskites.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4008m83g Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Perez de Leon, Alexander https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ds8s93t <p>First Place Winner 2023 Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Category, nominated by Mary Klann (Department of History)</p><p> Using a hypothetical case, examines the legal options available to a Hopi woman raped by her non-Indian husband in the Hopi reservation in Coconino County, Arizona. The Hopi Tribal Government has no jurisdication over this crime and recommends filing either a Civil Protection Order or a Domestic Violence Restraining Order with the state of Arizona. The paper examines the pros and cons of either choice</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ds8s93t Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Parnell, Anne https://escholarship.org/uc/item/28g8g58r <p>Second Place Winner 2021, nominated by Weg M. Ongkeko (Department of Surgery) </p><p> Examines the influence of the microbiome on pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with the goal to identify and characterize the microbes contributing to PAAD progression and to elucidate why age is such a big risk factor.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/28g8g58r Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Tsai, Joseph https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11k0b986 <p>Winner 2025 Special Collection &amp; Archives Category, nominated by Adena Schachner (Department of Psychology) </p><p> At UC San Diego (UCSD), student-run cooperatives—Groundwork Books, Food Co-Op, General Store, and Che Café - function as hubs for cultural expression, activism, and community connection. Focusing on Groundwork Books, this study examines how place attachment, the emotional bond individuals form with meaningful space and community resilience, and the capacity to adapt and recover from adversity are displayed in the past fifty years since its conception as a student cooperative. Through a mixed-methods approach, this study explores the quantifiable levels of place attachment and community resilience within UCSD’s student cooperatives and specifically unearthing Groundwork Books legacy in being a functional space. Archival data and document analysis, surveys, and interviews with past and current Groundwork Books members are implemented in understanding the lived... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11k0b986 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Alvarez, Yana https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n9781th <p>Second Place Winner 2021, nominated by Leslie Carver (Department of Psychology) </p><p> Among disparities that the Latino Community experiences, the largest of them outlined in this presentation is the lack of access to care. Quality medical help exists, however lower socioeconomic status Latin Families experience a significant difference in the quality of care they receive versus that of their white counterparts. There were multiple factors my research outlines; however, the most prevalent is how blocked access to quality care leads to late diagnosis &amp; treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n9781th Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Villasenor, Jacqueline https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0c71212c <p>Honorable Mention 2025 Social Sciences, Arts &amp; Humanities Category, nominated by Adena Schachner (Department of Psychology) </p><p> Human towns are shaped by intentional design. Here we ask whether people use societal features to make social inferences, specifically focusing on how the presence of protective architectural features influences people’s intuitions about towns’ residents. U.S. adults (N = 100) were presented with two novel societies – a 'protected' town with walls, locks, and gates, and an 'unprotected' town lacking such features. We manipulated whether residents had chosen or been randomly assigned where to live. Across both conditions, people judged that unprotected society residents felt safer, happier, and were nicer; and that protected society residents dressed more similarly, stayed inside more, and had more rules. Most people preferred to live in the unprotected society. Positive attributions and preference for the unprotected society were associated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0c71212c Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Nguyen, Amy Tompkins, Rodney Schachner, Adena