Alex Diaz is a junior at UW-Madison, pursuing a double major in psychology and legal studies as well as certificates in Chicanx/e & Latinx/e studies and criminal justice. During his time in URS, Alex worked with Dr.LB Klein on developing bystander intervention for LGBTQ+ college students. After his time in URS, Alex moved to the Learning More From Adolescents Online Group where he worked qualitatively coding youth voice and observations on social media. He is a proud member of the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) and caterer at the schools’ unions. Alex is also a member of Camp Kesem, in which during the summer he is a counselor for children who have been impacted by cancer. In his free time, Alex enjoys drawing, collecting music, reading, and playing the Oregon Trail
Fleli Hakizimana is a third-year first-generation college student from Sheboygan, WI, studying both Biology and Global Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his time as an Undergraduate Research Scholar, Fleli worked under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Stambach, Ph.D., in the Department of Anthropology, diving deep into “The Corporate Alibi,” a corporate critique of large American corporations, and the hidden agendas and profits behind their generous philanthropy work. Fleli also worked in the Suzuki Lab at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, where he still works as an Undergraduate Researcher, analyzing kinetochore protein dynamics in an effort to better understand how they work to ensure faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis in human cells. Outside of URS, Fleli enjoys listening to music, going on walks, and learning new things.
Hadeel Manimaran is a fourth-year student double majoring in Economics [Mathematical Emphasis] and Data Science, with a certificate in Developmental Economics. As a URS Scholar, Hadeel worked in the NeuroLAND Lab under Dr. Haley Dresang, studying ways to use language processing to measure semantic memory in aphasia patients. After URS, she spent two more years at the lab working on various other projects involving machine learning. She is now working at the Kaufman Lab under Dr. Alfonso Morales as a member of the software development team.
Outside of academics, Hadeel is an active member of Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity, where she served as DEI Chair in Spring 2025. She is also the Business Head at Wisconsin Engineering Magazine and a member of the UW Women’s Rugby Team. Hadeel’s hobbies include making fun graphs with sports data, hitting the gym, bouldering, and indulging in the occasional New York Times game. Fun Fact: Hadeel can identify all 195 countries of the world on a map.
Haley Alvarez-Garcia is a junior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, majoring in Genetics and Genomics while pursuing a pre-medicine track. She is a member of the Center for Academic Excellence and an All-In Milwaukee scholar recipient. As an undergraduate research scholar, Haley conducted research through the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where she studied sex-based differences in inguinal hernia repairs under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Victoria Rendell, a minimally invasive surgeon at UW Health. She is committed to make research and clinical care more fair, inclusive and representative of the diverse patient populations served by the U.S healthcare system. Her interest in research originates from her desire to expand the current literature to better reflect all patients, starting off with the fundamental understanding of how differences such as sex can influence treatment approaches, standards to care and outcomes. Through her research experience, Haley has developed a passion for clinical research and has gone on to become the lead undergraduate researcher for the MIS team. She has also served as a summer database manager intern, overseeing many research databases, including foregut, bariatric and inguinal hernia. Outside of research, Haley likes to stay involved in healthcare by working as a night-shift nursing assistant on the mobile unit at UPH-Meriter hospital and volunteering at UW health and babies & beyond. She hopes to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (M.D) degreed in hopes of becoming an emergency medicine physician. In her free time, Haley enjoys exploring new areas of Madison with friends, playing pickleball, golfing and watching horror movies.
Josalin Kumm is a Teacher Candidate and graduate student in the School of Education. As a URS Scholar, she assisted Dr. Joonbum Lee and DASH Labs delve into the field of partly autonomous vehicles. During her undergraduate education, Josalin studied Industrial Engineering with certificates in Leadership and Entrepreneurship.
Beyond her studies, Josalin finds enjoyment in music, movies, and outdoors. She also enjoys volunteering and traveling across the world. She is so excited to be a part of the URS community again.
Meredith Serrano is a junior from Olathe, Kansas, double majoring in psychology and neurobiology with a certificate in Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies. As a URS, LASER, and McNair Scholar, she has had the opportunity to dive into research and explore her interests in developmental psychology and working with children. She started at the Harlow Center for Biological Psychology researching the benefits of sensory, motor and cognitive environmental enrichment and later joined the Cognitive Origins Lab under Stephen Ferrigno. There, she is focusing on the development of the approximate number system in children. Outside of academics, she is a peer wellness coach and dances in Grupo Folklorico. In her free time, she enjoys late-night side quests, asking hypotheticals, and spending time with her family and friends.
