The Next Generation of Science Starts Here
Welcome to the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences! We are thrilled to celebrate your acceptance to UC Santa Barbara. Here, you aren't just reading about solutions — you are actively building them. You have been chosen because you are a trailblazer, an inquirer and a future leader in your field.
At UCSB, the coastline is your classroom and the entire campus is your lab. Whether you are exploring the "living lab" of our coastal ecosystem or conducting high-level research alongside world-class faculty, your journey as a scientist begins on day one. Explore the stories of our current student innovators below and see what your #NextStopUCSB looks like.
Meet the Future of Science
Discover how our undergraduates are bridging disciplines to solve global challenges. Click a student below to jump to their story:
Scientific Drive
Turning personal grief into scientific drive
Biological Sciences
Dallas, TX | she/her
Hailey Harkins studies plant genetics to better understand the mechanisms of cancer.
For Hailey Harkins, biology isn't just a subject; it's personal. After losing her mother to cancer as a teenager, Harkins came to college seeking answers.
"Biology gave an explanation to a lot of unanswered questions I had," she says. "It gives me the drive to go to the lab every day."
From plants to cures
Harkins works in a lab studying cellular responses to "polyploidy" — whole genome duplication — in plants. While plants and humans are different, the genetic chaos that happens when genomes duplicate in plants mirrors what happens in severe, metastatic cancers.
"Understanding those mechanisms can go on to help treat the molecular basis of cancer in human cells."
Breaking barriers
Harkins does not come from a "science family," and she navigated the path to research on her own. Her advice to others who feel like outsiders?
"It's all about putting yourself out there," she says. "Introduce yourself to professors. Even if they aren't looking for undergrads in their labs, they can point you in the right direction. It's not as scary as it may seem."
Join Students Like Hailey
Today is the deadline to submit your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). Claim your spot in the Class of 2030 today!
Say YES to UCSBConnect with Hailey:
Instagram | LinkedIn
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Hailey Harkins
Interdisciplinary Innovators
Beyond the binary: Finding the art in data science
Geography & Art
Chico, CA | she/her
Iris Keesey feared she had to choose between being an artist or a scientist. In the geography department, she found a way to be both.
When Iris Keesey was admitted to UC Santa Barbara, she made a panic decision: She switched her major from art to geography before she even unpacked her dorm room.
"I thought in binaries," Keesey admits. "Artistic versus scientific. It stressed me out. I felt like I needed to make a 'logical' decision."
She didn't realize that in the College of Letters & Science, those two worlds often collide. Now a double major in geography (with a GIS emphasis) and art, Keesey has discovered that mapmaking is, in fact, a digital art form.
The color of data
Keesey is currently taking the rigorous Geography 115 series, which focuses on remote sensing and satellite imagery. While the coursework is heavy on physics and data analysis, Keesey applies an artist's eye to the output.
"In an 8-bit system, there are 256 possible colors," she explains. "When you're mapmaking, it's drawing. It's choosing specific colors to denote land usage patterns. I love using atypical colors — incorporating neons into a sphere that is historically monochrome or sepia."
Finding your niche
Her teaching assistant recently left a comment on one of her assignments that confirmed she was on the right path: "Nice map!"
For students terrified of choosing the "wrong" major, Keesey offers reassurance. "Don't rush yourself," she says. "Allow yourself time to explore these interests, because you never know what it could lead to."
Connect with Iris:
Instagram
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Iris Keesey
Leadership & Resilience
Finding home: Building community through culture and science
Biology
Fremont, CA | she/her
Ghazel Durani founded the Afghan Student Association to create the space she needed to thrive.
Freshman year was hard for Ghazel Durani. As a first-generation Afghan American student in a rigorous STEM major, she felt isolated.
"I would call my mom and cry," she recalls. "Nobody knew what language I spoke [Pashto]. I felt so lonely here."
Instead of transferring, Durani built the community she needed. In her second year, she founded the Afghan Student Association at UCSB.
Culture and chemistry
Today, the club hosts banquets, performs national dances, and has raised nearly $10,000 for humanitarian aid. Balancing this leadership with a pre-med biology workload and a minor in sociocultural linguistics hasn't been easy, especially while navigating personal health challenges.
