The Executive Board
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 2015
Chair: Usnish Majumdar (ubm6pa)
Usnish (“Ush”) is a third-year majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Bioethics. Driven by experiences in his first year of college to help others find opportunities to do meaningful work, Usnish serves as Chair for the coming year. Since coming to UVA and finding a fragmented, unwelcoming research community, he has worked to help build a more inclusive “Community of Research” for the many students who might seek meaningful, inquiry-driven experiences in college. In coordinating URN’s activities, he aims to bring cohesion and widespread collaboration to the traditionally diffuse, dispersed activities of the organization.
Outside of URN, Usnish spends a lot of time learning and writing. Interested from a young age in the delightful action of the brain, he works in the McConnell Lab at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics in the UVA Medical Center. He studies mechanisms that produce a mosaic of individual changes in the genomes of developing neurons. With the aim of enriching and enlivening student experiences relating to science and global health, Ush also works with the College Science Scholars Council and the Center for Global Health’s Student Advisory Board.
He enjoys most everything, but mainly good books, interesting ideas, long hikes, and conversation littered with corny jokes.
Usnish (“Ush”) is a third-year majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Bioethics. Driven by experiences in his first year of college to help others find opportunities to do meaningful work, Usnish serves as Chair for the coming year. Since coming to UVA and finding a fragmented, unwelcoming research community, he has worked to help build a more inclusive “Community of Research” for the many students who might seek meaningful, inquiry-driven experiences in college. In coordinating URN’s activities, he aims to bring cohesion and widespread collaboration to the traditionally diffuse, dispersed activities of the organization.
Outside of URN, Usnish spends a lot of time learning and writing. Interested from a young age in the delightful action of the brain, he works in the McConnell Lab at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics in the UVA Medical Center. He studies mechanisms that produce a mosaic of individual changes in the genomes of developing neurons. With the aim of enriching and enlivening student experiences relating to science and global health, Ush also works with the College Science Scholars Council and the Center for Global Health’s Student Advisory Board.
He enjoys most everything, but mainly good books, interesting ideas, long hikes, and conversation littered with corny jokes.
Oculus Editor-In-Chief: Adam
Adam is a second year, currently double majoring in physics and chemistry, with a concentration in chemical physics. He does research in the Physics department, in Dr. Blaine Norum's lab, creating and testing a simulation for an upcoming neutron polarimetry experiment. Outside of academics, he is the Treasurer of his a capella group, The Flying Virginians, and is on outreach committee for Madison House's HELP Line program.
Adam is the Editor-In-Chief of The Oculus, UVA's only multidisciplinary undergraduate research journal. The Oculus is run by its Editorial Board, a committee of around 20 students who read multiple dynamic and exciting papers every week. This papers are at the forefront of research on Grounds, and represent the best of the new knowledge that is coming to light through the work of undergraduates at UVA. The Editorial Board then decides which of these papers are of the highest quality, and complies these into an annual publication. This publication is generally made available every year before finals begin.
Adam is a second year, currently double majoring in physics and chemistry, with a concentration in chemical physics. He does research in the Physics department, in Dr. Blaine Norum's lab, creating and testing a simulation for an upcoming neutron polarimetry experiment. Outside of academics, he is the Treasurer of his a capella group, The Flying Virginians, and is on outreach committee for Madison House's HELP Line program.
Adam is the Editor-In-Chief of The Oculus, UVA's only multidisciplinary undergraduate research journal. The Oculus is run by its Editorial Board, a committee of around 20 students who read multiple dynamic and exciting papers every week. This papers are at the forefront of research on Grounds, and represent the best of the new knowledge that is coming to light through the work of undergraduates at UVA. The Editorial Board then decides which of these papers are of the highest quality, and complies these into an annual publication. This publication is generally made available every year before finals begin.
Workshops Chair: Sarah Koch
Sarah is a second year Biology and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures major. As chair of the Workshops Committee, she hopes to hold events that will interest both hard science and humanities majors. In addition to serving on the executive board of URN, Sarah is a cadet in Army ROTC. She is a member of the Army Color Guard, a training leader for Mosby’s Raiders, and the second year class representative on the Cadet Association. Last summer, she received a Department of Defense language grant to study Arabic in Jordan. Outside of ROTC, she is a planning committee member and small group leader for the Women’s Leadership Development Program. She conducts biodefense research in the Petri & Mann Lab. She is also the recipient of a Harrison Undergraduate Research Award and a Minerva Award and will be comparing how high-school-age girls perform in science classes in the US and internationally.
Sarah is a second year Biology and Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures major. As chair of the Workshops Committee, she hopes to hold events that will interest both hard science and humanities majors. In addition to serving on the executive board of URN, Sarah is a cadet in Army ROTC. She is a member of the Army Color Guard, a training leader for Mosby’s Raiders, and the second year class representative on the Cadet Association. Last summer, she received a Department of Defense language grant to study Arabic in Jordan. Outside of ROTC, she is a planning committee member and small group leader for the Women’s Leadership Development Program. She conducts biodefense research in the Petri & Mann Lab. She is also the recipient of a Harrison Undergraduate Research Award and a Minerva Award and will be comparing how high-school-age girls perform in science classes in the US and internationally.