Mia Gibson is a third year student and Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) scholar majoring in Legal Studies with a certificate in Criminal Justice. As a URS Scholar, she worked alongside Dr. April Haynes examining and transcribing historical prison dockets to investigate the lives and possible outcomes of the women within the prison. Being from the suburbs of Chicago, she enjoys going to the city, being in nature, and playing video games.
Neeraj Bhogavilli is a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, originally from Milwaukee, WI. He is majoring in Mathematics and English. As an Undergraduate Research Scholar he contributed to the Suzuki Labs at the McArdle Cancer Center. Alongside Dr. Aussie Suzuki, he applied quantitative methods of investigation such as RNA sequencing, Differential Gene Analysis, and Functional Enrichment analysis to clarify the effect abnormal Centromere Proteins have on Kinetochore movement and early-mitotic stage tumor formation. Outside of research, he also sits on the Students Services Finance Committee at the Associated Students of Madison, and has edited for the Badger Herald and Wisconsin Undergraduate Law Review Journal. He also serves as a Writing Fellow. In his free time Neeraj enjoys reading (Homer, Didion, Wilde), Chess.com, and generally trying to reconcile his disparate academic interests.
Nevaeh Burdge is a third-year student at UW-Madison from Belgium, Wisconsin. She is pursuing a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies, with a certificate in Freshwater and Marine Sciences. During her time as an undergraduate research scholar, Nevaeh studied the effects of algific talus slope environments on the physiological factors of plants in the Botany department. She continued her botanical studies the following summer through the Letters & Science Summer of Excellence in Research Program. In her free time, Nevaeh loves playing cozy games, re-watching her favorite shows, and scrolling endlessly on Pinterest.
Rio Calzada is a junior from Chicago, Illinois, double-majoring in health promotion and health equity and gender and women’s studies. As a URS and Mercile J. Lee scholar, they have had the opportunity to explore research opportunities in addition to service work as she explores her interests in reproductive health. Rio conducted research with the Pattnaik Research group in studying Congenital Stationary Night Blindness using biotechnological techniques and mouse models. In addition to their research experience, Rio regularly volunteers at Babies and Beyond and the Social Justice Center, where both centers serve to provide resources to the local Madison community. Outside of academics, Rio serves as the treasurer in Grupo Folklorico, and is also a member of Kappa Delta Chi, Sorority, Inc, a Latin-interest sorority dedicated to service on campus. Rio also freelance writes poetry and writing, with their poetry being exhibited across campus. You can find them reading on the terrace, going on late–night food runs, and cramming at the College Library.
Rowan McCann is a third-year biochemistry student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He worked in the Zhu-Barker Soil Biogeochemistry Lab as a URS scholar, researching chemical properties of soil and their responses to farming management practices and carbon emissions. The goal of the study was to support development of climate change resilience guidelines for organic farmers in Wisconsin. This year, Rowan is joining the Sussman Biochemistry Lab and will begin working on his Senior Honors Thesis project for the CALS Honors in Research program. He plans to attend pharmacy school, and he spends time each week volunteering at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in South Madison. He spends his free time reading, running, going to the movie theater or record store, and trying to become fluent in Spanish.
Sanjana Srinivas is a four-year honors student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Economics, History, and Development Economics. As an Undergraduate Research Scholar, she worked with Dr.Bierbrauer of the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture to analyze the development of water management systems in Denver, Colorado. Sanjana hopes to continue researching issues in urban planning and the development economics through graduate studies.
Outside of academics, Sanjana is the co-president of the University’s Mock Trial program and competes across the country with her team. In her free time, Sanjana enjoys taking long walks, reviewing the latest films, and trying her best not to burn banana bread!
Walid Lakdari is a senior King-Morgridge Scholar from Morocco, majoring in Global Health and Biology with certificates in Health Policy, Data Science, and Biocore Honors. He is committed to addressing public health challenges through a scientifically-anchored, community-centered approach and contributing to narrowing global disparities in quality of life and prosperity. His research experience spans multiple projects across biology, chemistry, and health. As a URS scholar, Walid was mentored by scientists at the McLellan Lab. On campus, Walid serves as a Content Editor for the Journal of Undergraduate Science and Technology and sits on the student advisory committee for the King-Morgridge Scholars Program. Outside the lab and the classroom, Walid enjoys travelling, being outdoors, and learning about different cultures.