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Meet with a Peer Mentor

To comply with social-distancing requirements associated with WSU’s response to COVID-19 international outbreak, appointments are being held via Setmore Teleport video.

Do you have questions about conducting research as an undergraduate? Ask experts who are undergraduates themselves!

Our peer mentors, who are currently working on their own research projects, have made themselves available to answer your questions about the research process. They have the experience and training to answer questions such as:

  • “How do I get started with my research?”
  • “Will I get paid to work on research, or am I eligible for a special scholarship?”
  • “How do I find a faculty mentor who will oversee and guide my work and training?”

How to Meet with a Peer Mentor

We use the cloud-based online scheduling software Setmore to enable you to arrange your own meeting with a peer mentor. After selecting how long of a meeting you want and which mentor to meet with, you can view that mentor’s availability and choose a time slot that works best for you. You will need to sign in to confirm and book the final appointment, and you can either create a Setmore account or sign in with Facebook or Google.

Don’t Forget: Appointments will be held through Setmore via Teleport video.

NOTE: Mentors are not available during Summer Break, WSU breaks, WSU holidays, Dead Weeks or Finals Weeks. Be sure to double check the WSU academic calendar to confirm these dates. You will notice, however, that peer mentors’ availability on Setmore accounts for these breaks.

Schedule an appointment online todayBefore scheduling an appointment, be sure to take a look at our peer mentors who are available to help. Find one who most correlates with your research interests to schedule your appointment with.

Get to Know Our Peer Mentors

  • Undergraduate peer mentor Owen Canterbury.

    Owen Canterbury

    Hometown: Ellensburg, WA

    Major: Biochemistry

    Interesting Fact: In what free time I have, I love to go hike and climb mountains, whatever season!

    Research Programs: Involved with work at WSU investigating (1) the impact of inducible cone-cell Cyclic Nucleotide Gated (CNG) ion channel gene disruption and ethanol exposure on visual ability. Amgen Scholars Program at Duke University looking into the spatial arrangement of all mouse olfactory sensory neuron glomeruli upon the surface of the olfactories. Research has been presented at WSU SURCA 2019, meriting a Crimson Award, at the Western Regional Honors Conference, and at the Duke University Summer Undergraduate Research Showcase.

  • Undergraduate peer mentor Sean Thompson.

    Sean Thompson

    Hometown: Woodinville, WA

    Major: Genetics & Cell Biology

    Interesting Fact: I have an identical twin who is also active in undergraduate research.

    Research Programs: (1) My research experiences have been in the fields of genetics, computational biology, and cell biology. I have studied tissue development and wound healing with the Driskell Lab for the last two years and am currently investigating the role of chromatin accessibility in regulating gene expression and cellular heterogeneity. (2) I presented this work in the form of a virtual poster presentation in spring 2020 as part of MBioS 498 and will present at a virtual conference in fall 2020. (3) I was awarded a 2020 DAAD/RISE internship to perform summer research in Germany (canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and a 2020 Goldwater Scholarship. I have also been awarded an Auvil Scholars Fellowship and an Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support my undergraduate research.

  • Undergraduate peer mentor Benjamin Hollenberg.

    Benjamin Hollenberg

    Hometown: Kennewick, WA

    Major: Microbiology (Pre-Med)

    Interesting Fact: I really enjoy swing dancing! In fact, before COVID it was my favorite hobby. 

    Research Programs: I work in Dr. Goodman’s lab, where I am currently studying the innate immune response of the Drosophila Melanogaster fruit fly. My research is currently focusing on the significance of the schnurri genotype on immunity to Coxiella Brunetti. I was chosen to present this research at SURCA 2020.

  • Undergraduate peer mentor Wendy Yu.

    Wendy Yu

    Hometown: Silverdale, WA

    Major: Chemical Engineering

    Minor: Mathematics and Chemistry

    Interesting Fact: Despite being proficient in English, I can count numbers in three dialects of Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishan) more easily and efficiently than English. 

    Research Programs: Undergraduate research at the O.H. Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Research under Dr. Ha on improving solid oxide fuel cell performance through the infiltration of nano-nickel particle method. More recently, I am also working under Dr. Guo on characterizing the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of high-entropy alloys. Abstract accepted for SURCA 2020.

