Jay Taylor is a senior at UO majoring in linguistics and computer science. He has served as the Financial Coordinator for the University of Oregon LGBTQA3 office and co-president of the UO Model United Nations club and now helps lead the Board and Card Gamer’s Association for Maximum Nerdery (BACGAMN). Jay discovered a strong interest in research when he presented on the topic of mental health in South Korea at the 2020 Oregon Undergraduate Research Symposium. Currently, his research examines autism in a new, non-clinical context. He is passionate about learning new languages and teaching, and he hopes to make the world a better place through education for all ages and individuals, regardless of background. In his downtime, he enjoys video games, hiking, and playing board games with friends.

Kyla Schmitt is a junior majoring in Environmental Science and Humanities and minoring in English and Economics through the Clark Honors College. Kyla’s academic interests include wildlife ecology, contemporary history, rhetorical writing, and behavioral economics. Her latest publication sought to characterize the health, behavior, and habitat preferences of Tryon Creek’s native signal crayfish population. Beyond the classroom, Kyla coaches high-school forensics and competes in collegiate forensics, conducts field research with the Tryon Creek Watershed Council and the Sutherland Lab, and spends plenty of time hiking and exploring the outdoors.

Ethan is a sophomore student in the Clark Honors College majoring in Biochemistry. He is
interested in performing research with a lot of potential in applied usage, especially for
biomedical applications. Ethan is currently working in an organic synthesis research lab aiming
to create novel molecules with potential applications in materials science and bioimaging.
Outside academics, Ethan is involved in a lot of volunteering at places such as Food for Lane
County and Hospice. His hobbies include jiu-jitsu and chess.

Charlotte is currently a second-year Clark Honors College student majoring in neuroscience and psychology. She conducts research in a cognitive neuroscience lab, focusing on how experiences are organized into memories and the mechanisms that underlie the tendency to forget. Outside of the UO, Charlotte volunteers with HIV Alliance to help expand access to health services. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running, playing the piano, and snowboarding.

Keegan Tippetts is a first-year student at the University of Oregon majoring in Cinema Studies and Philosophy with a minor in Creative Writing. He has a focused interest in storytelling in any medium, writing/directing film, theatre, prose, occasionally poetry, and maybe someday video games. He is fascinated in the way that art intersects with the human experience. A major point of inquiry for him is how perception is and can be altered by the art that people experience. He likes editing writing of all kinds and is always looking forward to something new to learn or do. Outside of academics, he spends most of his time writing or working on film projects, but also enjoys video games, hiking, obsessively listening to movie ost, cooking, and getting together with friends.

Ava Sechrist is a second-year Clark Honors College student majoring in Psychology and English. She has further interests in Creative Writing. She has previously been involved in child development research at UO. Her independent research has explored the impacts of social media on weight-based bias and the effect of trauma on emotional granularity. In her free time, Ava enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and going on adventures with friends.