Archive for category: Students

Meet fourth-year undergraduate researcher Ngoc Nguyen!

Ngoc majors in International Development Studies, Asian American Studies, and Sociology and is in our Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program (URSP). The title of her project is “Hidden in Plain Sight: On the Legal and Grassroots Organizing against Thai Labor Trafficking in the United States,” which focuses on the role of grassroots organizing in the El Monte case by exploring questions regarding labor laws and rights of immigrant communities. She hopes that her project will bring light to challenges that the Thai community experiences and promote effective change.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

Coming from a low-income immigrant family and seeing my parents being exploited by the unjust labor system as they work long hours with low wages have inspired me to pursue an education to learn about immigration and labor law and advocate for the rights of immigrant communities. Although I have always wanted to research immigration and labor law, I did not know what topic I want to pursue until I met my faculty mentor, Professor Jennifer Chun, who suggested that I learn about the El Monte Thai Garment worker case.

Interning for the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) has taught me about the case and the role that non-profit organizations such as the Thai CDC played in the case. I was extremely inspired by the ways in which grassroots organizations, activists, and community members came together in the mid-1990s to demand justice for the workers and create systemic changes. This experience led me to research this case for my senior project. Through this project, I focus on the role of grassroots organizing in the El Monte case by exploring the following questions: How did grassroots organizations, lawyers, and community members come together to advocate for the workers? How was the coalition formed and what role did each organization play? What strategies did these organizations use to advocate against state violence and to demand justice for the workers?

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

The most exciting part of my research has been getting the opportunity to research archival materials about the El Monte case and talking to community organizers who were involved in the labor movement in the 1990s!

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

I never would have expected to grow this much through this process! Not only have I been able to meet and listen to stories of amazing community organizers, but I have also become more inspired to pursue a career in the legal field. Learning about immigration and labor organizing has helped me realize who I want to be, what kind of activist I want to become in the future, and how pursuing a law degree can help me achieve my aspirations.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

I would advise students to challenge themselves, go out of their comfort zone, and actively pursue opportunities. As a first-generation college student, I struggled to navigate UCLA and find opportunities to pursue research. However, talking to my professors, friends, and mentors has helped me narrow down my research and apply to opportunities.  

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I hope that my project will bring light to challenges that the Thai community experiences that continue to remain hidden in mainstream discourse and promote integral dialogues about how grassroots organizing can advocate for effective change.

Meet fourth-year undergraduate researcher J.W. Clark!

J.W. majors in Musicology with a minor in Philosophy and is in our Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program. The title of their project is “Voicing the Fox: The Zoopolitics of (Re)presenting Vulpine Bodies,” which draws on a number of disciplines including literary studies and critical theory, biosemiotics and behavioral ethology, and analytical philosophy and art history.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

 During my first quarter at UCLA as a new transfer student, I was lucky enough to be able to attend my first academic conference – the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society. The first panel of the weekend that I attended was titled “Plants and Animals”; at the time, the panel’s content struck me as incredibly peculiar for musicological work, with such papers as “Becoming-Tree: Heine, Grieg, Sibelius, and Musical Arboreality” (Daniel Grimley) and “Of Donkeys, Dogs, and Schubert: The Sonic as a Meeting Place for Species” (Knar Abrahamyan). While the “cultural animal studies” have generated some worthwhile work in the humanities within the past few decades, at many institutions such approaches are still viewed by traditional musicologists as “fringe” topics, at least with regard to music scholarship. But hearing these rigorous papers at a high-profile national conference made me realize that nothing was really off-limits when it came to scholarship. The whole conference for me was like that; that weekend also marked the start of my serious engagement with feminist, queer, and critical race theory – all of the “New Musicology” – approaches to music scholarship, though nothing stuck with me quite as persistently as that first panel. I ended up picking up a copy of Rachel Mundy’s Animal Musicalities at the book expo on my way out, and from there I really began thinking in earnest about the “animal turn” and how I could bring that more into musicological discourse. I then wrote a course paper in the spring as a kind of test-run for this kind of approach, where I looked at Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and how animal representation was operating there with regard to the opera’s libretto, score, and staging techniques. I really liked engaging with that line of inquiry and started getting into posthumanist/animal studies scholarship at around the same time, and that more or less laid the groundwork for my current project.

 What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far? 

The sheer breadth of work I have had to dialogue with has introduced me to countless new fields and subfields of which I had little or no prior knowledge of beforehand. “Animal studies” is far from a unified area of research; particularly given the lack of existing music scholarship on my topic, I’ve been drawing on everything from literary studies and critical theory, to biosemiotics and behavioral ethology, to analytical philosophy and art history. It’s been an immensely rewarding process.

What has surprised you about your research or the research process? 

I continue to be caught off-guard by the depth and pervasiveness of hegemony in the form of human exceptionalism; every time I think I’ve gotten to the bottom, something else comes along – a new comparison I hadn’t thought of, a nuanced apprehension of a certain relationship – and forces me to reevaluate what I think I know all over again. Getting “outside” anthropomorphisms is impossible given our status as humans, but at times it becomes incredibly easy to forget that that they exist. This is particularly the case when working with nonhuman animal representations in our artistic and cultural artefacts, given they are overwhelmingly ubiquitous in day-to-day life. This project has required a constant reimagination of what it would truly mean to relate to other species in a mutually respectful way.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research? 