  • Undergraduate peer mentor Jacob Briggs.

    Jacob Briggs

    Hometown: Olympia, WA

    Major: Psychology

    Minor: Human Development

    Interesting Fact: I went and studied a semester in Florianopolis, Brazil at UFSC.

    Research Programs: I’m currently on Dr. Chris Barry’s research team. I have been part of his team since January 2019. We are currently working on a number of different projects. One of the studies I have been working on is about grit in adolescents, which was submitted to the Journal of Positive Psychology and will hopefully be my first publication! Another study I have been working on is about social media functions in adolescents. This study is about exploring the benign and malign effects social media has on the developing brain of adolescents. We are just finishing up the manuscript and should be submitting it this fall!

    • Rebecca Hsieh

      Hometown: Olympia, WA

      Major: Bioengineering

      Minors: Computer Science and Math

      Interesting Fact: I have been playing the violin since I was in the 5th grade.

      Research Programs: Before University, I was involved in a marine science research lab at The Evergreen State College studying how to link the phylogenetic and genomic diversity of ctenophores (comb jellies) to eco-physiological adaptations in the deep sea. For the past 2 years at WSU, I was a lab assistant within the Institute of Biological Chemistry investigating the physiological function of Arabidopsis enzymes and proteins through the examination of the Red Alder tree species. This past summer, I participated in the University of Georgia’s NanoBio Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) using molecular dynamics to study the interactions between proteins and DNA.

    • Undergraduate peer mentor Patrick Robichaud.

      Patrick Robichaud

      Hometown: Moscow, ID

      Major: Civil Engineering

      Minor: Spanish and Sustainable Development

      Interesting Fact: I love to travel and be in the outdoors. This past summer I went on a trip every weekend in the Inland Northwest!

      Research Programs: Researched for NASA project focusing on impact of wildfires on water utilities. Past researcher in Hydro Lab in Civil/Environmental Engineering, poster presented at American Association for the Advancement of Science Winter 2020, National Collegiate Honors College Conference Fall 2019, American Geophysical Union Conference in Fall 2017; Laboratory for Atmospheric Research REU and presented this research at SURCA; Research Skills Short Course.

    • Undergraduate peer mentor Shane Watson.

      Shane Watson

      Hometown: Clarkston, WA

      Major: Neuroscience and Psychology

      Interesting Fact: I love to play video games competitively, especially Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.

      Research Programs: Undergraduate research at WSU under Dr. Jon Davis featuring how neuroendocrine peptides generated from the gastrointestinal tract regulate the intake of food and chemical drugs. Specific research has explored how cannabis vapor exposure affects feeding behavior and gene expression in both chronic and acute conditions. Further work includes patch-clamp electrophysiology data analysis investigating the effects a cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) agonist has on inhibitory post-synaptic potentials that project onto agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons, whose activation is required for cannabis-induced feeding. Data from this experiment were accepted for presentation at SURCA 2020.

    • Head of the Cougar Pride bronze statue, located on stadium way, that is being used to represent one of our staff members.

      Anna McDonald

      Hometown: Lakewood, WA

      Major: Biology and Computer Science

      Interesting Fact: I appear on the WSU websites in three different places.

      Research Programs: I am a Presidential Researcher Scholar and a member of Undergraduate Research Club. I currently work under Dr. Kelley, where we study the effects of hibernation on brown bears and how their insulin becomes resistant during hibernation and then returns to normal after they emerge. I was prepared to present at SURCA before it was ultimately canceled due to Covid-19.

      • Undergraduate peer mentor Hannah Goodspeed.

        Hannah Goodspeed

        Hometown: Ephrata, WA

        Major: Civil Engineering

        Interesting Fact: I am a dog mom of two small dogs and they go everywhere with me in my truck.

        Research Programs: WSU undergraduate research projects pertaining to (1) measuring methane emissions using empirical models with Land in Transition (LIT) Lab under Dr. Eric Russell and Dr. Shelley Pressley. (2) Climate, hydrology, land use, and ecological (natural and agricultural) processes.

Schedule an appointment online todayBefore scheduling an appointment, be sure to take a look at our peer mentors who are available to help. Find one who most correlates with your research interests to schedule your appointment with.