2024 Honors Research Features

In addition to the required honors core courses, honors students conduct undergraduate research with the guidance of a faculty mentor, which for many students is the highlight of their college career. CHC students participate in a minimum of two quarters of research, which culminates in the production of an honors thesis, creative project, or publication-quality paper. Read about some of the research students conducted below!

Laine Matkin

2024 CHC Musical Theater graduate, Laine Matkin, took a personal approach to his honors research, investigating the experience of transgender men in regards to HRT, social media, and the musical theater industry.

Laine breaks down their research into sections starting with general transgender/HRT information: “A unique aspect of the gender transition for transgender men in particular is their change in voice…For transgender men, though, taking testosterone will induce a male puberty, dropping the vocal frequency and lengthening the vocal tract. However, it must be considered that the voice a transgender artist lacks is also their metaphorical voice, the voice that allows them to speak up about social issues and express their feelings.” Laine then goes on to tackle how the loss of this metaphorical voice affects transgender men in the theater industry. “My resume, as I grew up playing female roles, contains many roles that were contradictory to my gender presentation. When I got up to sing for Nathan, I mentioned that I would be singing the song “Goodbye” from Catch Me If You Can, a song sung by a man in the show. Nathan looked at my resume and back up at me, looking very confused that I would be singing a song for a male-voice while my resume clearly shows a variety of female roles from my past show experiences. While I was allowed to sing without much other ado, it felt very uncomfortable for the moments in which I was being analyzed by someone with regard to my gender and my vocal abilities in relation to my gender.”

Laine’s thesis, titled, “The Voice They Lack: How the Barriers for Transgender Men in Theatre Mimic Those They Face in Larger Society,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor [Professor Name].

Abigail Stutzel

2023 CHC Psychology graduate, Abigail Stutzel takes a look at the implications of the 2022 Supreme Court decision has beyond abortion care and analyzes what effects might be seen on both a national and individual level.

“The Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a national right to abortion in their 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, relying heavily on jurisprudence known as substantive due process. Nearly 50 years later, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic (2022), the Supreme Court reversed course by overturning Roe, condemning substantive due process, and consequently put the right to privacy in jeopardy. This project analyzes the significance of the Roe decision, its use of substantive due process, and two subsequent Supreme Court abortion decisions, Planned
Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania (1992) and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic (2022) in order to emphasize the importance of the Supreme Court’s continued use of substantive due process to maintain both a fundamental right to privacy and a Supreme Court that is legitimate in the eyes of the public.”

Abigail’s thesis, titled, “From Roe to Dobbs: Why the Supreme Court’s Abortion Rulings Have Implications Far Beyond Abortion,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Brandon Golob of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

Sakhi Gaurang Patel

2023 CHC Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate Sakhi Gurang Patel’s research approaches systemic health disparities in under-represented communities from the perspective of pharmacists and pharmacological healthcare workers:

“Health disparities, defined as adverse health differences affecting disadvantaged populations, are enhanced in under-represented communities such as low-income, homeless, uninsured, and underserved, and communities. This study builds upon prior research conducted by our team, which investigated pharmacist-led interventions addressing health disparities on a broader scale. The focus of this paper is to narrow focus on the underrepresented communities in order to reveal specific trends in current research and future avenues for potential research within these populations…The findings reveal general trends in current research for under-represented populations, such as the significance of multidisciplinary care teams or cardiometabolic disease as a focus. In doing so, the findings also reveal significant gaps in research such as those related to cost and healthcare literacy as an outcome.”

Sakhi’s thesis, titled, “Systemic Review of Pharmacist Interventions,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Aya Ozaki, Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Safa Hamid

2023 CHC graduate Safa Hamid’s research is built on a passion for women’s health care and analyzing the barriers that prevent Afghan refugee women from accessing adequate care.

“”My research project aims to identify and examine the barriers that hinder individuals from accessing proper healthcare, with a specific focus on women facing challenges such as transportation, language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliarity with the U.S. insurance system. The study proposes a survey-based approach to investigate not only the barriers themselves but also the potential impact of interventions designed to improve health behaviors. The research explores multiple dimensions, including women’s access to family planning services, cervical and breast cancer screening, and early prenatal care, as well as their attendance at cultural orientation programs. Additionally, it considers the value of follow-up assessments to determine changes in behavior and actions after participation in healthcare- focused sessions hosted by ReproNet.”

Safa’s thesis, titled, “A Survey-Based Study and Focus on Examining the Barriers to Proper Healthcare Access Among Afghan Refugee Women,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Heike Thiel De Bocanegra, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Ashley Nguyen

2023 CHC graduate Ashley Nguyen’s research takes on the challenge of understanding statistical and cultural factors affecting the historically undeserved demographic of Vietnamese American (VA) breast cancer patients.

“Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among females and although incidence rates are seen to be declining in Non-Hispanic White (NHW) Americans, Asian American women show increasing trends (Solanki et al., 2016). Vietnamese American (VA) women have a particularly high incidence rate with an increase of 1.2% (95% CI [0.1, 2.2]) per year (Gomez et al., 2013 ). Additionally, VA women experience a higher frequency of HER2+ breast cancer at 31% compared to the 19% frequency experienced by NHW Americans… These striking statistics highlight an important area of research in public health that is currently limited in its understanding of the unique experiences, physical and psychological needs of VA breast cancer patients…The goal of this project is to identify common cultural values and demographic challenges among VA breast cancer patients who experience poor mental health, specifically those residing in Orange County.”

Ashley’s thesis, titled, “Understanding the Cultural and Demographic Challenges Faced by Vietnamese American Breast Cancer Patients and their Relationship to Mental Health,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Sora Park Tanjasiri, Ph.D., Department of Health, Society and Behavior.

Hanayansy Escamilla

2023 Social Sciences graduate Hanayansy Escamilla’s conducted an ethnographic observational study to investigate different factors that can affect post-high school education in first-generation Hispanic households.

“Home environmental factors have a significant impact on which career path children decide on. Growing up in a Hispanic immigrant household can already set an obstacle for first-generation children trying to begin their lives in the United States. Research indicates that first-generation Hispanic students have significantly lower high school graduation rates and even lower college graduation rates compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. Despite the lower numbers, several students choose the path of higher education, and a larger number of students choose a trade for their careers. The goal of this study is to examine which home environmental factors, if any, positively or negatively affect whether students choose to continue their education after high school, whether it be in a trade or higher education.”

Hanayansy’s thesis, titled, “Home Environmental Effects on First-Generation Hispanic Students,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Angela C. Jenks, School of Social Sciences.

Neel Iyer

For his honors research, 2023 Biological Sciences graduate Neel Iyer investigated a specific DNA/RNA binding protein that is atypical in almost all cases of the neurodegenterative disease, ALS.

“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease which results in degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). A unifying pathology of nearly all cases of ALS is aggregation and mislocalization of TDP-43, a DNA/RNA binding protein. Many other ALS-causing genes identified are RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs), which are often found in Stress Granules (SGs). SGs are membraneless organelles containing RBPs and other components that form in response to environmental stressors. The assembly and disassembly of SGs are regulated by VCP, an ALS-causing gene in the Ubiquitin Proteasome degradation system. Recently, our lab and collaborators identified a new ALS-linked gene: ATXN3. The mechanism by which this gene causes ALS is unknown, however, preliminary findings demonstrate ATXN3 is involved in regulating accumulation of TDP-43 in vitro. We aim to understand whether ATXN3 interacts with VCP in regulating Stress Granules and clearance of TDP-43 in human motor neurons.”

Neel’s thesis, titled, “Investigating the Role of ATAXIN3 and VCP Interactions In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was guided by faculty advisor Dr. Albert La Spada, UCI School of Medicine.

Ashley Jane Pagador

For her honors research, 2023 CHC graduate Ashley Jane Pagador help-seeking behavior of Asian American college students and how this is affected by technology-mediated mental health resources.

“Asian American college students face unique mental health challenges influenced by cultural and societal expectations, impacting their use of professional psychological services and overall help-seeking behaviors. This study explores how Asian cultural values influence help-seeking behaviors and preferences for technology-based mental health resources. The study was conducted through an online survey of Asian American college students (n = 88) to understand their experiences with on-campus and online mental health resources, adherence to Asian values, and mental health literacy. We hypothesize that emotional self-control would negatively correlate with mental health literacy. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results have shown that conformity, as measured by the Asian Values scale, significantly negatively predicts mental health literacy (b = -0.44, 95% CI [-0.83, 0.05], t(87) = -2.53, p = .02]. Qualitative findings reveal limited experience with on-campus professional help and significant appointment-seeking barriers, emphasizing the need for enhanced accessibility. Additionally, interpersonal communication, particularly with friends, and engagement with online communities play a crucial role in the help-seeking behaviors of Asian American college students.”

Ashley’s thesis, titled, “The Asian American Identity and Its Effects on Engagement with Digital and Campus Mental Health Resources,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Stephen Schueller, School of Information and Computer Sciences.

Arielle Perrochon

2023 CHC graduate Arielle Perrochon’s research looks at the role the Small Molecule EIPA can play in new clinical therapies.

“Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have the potential to be a powerful therapeutic due to their ability to alter or degrade any RNA sequence. However, clinical success of oligonucleotide therapeutics has been limited by poor escape from the endomembrane system. Identifying small molecules that inhibit trafficking of ASOs to the lysosome may increase ASO activity by providing opportunities for endosomal escape. We aimed to investigate the mechanism by which the small molecule EIPA potentiates ASO activity.”

Ashley’s thesis, titled, “Dissecting the Mechanism Underlying the Potentiation of ASO Activity by the Small Molecule EIPA,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Aimee Edinger, School of Biological Sciences.