A lot of people (myself included) tend to stress initially over finding a line of inquiry that hasn’t been done before – because there is so much scholarship out there, it often seems like there is nothing meaningful you can contribute to your given field, especially as an undergrad. Don’t worry about coming up with something uniquely “original” – reflect on what you’re already interested in and connect those existing strands to your discipline and to each other. In my opinion, the most exciting and productive scholarship emerges from individuals who employ their field to work for them, rather than imposing limits on their work to fit rigid disciplinary boundaries. At base, research, reading, and just expanding your horizons in general allows you to better and more rewardingly reterritorialize what you already have.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world? 

I’d like to push everyone who comes in contact with me and my work to scrutinize the habitual ways in which they navigate the world. We, as humans, have continued to orchestrate a horrifying genocide of mind-numbing proportions against those we have deemed to be “subhuman.” Most egregiously (though the least acknowledged) has been the violent subjugation of countless other animals, but comparable strategies have been and continue to be deployed against marginalized groups within our own species. Despite a popular conception to the contrary, music-making, and art general, is inherently political, and thus cannot be separated from such acts. Following Susan McHugh’s call to investigate how “forms of representation matter to the development of theories of species life” in her work on animal fictions, I hope to impress upon people the importance of critiquing how we look at, listen to, and talk about others.

Meet fourth-year undergraduate researcher Liv Slaby!

Liv majors in Musicology and is in our Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

I’m pursuing a graduate degree in dramatic writing, so I knew I wanted my Musicology capstone project to be a creative piece. I constructed a plot that draws on several of my academic interests and takes place in an almost-underwater San Francisco in 2199. Two Earth-born college hockey players, hoping to move to Mars after graduation, find that their climb to the championships is complicated by the arrival of a new Martian teammate who reveals that the colony is no longer habitable. This project cites queer theory and literature as well as New Queer Cinema, which I use with sound and voice studies scholarship to explore queer, female, and non-binary embodiment in the context of sports and audio drama. I also employ science fiction techniques to explore the interpersonal and environmental concerns of my characters.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

I’ve enjoyed reading, watching, and listening to the diverse scholarly and creative texts that comprise my bibliography. I’ve been influenced by the works of Deleuze and Guattari, Todd Haynes, Jack Halberstam, Timothy Morton, Samuel R. Delany, and Nina Eidsheim. Exploring the possibilities of sound as a dramatic medium is something I didn’t foresee myself doing as a writer, but it’s been fascinating getting to know my characters in the context of how their voices and sonic environments will embody them in listeners’ imaginations.

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

When I applied for URSP, I thought I’d spend the year writing the script for a staged theatrical piece. However, due to the impact of social distancing on theatrical practice, I decided it would be more pragmatic to explore ideas of isolation, disorientation, and uncertain futures through an auditory medium. Now, I’ll finish the (shorter) script this winter and spend much of the year recording and producing the piece so I can present a fully realized audio drama at Undergraduate Research Week in May.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

I recommend working with a mentor or project advisors with whom you connect and feel comfortable sharing your first drafts and half-formed ideas. Writing isn’t easy with only your own head as a sounding board, and it’s helpful to have a mentor who keeps your timeline on track and is available for you to discuss and develop your ideas through conversation.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I hope that I will encourage listeners to be aware of the assumptions they make about the “locations” of the voices, including demographic information like race, gender, and age. In our predominantly visual society, I aim to draw attention to sound’s multisensory forms and potential for interpersonal connection. By dealing with embodiment in a disembodied medium, I hope to illuminate the ways we orient ourselves to our own bodies and to entities we perceive as others, and to explore compassion through sonic perception.

Meet fourth-year undergraduate researcher Caleb Kealoha!

Caleb majors in Psychology and is in our Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program. The title of his research project is “We are (not) in Synch: Inter-brain Synchrony during Interpersonal Conflict.”

How did you first get interested in your research project?

In my first quarter as a transfer student at UCLA, I took a social psychology course with Dr. Matthew Lieberman. I quickly became enamored with this area of psychology, as I realized that I think about the world like a social psychologist. Wanting to learn more, I frequently attended Dr. Lieberman’s office hours and delved into the literature he recommended. Over time, he helped me develop my research interests and introduced me to the field of social neuroscience, a growing branch of social psychology that intersects with cognitive psychology and neuroscience.  With Dr. Lieberman’s help, I have investigated a topic of research I find important: interpersonal conflict. My honors thesis project uses neuroimaging to identify the neural signatures of interpersonal conflict within face-to-face interaction.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

Overseeing a research project from beginning to end has been a rewarding experience. Each step in the research process brings about a new challenge, and finding ways to overcome these challenges can be a very engaging process. The most exciting aspect of my research has been building the skills and knowledge that will help me succeed as a researcher in the field of social neuroscience. Also, getting to interface with our neuroimaging equipment—functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)—has been really cool!

