Project HAPPIEST 2022 Cohort

Camden Alexander

I am a third-year undergraduate student double majoring in Sociology and Criminology. My expected graduation is Spring 2024. For the duration of HAPPIEST, I worked under Dr. Scott Collingwood in the Department of Pediatrics and Marco Lorenzo Allain from the Geography Department. My favorite memory from this summer was passing out during a tour of the Water Reclaimation Facility, and the most surprising thing I learned during my research was how cool chemical engineering can be.

Gabriel Baffour

My name is Gabriel Baffour, but everyone refers to me by my middle name which is Kojo. My major is QAMO and the expect year I’m going to graduate is 2025. My mentor’s names are Daniel Mendoza and Tabitha Benny, as well as my graduate student coordinator was Casey Olsen. I say my most favorable memory of summer 2022 was probably when my friends and I went cliff jumping at Causey Reservoir in the mountains.  I guess the most surprising thing I learned about the research I was doing was mostly how bad the air pollution is in Salt Lake City, I had no clue beforehand of the pollutants that kind of just sit within the valley and the different health implications they could cause.

Jaqueline Gomez

I am an Environmental and sustainability studies major with a drawing minor and I anticipate to graduate in Spring 2024. My Faculty mentor was Jim VanDerslice and graduate student coordinator was Andrea Davis. My favorite memory this summer was when we went to the Great Salt Lake as a cohort to learn about the lake. It was super memorable because we took the Front Runner, which I had never taken even though I've lived here my whole life. It was also memorable because it was a day out of the office where I could better bond with my peers and mentor. The most surprising thing about conducting research this summer was how long the IRB process takes, mainly because I had no idea such a system was in place since previous research experiences that I have taken part in didn't involve human subjects or personal information from these subjects.

Jessica Cuello

I recently graduated with a degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies/Political Science in May 2022. My summer 2022 Faculty mentor was Tabitha Benney and Daniel Mendoza. My graduate student training coordinator was Casey Olson. My favorite memory of the summer was simply getting to know my mentors.

Kevin Ramos

I’m a current undergraduate student in the department of Geography studying Geographic Information Science. I’m expected to graduate Fall 2023. I had the honor to work with Dr. Jim VanDerslice & Andrea Davis on researching how historic traffic affects populations can affect populations through airborne illnesses and other conditions caused by the exposure of vehicular pollutants. My favorite memory of the summer was visiting Antelope island and discussing how the Salt lake is exponentially drying up. What most surprised me was that there are many instances where one has to adapt and change the course of research.

Marlon Lopez

I am a Biology major. I am expected to graduate Spring 2025 my Summer 2022 Faculty mentor and graduate student training coordinators were Dr. Anne Kirchhoff, Judy Ou, & Karely Mann. My favorite memory from Summer 2022 was near the beginning of the program, our research team held a lunch on the Huntsman Cancer institute patio to get to know the summer students a bit more. They provided us with lots of food and we discussed the things that we would experience and learn during the summer and just socialized with the research team. They were very welcoming and gave us a good introduction before getting into our research. I saw that they really cared about us and our experience there at the Kirchhoff research group. The most surprising thing I learned was discovering different career paths that are available in health care as well as how research is conducted since this was my first research experience. It was eye-opening to see the coordination, collaboration, and work that goes into research. I learned from my mentors the process for coming up with a research question, how you need to submit a grant proposal for funding, how long that takes and the logistics of doing research

Monica-Rae Owens

I am pursuing a degree in Biology with an emphasis in Anatomy and Physiology and a Minor in Chemistry. I will be graduating in the Spring 2023 semester. The faculty mentor and graduate student training coordinator that I have had the privilege of working with this summer are Dr. Scott Collingwood and Marco Lorenzo Allain, respectively. My favorite memory from this summer research program is when we had the opportunity to explore Antelope Island and learn about the Great Salt Lake and how it contributes to air quality across the Wasatch front. The most surprising thing that I learned about conducting research during this summer program is seeing first-hand exactly what it takes to conduct a large-scale, longitudinal study. We got to meet with the entire research team, and learn about everyone's role and how they are contributing to the study. I loved getting connected with so many incredible individuals, all working towards one goal! 

Sarah Bayardo

I am Sarah Bayardo, a student at the University of Utah majoring in biology with an emphasis in anatomy and physiology and part of the pre-medical program. My expected graduation date is in spring 2023. For my summer research, my faculty mentors and graduate student coordinators were Dr. Kirchhoff, Dr. Ou, and Karely. One of my favorite memories were when we went to Antelope Island with the summer program peers to learn more about how the climate change outcomes look like; when we climbed one of the mountains, the wind was strong, we couldn't walk, and my hair was all over my face. It was a hilarious moment with the rest of the HAPPIEST program peers. Another favorite memory was when Kirchhoff's team had a "welcome lunch" for us; it was an emotional moment because I felt welcomed, loved, and a sense of belonging. One of my most surprising findings while conducting research was when I realized that creating accessible ways to express scientific information on environmental health and cancer is vital in information to the public.