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During UCLA's Undergraduate Research Week (May 23-27), the Library Prize for Undergraduate Research recognizes and honors excellence in undergraduate research at UCLA. This year, eight outstanding scholars are being recognized for their use of Library resources for a research paper or course project. Their submitted research will be hosted on eScholarship, the University of California's open access publishing platform.

Winners of these eight prizes, spanning four categories, are being revealed on the Library’s Facebook(opens in a new tab), Twitter(opens in a new tab) and Instagram(opens in a new tab) accounts throughout the week. Their accomplishments are also being recognized during the Undergraduate Research Week Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, starting at 2 p.m. PT and streaming live on Facebook(opens in a new tab).

Science, Engineering and Math First Prize ($700)

Researcher: Arjun Verma '23
Major: Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Project title: Parsimonious Machine Learning Models to Predict Resource Use in Cardiac Surgery Across a Statewide Collaborative
Faculty sponsor: Peyman Benharash, M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine

Arjun Verma
Arjun Verma '23

Science, Engineering and Math Second Prize ($400)

Researcher: Aishwarya Atmakuri '23
Major: Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Project title: Metabolic Regulation of Cell Identity and Therapy Response in Prostate Cancer
Faculty sponsor: Andrew Goldstein, M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine

Aishwarya Atmakuri
Aishwarya Atmakuri '23

Science, Engineering and Math Second Prize ($400)

Researcher: Amina Durrani '23
Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Project title: The Direct and Indirect Effects of HIV-1 on Cells of the Central Nervous System
Faculty sponsor: Bennett Novitch, M.D., Neuroscience

Amina Durrani
Amina Durrani '23

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences First Prize ($700)

Researcher: Ashley Leung '22
Major: English
Project title: Liberate the Asian American Writer: Embracing the Flaws of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club
Faculty sponsor: Jinqi Ling, Ph.D., English

Ashley Leung
Ashley Leung '22

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Second Prize ($400)

Researchers: Catherine Hamilton '25 and Patrick Ma '23
Majors: English/Political Science | Human Biology and Society
Project title: When Court-Made Rules Fail: Leveraging the Private Market to Stop Misinformation in Advertising
Faculty sponsor: David Biderman, J.D., Law

Catherine Hamilton and Patrick Ma
Catherine Hamilton '25 and Patrick Ma '23
Hamilton and Ma quotes
Statements from Catherine Hamilton '25 and Patrick Ma '23

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Second Prize ($400)

Researchers Nathaniel Singer '22
Majors: Public Affairs and History
Project title: Soviet Simulacrum: The Almaty Metro and Kazakh Independence
Faculty sponsor: Miloš Jovanović, Ph.D., History

Nathaniel Singer
Nathaniel Singer '22

Special Collections and Archives Prize ($350)

Researcher: Isabel Best '22
Major: Geography
Project title: Food Sovereignty as Purpose and Strategy: The Role of Agriculture in the Zapatista Approach to Indigenous Autonomy and Governance from Below
Faculty sponsor: Josh Mayer, Anthropology

Isabel Best
Isabel Best '22