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

I was surprised to find that successful researchers are jacks-of-all-trades. One minute you may play the role of a theorizer, connecting premise to premise to form a logical argument in support of the research question you are investigating. In the next moment, you might take on the role of a leader, managing a team of research assistants as they follow complex protocols to acquire data. In the same day, you might adopt the role of a writer or a public speaker, illustrating your work and conveying its importance to a broad audience. Navigating the research process feels like a constant interchange between different responsibilities, which I find enjoyable and have grown to love.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

Take time to reflect on what drives you. Ask yourself, “What do I enjoy doing? What do I enjoy thinking about? Is there something in the world I want to know more about or fix? Is there a question I’ve always had that I haven’t seen anyone find an answer to?” Use these questions to guide the types of research opportunities you pursue. Research is a fun and fulfilling experience when you care about what you are researching! Instead of pursuing research for the sake of just having done research, pursue research that aligns with what you are passionate about and motivated by.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

With my honors thesis project, I aim to find a reliable neural signature for interpersonal conflict, in hopes of using this neural signature in the verification and improvement of current conflict interventions and in the development of future conflict resolution strategies. In the future, my goal is to continue conducting research in social neuroscience that can be translated into increased understanding and collaboration between people of all identities and walks of life. UCLA has been integral to my development as a researcher, and I intend to represent UCLA as I continue forward with my aspirations in research.

Research programs were a vital part of my undergraduate education at UCLA. Over the course of my sophomore, junior, and senior years, I participated in Spring into Research (now Research Revealed), the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (URFP), and the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP). These programs provided a unique opportunity for me to develop vital skills and become part of a network of undergraduate researchers. Each program provided structure, resources, and support at different stages of my research journey. They allowed me to explore my personal interests, grow as a researcher, and navigate my undergraduate career.

I first learned about undergraduate research from other Art History students by hearing about their thesis projects and personal academic pursuits. After gaining interest in conducting independent research, I applied to Spring into Research. The program’s workshops and assignments helped me understand the research process and realistically explore the possibility of conducting research. For example, as part of the program, I identified and interviewed Professor Charlene Villaseñor Black as a potential research mentor. She went on to become my research mentor during my junior year and my honors thesis advisor during my senior year. I also attended Undergraduate Research Week for the first time, where I saw different presentation styles for sharing research. Throughout all of these opportunities, I met other undergraduate students with varied, unique research interests and gained a more comprehensive understanding of what the research process entailed.

After Spring into Research, I started to think about how I would conduct art historical research. I decided to pursue the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (URFP) with a broad idea for my research topic (contemporary Chicano art) and with the intention of working with primary archival materials at the Chicano Studies Research Center Library. The requirements for this program pushed me to delve further into my research interests and develop a concrete research plan. I put into practice essential aspects of undergraduate research, such as enrolling in a contract course, meeting regularly with my research mentor, and working on my time management skills.

My research topic changed when I pinpointed an unaddressed area of art historical discourse: the photography of contemporary Chicana artist Patssi Valdez. While researching Valdez, I expanded my public presentation skills by presenting my preliminary research findings during Undergraduate Research Week. This led to an opportunity to publish my research with Sanguine Gallery!

While Spring into Research served as a well-rounded introduction or blueprint for the research process, URFP became an opportunity to adjust this blueprint to cater to my own project. URFP served as a series of “firsts” that allowed me to take a hands-on approach to the research process.

While part of URFP, I also learned about Aleph—UCLA’s Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences—and decided to join as a layout editor to gain new skills. As a layout editor, I learned how to use Adobe InDesign to help prepare the journal for print publication and gained insight into the publishing process. I continued with Aleph as an editor for the 2018-2019 edition from beginning to end. This allowed me to learn about the work that goes behind the journal, ranging from the selection process, the early development stages, copyediting, and the final formatting of the journal. This proved an insightful experience to learn more about other students’ research, gain hands-on experience, learn about the publishing process, as well as an opportunity to step into a different role and reflect on my own research.

After URFP, I wanted to showcase the research I had completed into a departmental honors thesis. While participating in URSP, I delved into the writing process and focused on transforming a series of endless notes and annotated bibliographies into a concrete research paper. My research project, “Chicana Agency in 1980s Los Angeles Punk: The Photography of Patssi Valdez,” focused on the photography of the contemporary Chicana artist Patssi Valdez through the lens of punk aesthetics and Chicana Feminism. It delved into the history of Los Angeles punk rock and explored the contributions of Chicanas to shed light on an understudied area of Valdez’s career. The final stretch of my project consisted of editing my thesis paper and pushing myself outside my comfort zone to present my research during Undergraduate Research Week for both the oral presentations and poster session. URFP allowed me to establish the foundation of my research project and clearly identify what I wanted to accomplish. URSP allowed me to fulfill these goals and to think about my research interests beyond my undergraduate education.

Each research program provided the unique opportunity to experience a sense of community. No matter how niche or broad your research interests may be or whatever stage your project is in, having the opportunity to connect with peer researchers reminds you that you are not the only one learning to navigate the research process for the first time and that conducting research does not have to be a solitary endeavor. Undergraduate research programs at UCLA provided me with valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth throughout my research journey.