"You really have to advocate for yourself. Know what rights you are given as a student and use that knowledge."
A place of calm
When the stress gets too high, Durani heads to a specific bench near Anacapa Hall overlooking the ocean.
"It's quiet and calm," she says. "You can just watch the waves."
Connect with Ghazel:
Instagram
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Ghazel Durani
Curiosity & Evolution
Voracious curiosity: Asking the big questions about dinosaurs
Pre-Biology
San Ramon, CA | she/they
Freshman Yixin Liu is already diving deep into the evolutionary history of birds.
When the Department of Earth Science nominated Yixin Liu for a feature, they described her curiosity as "voracious." As a freshman in the Dinosaurs class, Liu wasn't just memorizing eras; she was analyzing evolutionary novelties.
"I think I've always liked dinosaurs," Liu says. "But the class really focused on the evolutionary aspect — how birds developed wings and feathers from their theropod ancestors. That was fascinating to me."
Research ready
Liu is currently a pre-biology major minoring in earth science, but she is already thinking like a researcher. She is particularly obsessed with shrikes — a family of birds — and a specific hybridization question in the Himalayas.
"If I had unlimited funding, I would go to China again to figure out the difference between the grey-backed shrike and the long-tailed shrike."
The takeaway
For Liu, science is about looking at the big picture — whether it's following the evolution of birds through the giant T-Rex skull model in the Physical Sciences building or identifying notoungulate fossils through their dentition.
Her perspective? "Everything is connected and it really is that deep."
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Yixin Liu
Climate & Conservation
The forest detective: Solving the mystery of the Larch Casebearer
Biological Sciences
San Francisco, CA | she/her
Undergraduate researcher Jamie Luu is investigating why a tree-saving wasp stopped doing its job.
In the vast forests of North America, the Larch tree is dying. The culprit is the Larch Casebearer, a moth that eats the tree's needles. Decades ago, scientists introduced a parasitic wasp to control the moth, and it worked — until the year 2000.
Now, the trees are dying again, and undergraduate Jamie Luu is trying to find out why.
Hands-on discovery
"We think it's due to climate change," Luu explains. "This delicate balance between the wasp and the moth was thrown off." Working in Professor Joel Sharbrough's lab, Luu dissects moth specimens from Minnesota and Montana, looking for tiny wasp larvae inside. She extracts DNA to see if the wasps found today are the same species released decades ago, or if they have evolved.
"It's really exciting. The research we're conducting can inform how to save a forest."
Getting involved in research
Luu advises incoming students looking for lab positions not to be discouraged by silence.
"You have to be dedicated," she says. "If you send one email and they don't get back to you, keep looking. Eventually, you'll land something."
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jamie Luu
Independent Research
The detective in the greenhouse: Ava Jolly
College of Creative Studies
Oakley, CA | she/her
Transfer student Ava Jolly is hunting for secrets in poisonous plants and teaching her own courses.
Ava Jolly didn't like high school. In fact, she ditched class to go on hikes and sit under trees. It wasn't until community college that she realized her problem wasn't education — it was agency.
"I realized I loved learning, I just needed to have a choice in it," Jolly says.
Now a senior in the College of Creative Studies (CCS), Jolly has taken that agency to the extreme. She secured independent funding from the Coastal Fund to study Datura wrightii (Sacred Datura) — a beautiful but highly poisonous plant.
The Research
Jolly is investigating a population of Datura on the Channel Islands that has been isolated for 100 years. Her work involves climbing cliffs to collect seeds, growing them in the campus greenhouse and using mass spectrometry to analyze their chemical compounds.
"I'm curious whether the Datura on the islands have evolved to have a higher or lower concentration of poisons than the ones on the mainland."
Student as Teacher
Through CCS, Jolly even designed and taught her own 10-week course last quarter called Macabre Botany, exploring the darker side of plant biology.
"I would have never thought this was my life," she says. "To get into research, you just have to reach out. Ask questions, talk to professors, be curious! There are so many people who need extra hands because science is collaborative."
Connect with Ava:
LinkedIn
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ava Tran Jolly
Breaking Barriers
Taking up space: A mother, a chemist, and a trailblazer
Chemistry
Riverside, CA | she/her
Suzette Aguayo is proving that you don't have to leave your identity at the door to be a scientist.
