{"id":2210,"date":"2026-06-22T16:51:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T23:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/?page_id=2210"},"modified":"2026-06-30T15:13:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T22:13:02","slug":"research-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/students\/bc-research-award\/research-award-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Bellevue College Student Research Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-bc-sitka-spruce-narrow-content narrow-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-lead lead\">The Bellevue College Student Research Award recognizes outstanding work in developing original course projects. Students submitted a research project done in the last year, an essay about their research process and what they learned, and a bibliography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-lead lead\">The following winners were selected for developing thoughtful, well-researched, original course projects and essays that showed deep engagement with ideas and sources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-wrapper alignstandard\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2026 Winners<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block-wrapper alignstandard\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapsibles accordion\" id=\"accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapse accordion-item\"><h3 class=\"accordion-header mb-0\" id=\"heading_d04e28a1-6095-4f18-b020-e5d31b53046c\"><button class=\"accordion-button bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapse_d04e28a1-6095-4f18-b020-e5d31b53046c\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_d04e28a1-6095-4f18-b020-e5d31b53046c\">Fansong Zhang (Grand Prize)<\/button><\/h3><div id=\"collapse_d04e28a1-6095-4f18-b020-e5d31b53046c\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"heading_d04e28a1-6095-4f18-b020-e5d31b53046c\" data-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\" data-bs-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\"><div class=\"accordion-body bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/No-photo-available2.jpg\" alt=\"No photo available icon\" class=\"wp-image-2273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/No-photo-available2.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/No-photo-available2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/No-photo-available2-174x174.jpg 174w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Faculty Mentor: Sarah Ghasedi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project: <\/strong><em>Enhancing Sensory Accessibility Through Clear Communication<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract: <\/strong>This project proposes adding a 1\u20135 sensory rating framework to Woodland Park Zoo\u2019s Accessibility Guide to help visitors better understand the intensity of sight, sound, smell, touch, and movement across zoo habitats and attractions. Although the zoo already provides accessibility resources, its current sensory information does not consistently show how intense different environments may feel. Our proposal uses research on sensory accessibility, pre-visit planning, numerical rating scales, and universal design to support a clearer, more practical communication system. By making sensory conditions easier to compare and anticipate, the project aims to reduce uncertainty, improve visitor comfort, and strengthen inclusive access for sensory-sensitive visitors, caregivers, educators, and the broader public.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapse accordion-item\"><h3 class=\"accordion-header mb-0\" id=\"heading_f6f6053a-2474-4733-9aa9-a4ad8e8ab92f\"><button class=\"accordion-button bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapse_f6f6053a-2474-4733-9aa9-a4ad8e8ab92f\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_f6f6053a-2474-4733-9aa9-a4ad8e8ab92f\">Tatiana Bossa (Grand Prize)<\/button><\/h3><div id=\"collapse_f6f6053a-2474-4733-9aa9-a4ad8e8ab92f\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"heading_f6f6053a-2474-4733-9aa9-a4ad8e8ab92f\" data-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\" data-bs-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\"><div class=\"accordion-body bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/TBossaFlorez3.jpg\" alt=\"Tatiana Bossa - 2026 RISE Research Award Top Winner\" class=\"wp-image-2274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/TBossaFlorez3.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/TBossaFlorez3-229x300.jpg 229w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/TBossaFlorez3-133x174.jpg 133w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Faculty Mentor<\/strong>: Jackie Gapinski<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project:<\/strong><em> Investigating the effects of knocking down DNA repair pathway components on mutation rate, fertility, and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract:<\/strong> DNA repair pathways maintain genome stability by correcting replication errors and diverse DNA lesions. This study investigates how deficiencies in mismatch repair (MMR), homologous recombination (HR), nucleotide excision repair (NER), and base excision repair (BER) affect mutation rate in <em>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/em>. The <em>unc\u201158(e665)<\/em> gain\u2011of\u2011function mutant was used as a reporter strain because its severe uncoordinated phenotype can be restored by a second-site mutation at the same locus, enabling sensitive detection of spontaneous reversion events. RNAi knockdown of <em>msh\u20112<\/em>, <em>rad\u201154L<\/em>, <em>csa\u20111<\/em>, and <em>apn\u20111<\/em>&nbsp;was performed, and F1 progeny were scored for movement phenotypes. Revertants were detected under <em>msh\u20112<\/em>&nbsp;(MMR) and <em>apn\u20111<\/em>&nbsp;(BER) knockdown, while no revertants were observed following <em>rad\u201154L<\/em> (HR) or <em>csa\u20111<\/em>&nbsp;(NER) RNAi treatment. The <em>pfn\u20111<\/em>&nbsp;RNAi positive control produced 82% embryonic lethality, confirming RNAi efficacy. These results indicate that MMR and BER deficiencies increase mutation rate at the <em>unc\u201158(e665)<\/em>&nbsp;locus, whereas HR and NER knockdowns did not produce detectable reversion events under these conditions. Variation in reversion frequency may reflect pathway\u2011specific roles in genome stability or differences in RNAi knockdown strength. Dual knockdown of <em>apn\u20111<\/em>&nbsp;and <em>msh\u20112<\/em>&nbsp;demonstrated that <em>msh\u20112<\/em>&nbsp;is the primary driver of the reversion phenotype. Fertility assays were conducted in both <em>N2<\/em>&nbsp;and <em>unc\u201158(e665)<\/em>&nbsp;strains because DNA repair pathways are essential during early embryogenesis, when rapid cell division occurs. Knockdown of <em>apn\u20111<\/em> or <em>msh\u20112<\/em>&nbsp;did not reduce reproductive fitness, indicating that partial loss of these pathways through RNAi does not impair fertility under the tested conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapse accordion-item\"><h3 class=\"accordion-header mb-0\" id=\"heading_b3116770-2cbe-4cb2-849d-2fa40cd45022\"><button class=\"accordion-button bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapse_b3116770-2cbe-4cb2-849d-2fa40cd45022\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_b3116770-2cbe-4cb2-849d-2fa40cd45022\">Chloe Zheng (Runner up)<\/button><\/h3><div id=\"collapse_b3116770-2cbe-4cb2-849d-2fa40cd45022\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"heading_b3116770-2cbe-4cb2-849d-2fa40cd45022\" data-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\" data-bs-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\"><div class=\"accordion-body bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/CZheng4.jpg\" alt=\"Chloe Zheng - 2026 RISE Research Award winner\" class=\"wp-image-2304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/CZheng4.