RET Summer 2025 News

Research Experience for Teachers: Summer 2025

Please visit our program webpage. for more information and to apply to our summer 2026 paid internship program!  (www.mrl.ucsb.edu/ret)

This summer’s program saw successful research placements of  local teachers Yesenia Munoz and Craig Snell into UCSB materials science research groups. 

Teacher: Yesenia Munoz  --  Helgeson Lab - Soft Matter Processing

Improving Biopharmaceutical Delivery with Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM)

This research project investigates the challenges associated with high-concentration biopharmaceutical formulations, particularly antibody drugs, which are crucial for treating conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases. These medications, while vital, face issues with protein-protein interactions that can lead to aggregation and increased viscosity, impacting manufacturing, ease of injection, drug bioavailability, and therapeutic effectiveness. Current methods are often expensive and require large protein amounts, hindering early-stage development. This project utilizes Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM) as a novel, image-analysis-based approach that utilizes simple video microscopy and small sample volumes to measure protein-protein interactions, aggregation, and viscosity. Preliminary results showed varying viscosities across pH levels, supporting the interpretation that solution conditions affect protein interactions in medications.

Teacher: Craig Snell  --  Gordon Lab - Nanostructured Materials

Cephalopod Reflectin Protein - Bioinspiration for Human Use

This project focused on cephalopod reflectin protein as a source of bioinspiration for human-visible light applications. The research explores the squid's ability to change color to create an abiotic device that generates specific wavelengths of light. By manipulating reflectin's structure with varying pH levels and introducing an acceptor molecule such as ANS, this project demonstrates a process called Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) where the fluorescence of a prominent amino acid in the reflectin sequence can be shifted from the ultraviolet spectrum to the human visible spectrum, enabling the generation of distinct, visible colors. The overall goal is to understand and utilize the squid's biological machinery for potential applications in a reversible colored device or display.

Science Teachers Janell Webb, Ian Moore, and Casey Cleland, who conducted research projects in summer of 2024, developed their RET curriculum projects, which will be shared at our annual Science Teacher Workshop, to be held here at UCSB in Spring 2026.

Janell Webb: 

Infertility: A Story-Based Journey Through Biotechnology for High School Biology 

This is a comprehensive high school biology curriculum unit designed to engage students with real-world applications of biotechnology in reproductive medicine. The emphasis of the work is a narrative approach around the theme of infertility, and utilizes hands-on activities like bacterial transformation and gel electrophoresis. This unit emphasizes science skills, genetic concepts, and bioethical considerations, bridging scientific research with practical classroom learning.

Ian Moore: "Engineering the Perfect Gummy” A Hydrogel Design Challenge

This inquiry-rich unit incorporates the 5E Instructional Model—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate—using edible hydrogels (gummies) as the engineering medium. Inspired by a TeachEngineering activity, the goal is for students to better understand polymers, test design variables, and engineer their own optimal hydrogel gummies.

Casey Cleland:  Electricity, Circuits, and Communicating with Morse Code

This STEAM unit engages students in building light-based circuits and exploring Morse code to investigate how electrical energy transfer can be used for effective communication.

Summer Takeaways

Join us at UCSB to enhance your skills in scientific practice and communication through hands-on research. Our RET teachers present their projects to peers and research group members, showcasing their unique lab experiences. You'll be treated as a key member of our research team, tackling real-world scientific problems. The experience you gain will not only enhance your own skills but will also help you develop engaging classroom exercises that inspire your students' interest in the natural world.

Ready to join our community? We invite you to:

• Contact us to learn more.

• Visit us during a workshop.

• Apply to our RET summer program to become a paid intern!

Frank Kinnaman, MRL Outreach, frank_kinnaman@ucsb.edu