Suzette Aguayo wears many hats: Chemist. Mother. First-generation student. Wife. For a long time, she wondered if there was room for all of them in the lab.
"I realized I need to take up the space," Aguayo says. "I earned my spot just as fair as everybody else here."
Intersectionality in the lab
Aguayo, a Chemistry major with a minor in Feminist Studies, credits her humanities coursework with making her a better scientist. She views her non-traditional background not as a hurdle, but as an asset.
"Diversity in the lab isn't just about making each other feel good," she says. "Different life experiences lead to different questions, which lead to different problem-solving techniques. Science needs that now more than ever."
Finding support
Balancing a rigorous STEM degree with raising two children requires a village. Aguayo found hers at UCSB's Family Student Housing and the Orfalea Family Children's Center.
"I have yet to run into a professor who has not been accommodating," she says. "It's all about taking that risk and asking for help."
Connect with Suzette:
Instagram
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Suzette Aguayo
Interdisciplinary Innovators
Bridging Mycology and Women's Health: Kailey Reed & Sofía Lebensohn
Biology & Environmental Studies
Newport Beach, CA & Los Alamos, NM | she/her
Two students from different majors teamed up to ask: Can mushrooms treat period pain?
Research can be lonely, but not for Kailey Reed and Sofía Lebensohn. Friends first and collaborators second, the duo is tackling a gap in medical research: the lack of resources for unbearable period pain. Before ever learning about mushrooms, Reed and Lebensohn conducted a grant-funded study that identified where gaps lie for menstruating students.
"We found that there aren't resources on campus for students experiencing period pain, even though it's a debilitating condition," Reed explains.
The Mushroom Connection
Combining Lebensohn's background in environmental studies with Reed's biology major and feminist studies minor, they looked to nature for a solution. In a Fungi and Enterprise class, they studied Lion's Mane mushrooms.
"Lion's Mane inhibits the enzymes that produce prostaglandins. Prostaglandins cause inflammation and pain. We're thinking we could turn this into a supplement idea."
Better Together
The pair credits their different academic backgrounds for their success. "Kailey is good at the details and has a strong scientific background," says Lebensohn. "I feel like I have more of a creative approach. Together, we make it make sense."
Connect with Kailey & Sofía:
Kailey's Instagram | Sofía's Instagram | Sofía's LinkedIn
Photo Credit: Dr. Laury Oaks
Community Impact
Solutions-Based Science: Ben Wollack
Environmental Studies
Pleasant Hill, CA | he/him
Ben Wollack turned a struggle with math into a passion for environmental education.
Ben admits he isn't a "math person." Early in his time at UCSB, he struggled with the quantitative requirements of his major. But rather than giving up, he utilized campus resources like CLAS (Campus Learning Assistance Services) and found his true calling in the soil.
"I really loved the lectures on agroecology," Wollack says. "I loved the fact that we are doing sustainable agriculture right here on campus."
The SproutUp Leader
Today, Wollack is a leader in SproutUp, a student-run nonprofit that teaches environmental science lessons in local elementary schools. He doesn't teach doom-and-gloom; he teaches "solutions-based environmentalism." He has even developed three new curriculum modules focused on the food system, helping kids understand why local food tastes better and travels shorter distances.
"We focus on positivity. We bring in reusable grocery bags for them to decorate. We teach them about composting—the '4th R' (Rot)."
The Long View
"Life has its ups and downs," Wollack says, reflecting on his journey. "But when you put the hard work in, the line might go up and down, but it's going to trend upward over time."
Connect with Ben:
LinkedIn
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Ben Wollack
Strategic Innovation
The Strategist: Qingyue (Jenny) Li
Mathematics, Statistics & Data Science, and Economics & Accounting
Shanghai, China | she/her
Jenny Li combined math, statistics and accounting to build a powerhouse skillset.
When Jenny Li arrived at UC Santa Barbara, she built a four-year plan in Excel. Then she kept adding to it.
First, it was financial mathematics and statistics. Then she added economics and accounting. Finally, she realized she wanted even more depth in data science, resulting in a rare triple major: mathematics, statistics and data science, and economics and accounting.
