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VERSA research by Gio Rodriguez and Charis Barker presented at SABER 2026!
VERSA research by Gio Rodriguez and Charis Barker presented at SABER 2026!
July 2026
July 2026
Research conducted by several 2025 VERSA alumni was presented at the 2026 SABER Annual Meeting hosted by the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER).
Research conducted by several 2025 VERSA alumni was presented at the 2026 SABER Annual Meeting hosted by the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER).
VERSA alumnus Gio Rodriguez (pictured here) presented research he performed with his VERSA Fellow collaborator Andrea Fadel and mentor Dr. Isabella Maita. Their poster, entitled, "Less Stress, More Success? A Qualitative Analysis of Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Academic Stress and Transparency in STEM Classrooms." focused on how which aspects of classes undergraduates perceive as stressful and how academic transparency can relieve that stress.
VERSA alumnus Charis Barker's research was also presented as a short talk given by mentor Dr. Melinda Owens. Their talk, entitled, "Do Instructors Listen to Advice? The Impact of Feedback on Instructor Teaching Practices," addressed how to give college STEM faculty feedback on their teaching to help them become more effective instructors.
Congrats to Gio, Andrea, Charis, Isabella, and Melinda!
Jishan Karbanda publishes VERSA research at ASEE!
Jishan Karbanda publishes VERSA research at ASEE!
June 2026
June 2026
The research that 2025 VERSA alumnus Jishan Karbanda conducted during the VERSA program with his mentors Dr. Lelli Van Den Einde and Dr. Nate Delson has been presented as a paper at the 2026 ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education.) Annual Conference & Exposition. This paper, entitled, "Improving Spatial Visualization Training through Personalized Emails and Assignment Scaffolding," focused on how to best motivate students to complete training in spatial visualization, which is a difficult but important skill for engineering.
The research that 2025 VERSA alumnus Jishan Karbanda conducted during the VERSA program with his mentors Dr. Lelli Van Den Einde and Dr. Nate Delson has been presented as a paper at the 2026 ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education.) Annual Conference & Exposition. This paper, entitled, "Improving Spatial Visualization Training through Personalized Emails and Assignment Scaffolding," focused on how to best motivate students to complete training in spatial visualization, which is a difficult but important skill for engineering.
In addition, Jishan has continued to work with his mentors after the summer, and his new research contributed to another paper presented at ASEE. The second paper is entitled, "LLM use to Evaluate Student Weekly Reflections in First Year Design Class."
In addition, Jishan has continued to work with his mentors after the summer, and his new research contributed to another paper presented at ASEE. The second paper is entitled, "LLM use to Evaluate Student Weekly Reflections in First Year Design Class."
Congrats to Jishan, Lelli, and Nate!
Congrats to Jishan, Lelli, and Nate!
Chin, A. G. H., Delson, N., Van Den Einde, L., Kharbanda, J., & Voinov, H. (2026, June). Improving Spatial Visualization Training through Personalized Emails and Assignment Scaffolding. Paper presented at the 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Expo, American Society for Engineering Education. https://nemo.asee.org/public/conferences/374/papers/53048/view
Chin, A. G. H., Van Den Einde, L., Delson, N., Kharbanda, J., Voinov, H., & Huynh, A. T. (2026, June). LLM Use to Evaluate Student Weekly Reflections in First Year Design Class. Paper presented at the 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Expo, American Society for Engineering Education. https://nemo.asee.org/public/conferences/374/papers/53055/view
Heidi Hall publishes VERSA research in Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education!
Heidi Hall publishes VERSA research in Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education!
April 2026
April 2026
The research that 2025 VERSA alumnus Heidi Hall conducted during the VERSA program with her mentor Dr. Mingyu Yang has been published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education. This project shows that the way that biology textbooks represent the formation and breakdown of chemical bonds can lead students to either create misconceptions or elicit scientifically accurate knowledge from chemistry. Congrats to Heidi and Ming!