Research & Scholarship Week Chair: Sarah Wyckoff (slw5ec)
As Chair of Research & Scholarship Committee, she leads the organization in promoting current undergraduate research on Grounds and providing students with resources needed to get involved. She is Chemistry major with a specialization in Biochemistry as well as a Spanish major. Sarah has been conducting research through the Chemistry department in Landers Lab, constructing microfluidic devices designed to quantify total protein, white blood cells, and albumin in patient samples, creating calibration curves and optimizing sample prep. She has recently started a project in the Medical School, researching the literature on stress electrocardiography in patients with a probability of coronary artery disease in order to design and implement a test to discover the preference of patients to receive stress imaging as a possible follow up procedure.
Outside of research, she enjoys being active and is a running coach through Madison House’s Girls on the Run program. Sarah is an active Honor Support Officer and currently facilitates the class “Honor and Ethics in Everyday Life” aimed at discussing the implications of honor beyond UVA’s code.
As Chair of Research & Scholarship Committee, she leads the organization in promoting current undergraduate research on Grounds and providing students with resources needed to get involved. She is Chemistry major with a specialization in Biochemistry as well as a Spanish major. Sarah has been conducting research through the Chemistry department in Landers Lab, constructing microfluidic devices designed to quantify total protein, white blood cells, and albumin in patient samples, creating calibration curves and optimizing sample prep. She has recently started a project in the Medical School, researching the literature on stress electrocardiography in patients with a probability of coronary artery disease in order to design and implement a test to discover the preference of patients to receive stress imaging as a possible follow up procedure.
Outside of research, she enjoys being active and is a running coach through Madison House’s Girls on the Run program. Sarah is an active Honor Support Officer and currently facilitates the class “Honor and Ethics in Everyday Life” aimed at discussing the implications of honor beyond UVA’s code.
Symposium Chair: Zach Hosseinipour
Zach Hosseinipour is a second year pursuing a major in Healthcare Economics and Policy through the Echols interdisciplinary major program. He has been involved in research in biomedical sciences from high school, working at Inova Fairfax Hospital on diagnostic methods for chronic liver disease. He currently works as a research assistant for the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, conducting studies on double strand DNA break repair and malignant transformation. When he's not splitting cells in the lab, Zach enjoys playing tennis, chess, and following politics and international relations.
Zach's vision for URN's annual, multi-disciplinary research symposium is to create an interactive, engaging event hosting a diverse array of student projects. Zach hopes to take what he has learned from participating in previous research symposia, such as Intel's International Science & Engineering Fair, and apply it to URN's symposium to create a unique and memorable event for both participants and guests. He looks forward to serving as the chair of the Symposium Committee.
Zach Hosseinipour is a second year pursuing a major in Healthcare Economics and Policy through the Echols interdisciplinary major program. He has been involved in research in biomedical sciences from high school, working at Inova Fairfax Hospital on diagnostic methods for chronic liver disease. He currently works as a research assistant for the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, conducting studies on double strand DNA break repair and malignant transformation. When he's not splitting cells in the lab, Zach enjoys playing tennis, chess, and following politics and international relations.
Zach's vision for URN's annual, multi-disciplinary research symposium is to create an interactive, engaging event hosting a diverse array of student projects. Zach hopes to take what he has learned from participating in previous research symposia, such as Intel's International Science & Engineering Fair, and apply it to URN's symposium to create a unique and memorable event for both participants and guests. He looks forward to serving as the chair of the Symposium Committee.
Outreach Chair: Tarun Kalakoti (tk5bc)
Tarun Kalakoti is a 2nd year in the College majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Biomedical Engineering. He's involved deeply in the medical entrepreneurship community here on grounds and especially enjoys connecting different groups of people for the better of the community. This desire has led him to join U.R.N. as the outreach chair.
Tarun Kalakoti is a 2nd year in the College majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Biomedical Engineering. He's involved deeply in the medical entrepreneurship community here on grounds and especially enjoys connecting different groups of people for the better of the community. This desire has led him to join U.R.N. as the outreach chair.
Technology & Advising Chair: Jackie Lee (jrl9rc)
Jackie is a second-year majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Computer Science. As Chair of Technology and Advising Committee, she designs and maintains the URN website and online resources. She also helps build URN advising programs to provide advice and information to those interested in getting involved in research. Jackie is currently conducting research through the Biology Department in the Siegrist Lab, which studies the regulation of neural stem cell proliferation by different signaling factors.
In addition to research, Jackie offers career-related workshops and resources as a Career Peer Educator at University Career Services. She is the co-art editor for UVa’s Cultural Literary and Art magazine, Inkstone.
Jackie is a second-year majoring in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Computer Science. As Chair of Technology and Advising Committee, she designs and maintains the URN website and online resources. She also helps build URN advising programs to provide advice and information to those interested in getting involved in research. Jackie is currently conducting research through the Biology Department in the Siegrist Lab, which studies the regulation of neural stem cell proliferation by different signaling factors.
In addition to research, Jackie offers career-related workshops and resources as a Career Peer Educator at University Career Services. She is the co-art editor for UVa’s Cultural Literary and Art magazine, Inkstone.