"I don't want study to be all of my life," Li laughs, noting that she also served as a math peer advisor and an orientation staffer. "I plan every week. I put everything on the calendar."
The Real-World Payoff
"Employers want people who know different things... They love the accounting major, but they also want the coding experience."
Landing a "Big Four" Job
Li's ambitious workload wasn't just for the transcript; it was a strategic career move. In interviews for post-grad jobs, she found that her ability to code in R, Python and C++ set her apart from other accounting candidates.
Her strategy paid off: Li has already accepted an offer from one of the "Big Four" accounting firms.
Creative Science
The Artist-Scientist: Emely Valdez
Pre-Biology (Biological Sciences)
Colusa, CA | she/they
Emely Valdez originally came to UC Santa Barbara as a pre-biology major, assuming she would have to leave her art supplies behind. Instead, she found a way to turn her sketchbook into a scientific tool.
During a field course on plant biology and biodiversity, Valdez created a hand-illustrated field guide of 120 wild plant species found in Santa Barbara County. The notebook is a masterpiece of interdisciplinary work: detailed ink and colored pencil drawings of reproductive structures and leaf shapes sitting alongside rigorous scientific notes.
"It enhances the observational skills that are really important in understanding why a plant looks that way and how different they are from one another," Valdez says. "Not only are you learning the biology, but you're learning what observational skills are needed in the field."
From Classroom to Botanic Garden
Her work caught the eye of her professors, leading to a meeting with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to discuss publishing her guide. She also recently showcased her work at the Art in Science exhibition at the campus Glass Box Gallery. Her exhibition featured botanical illustrations alongside the physical field guide. By scattering native species from the Campus Lagoon across a podium, Valdez gave viewers the opportunity to identify the plants themselves — turning an art exhibit into an interactive ecology lesson.
"It doesn't always have to be just STEM," Valdez says. "There are so many ways people can learn. STEM art is a great segue to make science understandable and accessible."
Advice for Future Gauchos
"Keep that drive going in art," she urges. "It can feel like you have to grind on the STEM, but taking the time to own a sketchbook — to go outside and sketch — is vital. It's totally possible to blend the two." For Valdez, science and art go hand-in-hand to elevate the university experience. She hopes incoming students realize that determination and passion make significant contributions to both artwork and research developed at UCSB.
Connect with Emely:
LinkedIn | Instagram
▶ Bonus: Watch Emely's field notes come to life in our January Reel
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Emely Valdez
Real World Impact
The Polymath: Andrew Tolu
Geography, Sociology and the History of Public Policy
Junior | San Mateo, CA | he/him
Andrew Tolu admits it happened almost by accident. He arrived at UC Santa Barbara as a geography major who loved maps. Then he took a sociology class. Then a history class.
"I got out my big spreadsheet," Tolu says. "I went to the undergraduate advisors to map it out. I asked, 'Is it possible to pursue all three?' The answer was yes."
Real-World Science, Year One.
"You don't have to wait until grad school to change the world. At UCSB, your first year is your first opportunity to do groundbreaking research."
Putting Theory into Motion
Andrew put his academic toolkit to the test this summer as a transportation planning intern for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). By translating classroom concepts into real-world city planning, he saw exactly how his degrees could shape the future of public transit.
"Geography gives me the technical know-how to analyze movement. Sociology gives me the underlying basis as to why people move. History gives me the context."
Mapping Equity in LA
Back on campus, Andrew's academic breadth produces rigorous analysis in the classroom. In a culminating technical GIS (Geographic Information Systems) class, his team mapped park accessibility across Los Angeles County.
By analyzing transit timetables and neighborhood walkability, they uncovered a nuanced reality: Census tracts within a 15-minute walk of high-quality parks had a median income averaging $13,600 more per year than those without access.
"It felt like worlds colliding. I could see the principles I learned in history classes — like the effects of redlining — come into play on the map I built using my geography skills."
Advice for Future Gauchos
For students worried about the workload, Andrew emphasizes balance over burnout. "If you're interested in exploring, just take the intro classes," he advises. "Make use of the resources. I'm a big advocate for the undergraduate advisors — they know their departments exceedingly well."
Connect with Andrew:
LinkedIn | Instagram
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Andrew Tolu