The research that 2025 VERSA alumnus Heidi Hall conducted during the VERSA program with her mentor Dr. Mingyu Yang has been published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education. This project shows that the way that biology textbooks represent the formation and breakdown of chemical bonds can lead students to either create misconceptions or elicit scientifically accurate knowledge from chemistry. Congrats to Heidi and Ming!
Dr. Yang writes: "I feel so lucky to have worked with Heidi as my first ever research mentee. Heidi was creative and meticulously detailed, and her careful scrutiny of the data opened up research directions I wouldn’t have pursued on my own."
Dr. Yang writes: "I feel so lucky to have worked with Heidi as my first ever research mentee. Heidi was creative and meticulously detailed, and her careful scrutiny of the data opened up research directions I wouldn’t have pursued on my own."
Hall H, Yang M. Making sense of ATP hydrolysis: how students reconcile conflicting ideas from chemistry and biology. J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2026 Apr 3:e0027925. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00279-25.
Manvir Bamrah publishes VERSA research in CBE Life Sciences Education!
Manvir Bamrah publishes VERSA research in CBE Life Sciences Education!
February 2026
February 2026
The research that 2024 VERSA alumnus Manvir Bamrah conducted during the VERSA program with his mentor Dr. Claire Meaders has been published in the journal CBE Life Sciences Education. This project examines how differences in how discussion sections are run, for example how the TA spends the time in section or whether the sections are remote or in-person, can influence how feel about their learning experiences. Congrats to Manvir and Claire!
The research that 2024 VERSA alumnus Manvir Bamrah conducted during the VERSA program with his mentor Dr. Claire Meaders has been published in the journal CBE Life Sciences Education. This project examines how differences in how discussion sections are run, for example how the TA spends the time in section or whether the sections are remote or in-person, can influence how feel about their learning experiences. Congrats to Manvir and Claire!
Mueller LO, Bamrah M, Petrie KL, Tour E, McDonnell L, Lo SM, Meaders CL. The Fourth Credit Hour: How do we Teach in Biology Discussion Sections? CBE Life Sci Educ. 2026 Mar 1;25(1):ar8. doi: 10.1187/cbe.25-08-0185
Heidi Hall presents VERSA research at SABER West 2026!
Heidi Hall presents VERSA research at SABER West 2026!
January 2026
January 2026
2025 VERSA alumnus Heidi Hall presented the research she performed with her mentor Dr. Mingyu Yang at the 2026 SABER West conference put on by the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER). Her talk, "Visual representations in biology may shape problem solving in chemistry," focused on how a common way that biology textbooks present information about chemical reactions can cause students to think inaccurately about energy in biology and chemistry. Congrats to Heidi and Ming!
2025 VERSA alumnus Heidi Hall presented the research she performed with her mentor Dr. Mingyu Yang at the 2026 SABER West conference put on by the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER). Her talk, "Visual representations in biology may shape problem solving in chemistry," focused on how a common way that biology textbooks present information about chemical reactions can cause students to think inaccurately about energy in biology and chemistry. Congrats to Heidi and Ming!
Gio Rodriguez wins CAMP Thermo Fisher award!
Gio Rodriguez wins CAMP Thermo Fisher award!
January 2026
2025 VERSA alumnus Gio Rodriguez virtually presented research he performed with his 2025 VERSA Fellow collaborator Andrea Fadel and mentor Dr. Isabella Maita at the Statewide California Alliance for Maximizing Potential (CAMP) Symposium. His talk, entitled, "The impact of classroom uncertainty on student feelings and coping mechanisms in STEM education," focused on how non-transparent pedagogy can cause stress and anxiety in students and how students deal with these feelings.
Gio's presentation was so impressive that he was designated as a "CAMP Thermo Fisher Scientific Scholar." This award comes with a $2,500 monetary award to support research or travel to present the research.
Congrats to Gio!
UCSD welcomes 12 new VERSA Scholars for 2025
UCSD welcomes 12 new VERSA Scholars for 2025
June 2025
June 2025
UCSD continues its innovative VERSA program by welcoming 12 new VERSA scholars for Summer 2025.
