WHAT WE DO . . .

Yale Symposia is a student-run journal dedicated to celebrating original, undergraduate, interdisciplinary research conducted on campus and expose readers to students who share a passion for research. Our mission is to cultivate an environment of collaboration and curiosity by featuring lab profiles about and empirical papers written by student researchers, the latter which is often in the form of senior theses, lab write-ups, and independently conducted research projects.

Yale Symposia seeks research from all departments, including but not limited to STEM, Social Sciences, and the Humanities. We also aim to profile the diversity of the women and men behind research who come from different backgrounds and celebrate original, undergraduate scholarship across all disciplines. 

We conduct interviews with undergraduate researchers and discuss their projects, their relationship with their research mentor, and the impact the research community has had on their lives in our lab profiles written by Symposia members. We care not only about the research projects, but also about the researchers as individuals — who they are, why their interests lie in the fields they do, and advice they would like to impart to incoming students. 

We welcome everyone who would like to join Symposia and become a writer for our lab profiles! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about what we do or how to get involved.

Who we are . . .

Andy Wong, Editor-in-chief

Andy Wong is a senior in Berkeley College majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and economics. He is simultaneously pursuing certificates in global health studies and data science. His principal areas of interest include health economics, health disparities, and vector ecology. In his research, Andy examines disparities in quality of care and economic metrics between rural and non-rural nursing homes. In his most recent work, he has been investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and financial outcomes in for-profit and non-profit nursing homes. In the future, Andy hopes to study abroad, combining his passions for ecology, economics, and global health to help identify and address some of the most pressing issues in health disparities and economic development across the world. Andy is honored to serve as the elected president of the American Red Cross at Yale and as the editor-in-chief of Symposia, an undergraduate research publication dedicated to profiling Yale’s diverse community of researchers. Additionally, he arranges music from movie and video game scores for the Davenport Pops Orchestra and is the founder of the Yale Conservation Association. In his free time, he also enjoys growing carnivorous plants, composing classical music, and eating Taiwanese food.

ASter Jin, TECHNICAL EDITOR

Hi! I’m Aster Jin. I’m a first-year in Silliman. I’m interested in pursuing a major in biomedical engineering. In the past, I interned at the Tye Lab studying the effects of exercise on the basolateral amygdala (a part of the brain that deals with positive and negative associations) in mice. Currently, I am working on research at the AZA Lab at Yale. Beyond Symposia, I’m also involved in the Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid Association, visual arts, Urban Debate League, Yale Journal of Law and Medicine, and more. 

Jiyoung Bae, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jiyoung (Jenny) Bae is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at Yale University. Her research explores the influence of media on demography, inequality, and gender dynamics. During her MPhil at the University of Cambridge, she analyzed the representation and framing of sexual minorities in South Korean media. For her future research, she aims to examine the impact of media on young women’s family-making and childbearing decisions.

William Chen, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

William Chen is a current sophomore in Grace Hopper college majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (Intensive track), with a concentration in Biotechnology. He is also pursuing certificates in Advanced Chinese Language Studies and Energy Studies. In his free time, he enjoys writing poetry and creating content for his YouTube channel on creative writing. Additionally, he has been working with the Carlson Lab studying Drosophila melanogaster olfaction and behavior under starvation-resistance conditions. 

Valentina Zhang, Associate Editor

Valentina Zhang is a first-year in Branford college majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and pursuing a certificate in Data Science. She is a member of the Stites Lab and researches the efficacy of untested cancer drugs using math modeling. Beyond Symposia, she is on the board of Y-Bio, volunteers for Connecticut Hospice, and is a member of the Yale Education Tutoring Initiative. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, gardening, and trying new restaurants.

Alex popescu, Staff writer

Alex Popescu (he/him) is a junior in Benjamin Franklin college double majoring in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry (MB&B) and Statistics & Data Science (S&DS). He is a member of the Gerstein Lab and researches the functional impact of genomic variants on tissue-specific expression and regulation in the human brain. He is also the captain of the Yale Club Cycling team and a member of the Yale Undergraduate Research Association and the Yale Chess Club.

myla Toliver, staff writer

Myla Toliver (BF, 2028) is a first-year pursuing the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health Major on the pre-med track. Her past research experience includes researching the antibacterial properties of common household spices and the dietary habits of individuals of various socioeconomic backgrounds in her community. Outside of being a staff reporter for Symposia, she is an active member of the Yale Glee Club, a leader in the Black Church at Yale Worship Team, and an enthusiast for developing solutions to obesity and its associated diseases.