Christopher O
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Expertise
General biology, cancer biology, stem cell biology, cancer immunology, or cancer therapy.
Bio
Hi there, my name is Chris Ochoa and I'm a PhD candidate at UCLA studying in the field of molecular biology! I've had the fortune of being able to conduct research at several different institutions in the University of California system, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and now UCLA. During my academic research career, I've had the privilege of giving poster presentations, featured talks, and worked to publish my research. My current research efforts are focused on better understanding cancer, specifically ovarian cancer, and how to better treat it. Having grown up in California, I love being outdoors! Some of my hobbies include camping, backpacking, rock climbing, and snowboarding. I also enjoy exercising, playing board games, watching movies/TV, and eating out with friends! A few fun facts about myself are that I'm the first person in my family to attend college and now to pursue a PhD!Project ideas
Cancer Biology Review
Are you interested in learning more about cancer biology? In this project, students will choose a specific cancer of their choice and learn to conduct a scientific literature review. In this scientific literature review, the students will learn about the tissue/cell of origin, what happens to the tissue/cells at a molecular level to allow for cancer development, and the current therapies geared toward treating it. To finish things off, we'll work together in creating a paper, video, or presentation based off the student's findings!
Cancer Gene Research Proposal
In this project, students will do an initial scientific literature review of some common genes that are commonly mutated in cancer. Once they find a gene of interest, will do another short scientific literature review on what is currently known about this gene in cancer development. We'll then brainstorm a few ideas about new ways we can research this gene and create a proposal. After this, we'll work towards creating a few experiments to test our proposal. Finally, we'll create a presentation of the student's choice to share their findings!
Cancer Treatment Review
In this project, students will identify a cancer of interest and perform a scientific literature review on the history of treatment for this specific type of cancer. Once the students have learned about the history of its treatment, the student will investigate current treatments and their level of effectiveness. Lastly, the students will then prepare a presentation for which they'll be able to share their findings!