BioCORE Scholars Program

Learn more about the BioCORE Scholars Program

(Many thanks to David Rither in Educational Technology & Media for creating this video.)

The BioCORE Scholars Program was also featured in The Falcon, SPU's student newspaper, The article, "BioCORE encourages community" was written by Lu Aleman and appeared on Oct. 24, 2018.

Congratulations to the BioCORE Scholars Class of 2023!

Pinning Ceremony Photos

During a special ceremony in June, the BioCORE Scholars Program honored our six graduating Scholars. Each Scholar was formally presented and pinned by a faculty or staff member of their choosing. Our graduates are:

• Ayysta Htoo, BS Physiology
• Insiya Nehal, BS Physiology
• Geana Nicolas, BS Physiology
• Ivy Ta, BS Physiology
• Niyah Thurman, BS Biology
• Esmeralda Vazquez-Sagrero, BA General Studies (Life Science emphasis)

Congratulations to all of our graduates - we are very proud of you!!

Learn more about the first four graduating classes of BioCORE Scholars.

BioCORE Scholars and Mentors

Photos of previous cohorts

Meet our 2023 BioCORE Scholars, Peer Mentors and Learning Assistant! Front Row, from left: Peer Mentors Angie Moten, Ayysta Htoo, Bella Camarillo, Geana Nicolas, Insiya Nehal, and Guillermo Reyes.
Second Row, from left: Gum Nau (Learning Assistant), Scholars Rosie Alvarez-Rabadan, Mercy Kim, Arlet Diaz Romero, and Chantli Adams.
Back Row, from left: Scholars Luis Perez-Aguilar, TaiAmari English-Henderson, Evan Schubert, Brittany Hartshorn, Makala Bogle, Faith Toi, Joanna Rios Garcia, Lidia Gebrewolde, and Farah Boswell. Not pictured: Krysta Reese (Learning Assistant)

BioCORE Scholars Research Symposium

Members of the 2022 BioCORE Scholars cohort spent winter and/or spring quarters working with SPU Biology faculty in their labs, and presented their research at the annual BioCORE Scholars Research Symposium on May 25, 2023. The scholars and their projects were:

• Mhicca Dalere, Yenni Gaspar and Angelique Djekoundade. DNA barcoding reveals salmon mislabeling rates in Seattle sushi restaurants Mentored by Dr. Tracie Delgado, Associate Professor of Biology
• Elisa Puga and Alexis Nield. Evolution of potential sex-determining genes in tardigrades. Mentored by Dr. Jenny Tenlen, Associate Professor of Biology
• Gursagar Singh and Sun Ty. Human awareness of pleasant and unpleasant odors. Mentored by Dr. Ryan Ferrer, Professor of Biology
• Elizabeth Delgado and Lainey Mendoza. Quantifying Arsenic in local samples using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry . Mentored by Dr. Karisa Pierce, Professor of Chemistry

Please also see previous Research Week students and mentors.

BioCORE Scholars Activities

BioCORE Scholars Activities and Events

BioCORE Scholars regularly participate in community-building and networking activities, including social outings, meetings with researchers and health care professionals, and other events.

Above: BioCORE Scholars attend the quarterly Speakers' Meeting in Octobers 2023, with special guests, a panel of scientists from Umoja BioPharma.  The scientists, representing a diverse range of backgrounds, educational experiences and research positions, described their career paths and gave the Scholars great advice on getting positions in the biotech industry. One of the scientists, Erica Shirazi, is an alumnus of SPU (BS Cellular and Molecular Biology, 2019).

In the photo above, left to right: (back) Sunny Cheema, Isabela Schubert, Elena Fulton (Umoja BioPharma), Dr. Justin Ulrich-Lewis (Umoja BioPharma); (middle) Helen Kim (Umoja BioPharma), Farrah Boswell, Lay Paw, Christine Luu (Umoja BioPharma), Dr. Mollie McDonnell (Umoja BioPharma), Erica Shirazi (Umoja BioPharma), Brittney Hartshorn, Faith Toj, Makayla Bogle; (front) Gursagar Singh, Victor Castillo, Arlet Diaz Romero