UCSD continues its innovative VERSA program by welcoming 12 new VERSA scholars for Summer 2025.
This summer's VERSA scholars hail from 10 different colleges and universities all over the nation. They will be working with 9 different UCSD faculty mentors to conduct STEM education research in fields ranging from Physics to Biology to Structural Engineering. We have built on what we have learned in previous years to create what we hope will be the best VERSA summer so far. Welcome new VERSA scholars!
This summer's VERSA scholars hail from 10 different colleges and universities all over the nation. They will be working with 9 different UCSD faculty mentors to conduct STEM education research in fields ranging from Physics to Biology to Structural Engineering. We have built on what we have learned in previous years to create what we hope will be the best VERSA summer so far. Welcome new VERSA scholars!
Zella Garrido presents VERSA research at the American Chemical Society's Spring 2025 expo!
Zella Garrido presents VERSA research at the American Chemical Society's Spring 2025 expo!
March 2025
March 2025
2024 VERSA alumnus Zella Garrido presented the research she performed with her mentor Dr. Thom Bussey at the 2025 Spring Meeting and Expo put on by the American Chemical Society. Her poster, entitled, "Comparative case study of biochemistry students’ understanding of static and dynamic augmented reality models of hemoglobin," focused on students can use augmented reality apps to better understand important biological molecules. Congrats to Zella and Thom!
2024 VERSA alumnus Zella Garrido presented the research she performed with her mentor Dr. Thom Bussey at the 2025 Spring Meeting and Expo put on by the American Chemical Society. Her poster, entitled, "Comparative case study of biochemistry students’ understanding of static and dynamic augmented reality models of hemoglobin," focused on students can use augmented reality apps to better understand important biological molecules. Congrats to Zella and Thom!
Manvir Bamrah and Libby Kotei-Fearon present VERSA research at SABER West 2025!
Manvir Bamrah and Libby Kotei-Fearon present VERSA research at SABER West 2025!
January 2025
January 2025
The research that 2024 VERSA alumni Manvir Bamrah performed with his mentor Dr. Claire Meaders and Libby Kotei-Fearon and Kat Lauinger did with mentor Dr. Stanley Lo was presented at the SABER West conference.
The research that 2024 VERSA alumni Manvir Bamrah performed with his mentor Dr. Claire Meaders and Libby Kotei-Fearon and Kat Lauinger did with mentor Dr. Stanley Lo was presented at the SABER West conference.
Manvir gave a Plenary Short Talk on "Characterizing Undergraduate Biology Discussion Sections in Support of Student Learning and Experience." This project examines how differences in how discussion sections are run can influence what students do in them and how they feel about their learning experiences.
Manvir gave a Plenary Short Talk on "Characterizing Undergraduate Biology Discussion Sections in Support of Student Learning and Experience." This project examines how differences in how discussion sections are run can influence what students do in them and how they feel about their learning experiences.
Libby presented a poster on the work she and Kat performed together on "Examining Instructor Growth in Adaptive Equity-Oriented Pedagogical Competency: Implications for STEM Higher Education Professional Development." This project is about how college instructors learn how to teach in a more responsive way to students.
Libby presented a poster on the work she and Kat performed together on "Examining Instructor Growth in Adaptive Equity-Oriented Pedagogical Competency: Implications for STEM Higher Education Professional Development." This project is about how college instructors learn how to teach in a more responsive way to students.
Congrats to Manvir, Libby, Kat, Claire, and Stanley!
Congrats to Manvir, Libby, Kat, Claire, and Stanley!
Alfonso Godínez Aguilar publishes VERSA research in JMBE and CBE Life Sciences Education!
Alfonso Godínez Aguilar publishes VERSA research in JMBE and CBE Life Sciences Education!
December 2024
December 2024
The research that 2023 VERSA alumnus Alfonso Godínez Aguilar conducted during the VERSA program with his mentors Dr. Melinda T. Owens and Dr. Claire Meaders has been published in two journals, the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education Research and CBE Life Sciences Education. This research shows how an intervention that teaches the chemistry of life to introductory biology students affects their learning and feelings about chemistry, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Congrats to Alfonso, Melinda, and Claire!