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/CZheng4-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/CZheng4-174x174.jpg 174w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Faculty Mentor<\/strong>: Stacy Alvares<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project: <\/strong><em>Bioinformatics Analysis of Pseudomonas fluorescens L5.1-96 Library Clone Shows Importance of Transcription Factors in Stress Resistance and Bacterial Colonization<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract: <\/strong>Take-All disease is a severe cereal root disease caused by the fungal pathogen Gaeumannomyces tritici that leads to a reduction in crop yield in Eastern Washington that can be combatted through Take-All decline. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain L5.1-96 has high rhizosphere colonization competence and drought resistance and is a 2,4 DAPG-producing biocontrol agent that causes Take-All decline. In this study, a portion of the P. fluorescens L5.1-96 genome is purified as an insert in a plasmid from a genomic library, sequenced, and analyzed for genes that contribute to rhizosphere colonization competence and drought resistance. Open-reading frames (ORFs) were found, and each ORF was aligned with the non-redundant protein sequences database with Protein BLAST. Proteins identified are GntR and TetR\/AcrR transcriptional factors and SDR family oxidoreductases, as well as related genes. Together, they provide resistance to stressors such as desiccation and osmosis, as well as increased motility and biofilm production that may boost colonization, providing insight into why P. fluorescens L5.1-96 has strong resistance to drought and high rhizosphere colonization competency, and how that could potentially be leveraged in farms in the future to prevent Take-All disease.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapse accordion-item\"><h3 class=\"accordion-header mb-0\" id=\"heading_b4814708-0c90-47ae-8622-02b98226e4cf\"><button class=\"accordion-button bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapse_b4814708-0c90-47ae-8622-02b98226e4cf\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_b4814708-0c90-47ae-8622-02b98226e4cf\">Olivia Halim (Runner up)<\/button><\/h3><div id=\"collapse_b4814708-0c90-47ae-8622-02b98226e4cf\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"heading_b4814708-0c90-47ae-8622-02b98226e4cf\" data-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\" data-bs-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\"><div class=\"accordion-body bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/OliviaHalim2.jpg\" alt=\"Olivia Halim\" class=\"wp-image-2268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/OliviaHalim2.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/OliviaHalim2-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/OliviaHalim2-139x174.jpg 139w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>Faculty Mentor<\/strong>: Sarah Ghasedi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project:<\/strong> <em>Woodland Park Zoo &#8211; AR Video Mural Proposal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract: <\/strong>To address the issue of &#8220;improving the Woodland Park Zoo&#8217;s&#8221; technical communication, our group decided to create an AR video mural to showcase the dangers\/consequences of deforestation. This was chosen to address the problem of a lack of teenagers visiting the zoo and to also promote conservation. The overall outcome was to send a written proposal to our zoo representative so she can share it with her colleagues.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mayflower-blocks-collapse accordion-item\"><h3 class=\"accordion-header mb-0\" id=\"heading_c7fe59f9-32e3-4c9b-a59e-b2d061c21273\"><button class=\"accordion-button bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapse_c7fe59f9-32e3-4c9b-a59e-b2d061c21273\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_c7fe59f9-32e3-4c9b-a59e-b2d061c21273\">Suey Thurston (Runner up)<\/button><\/h3><div id=\"collapse_c7fe59f9-32e3-4c9b-a59e-b2d061c21273\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse \" aria-labelledby=\"heading_c7fe59f9-32e3-4c9b-a59e-b2d061c21273\" data-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\" data-bs-parent=\"#accordion_506848be-a151-4e22-9f8a-a850c7fca6e2\"><div class=\"accordion-body bg-default text-bg-default\n\t\t\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/headshot_suey.thurston2.jpg\" alt=\"Suey Thurston - BC Student Research Award winner\" class=\"wp-image-2365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/headshot_suey.thurston2.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/457\/2026\/06\/headshot_suey.thurston2-231x174.jpg 231w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Faculty Mentor:<\/strong> Helton Leal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Project:<\/strong> <em>Applications of Calculus in Sociology<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract:<\/strong> This paper explores how calculus is applied in the field of sociology, specifically within mathematical sociology for an audience of college students not in STEM majors. It looks at three examples of sociology applications of calculus: the SIR model, to follow the spread of social phenomena, population dynamics to model exponential and logistic growth, and shifts in public opinion through physics concepts. To show how public opinions can be shifted, a study was done on students in a Calculus I class where data was collected using online surveys. The results showed an increase in both familiarity with sociology and in opinion of how much calculus impacts sociology.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2026 Winners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3641,"featured_media":0,"parent":1729,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2210","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3641"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2210"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2373,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2210\/revisions\/2373"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}