The research that 2023 VERSA alumnus Alfonso Godínez Aguilar conducted during the VERSA program with his mentors Dr. Melinda T. Owens and Dr. Claire Meaders has been published in two journals, the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education Research and CBE Life Sciences Education. This research shows how an intervention that teaches the chemistry of life to introductory biology students affects their learning and feelings about chemistry, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Congrats to Alfonso, Melinda, and Claire!
Claire L. Meaders, Lilyan Mendez, Alfonso Godínez Aguilar, Angelita T. Rivera, Izabella Vasquez, Liam O. Mueller, and Melinda T. Owens. 2025. An Asynchronous Chemistry-in-biology Intervention Improves Student Content Knowledge and Performance in Introductory Biology. CBE Life Sciences Education. Mar; 24(1):ar2. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-05-0151
Lilyan Mendez, Angelita T. Rivera, Izabella Vasquez, Alfonso Godínez Aguilar, Melinda T. Owens, Claire L. Meaders. How Students Taking Introductory Biology Experience the Chemistry Content. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education. 0:e00111-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00111-24
UCSD welcomes 12 VERSA Scholars for 2024
UCSD welcomes 12 VERSA Scholars for 2024
June 2024
June 2024
UCSD welcomes 12 new VERSA scholars, its biggest VERSA cohort ever, to UCSD for Summer 2024.
UCSD welcomes 12 new VERSA scholars, its biggest VERSA cohort ever, to UCSD for Summer 2024.
These VERSA scholars, who come from 11 different colleges and universities from all over the country, are coming to UCSD to do mentored STEM education research. Each of them is working with one of 11 different UCSD faculty mentors in fields ranging from Biology to Astrophysics to Electrical Engineering to Psychology. This is the largest VERSA cohort ever, and we have updated the program in various ways to support their growth and success. Welcome new VERSA scholars!
These VERSA scholars, who come from 11 different colleges and universities from all over the country, are coming to UCSD to do mentored STEM education research. Each of them is working with one of 11 different UCSD faculty mentors in fields ranging from Biology to Astrophysics to Electrical Engineering to Psychology. This is the largest VERSA cohort ever, and we have updated the program in various ways to support their growth and success. Welcome new VERSA scholars!
Joana Fang publishes VERSA research at SIGCSE!
Joana Fang publishes VERSA research at SIGCSE!
March 2024
March 2024
The research that 2023 VERSA alumna Joana Fang conducted during the VERSA program with her mentor Dr. Mia Minnes has been published in the Proceedings of the SIGCSE symposium on computer science education. This research analyzes the effectiveness of an intervention that helps incoming computer science students feel welcomed in their field. Congrats to Joana and Mia!
The research that 2023 VERSA alumna Joana Fang conducted during the VERSA program with her mentor Dr. Mia Minnes has been published in the Proceedings of the SIGCSE symposium on computer science education. This research analyzes the effectiveness of an intervention that helps incoming computer science students feel welcomed in their field. Congrats to Joana and Mia!
Joana writes: "Thank you again for all that VERSA has provided me. It has immensely increased my sense of belonging in research. I never would have imagined that I would be a co-author in research published for a conference."
Joana writes: "Thank you again for all that VERSA has provided me. It has immensely increased my sense of belonging in research. I never would have imagined that I would be a co-author in research published for a conference."
Niharika Bhaskar, Amari N. Lewis, Rona Darabi, Joana Fang, Jingting Liu, Kristen Vaccaro, Joe Gibbs Politz, and Mia Minnes. 2024. Welcoming Students to Undergraduate Computer Science Programs: On-ramps, Rest Areas, and Lane Changes. In Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1 (SIGCSE 2024). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1145/3626252.3630964
Oct. 12, 2023
Oct. 12, 2023
Diversity-focused initiative furthers UC San Diego’s emergence as a hub for discipline-based education research
Diversity-focused initiative furthers UC San Diego’s emergence as a hub for discipline-based education research
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