Madeleine George is a junior going for a major in Neurobiology and a certificate in Environmental Studies. She participated in URS last year as a scholar and is excited to continue the program as a fellow. She enjoys traveling, beading, riding her bike, playing cards, and wasting time on MSN games. Her favorite thing to do on campus is performing with her improv troupe the Understudies at Memorial Union.

Ayesha Hasan is a fourth year undergraduate majoring in Molecular Biology and Political Science. This is her fourth year with URS and second as a fellow. This past summer Ayesha divided her time between interning in the Capitol building for a Representative in the Assembly and doing research in an otolaryngology lab. When not in classes or hanging around 25 Ingraham, Ayesha is a TRIO Academic Coach, an active member of the UW Muslim Students Association, and a member of the Distinguished Lecture Series committee. Ayesha loves learning useless information and sharing it with others (especially when it is unwelcomed), reading (anything and everything that was not assigned by a professor), having cyclical and pointless arguments and making daily ice cream runs to the Chocolate Shoppe!

Matt Herkenhoff is a third year student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota majoring in Industrial Engineering. He participated in URS as a scholar his sophomore year and did research regarding the oxidation of transgenic meat. Matt is very involved with many student organizations including the Institute of Industrial Engineers, where he is currently the External Relations Chair. This winter break Matt plans on going to South Africa where he will participate in the Leadershape Institute at the University of Cape Town. In his free time Matt enjoys watching football, reading science journals, and seeing action movies with his friends. After graduation Matt hopes to begin work for a company in an engineering management position!

Jessica Holliday is currently in her junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and majoring in Psychology and Neurobiology. Jessica is originally from the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington. This is her second year in URS and her first year being a fellow. In addition to working as a fellow, she performs research in the physiology department investigating the link between obesity and the development of type II diabetes. Last year, she presented her research on this topic at the statewide event, Posters in the Rotunda. Jessica also works as a conversational English tutor for an ESL student on campus. In her spare time she loves to play soccer, watch sports, and hang out with her friends.

Lucas Kressel is currently a senior Biology major. He hails from the exotic Wausau in central Wisconsin. This is his fourth year in URS and second year as a fellow. Along with his job as a fellow, Lucas does research on heart disease for Dr. Eugene Kaji. This year will be his fourth year working at the lab. He aspires to one day go to grad school and work in pharmaceutical research. When Lucas is not in the classroom or at his lab, he loves playing and watching all sorts of sports and hanging out with friends.

Desiree Kroes was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is studying Psychology. It is her hope to go on to Medical School and become a neurologist. Since her freshman year at UW, she has enjoyed doing research in the Counseling Psychology Department. She loves to be active through working out, dancing, and hanging out with friends. When she is not out and about you’ll find her reading, watching movies and listening to a wide variety of music genres.

Lydia Leung is a second-year Pharmacy student from Hong Kong. She has been in URS for two years, one year as a scholar and another as a fellow. As the Professional Chair of her pharmacy fraternity, she organizes professional and community services activities for her group. She's also involved with the Health Professions Mentoring Program and leads a Physiology Peer study group. In her theoretical free time, she enjoys talking about mushfaking with other fellows, eating all sorts of food, and spending time with friends.

Adam Lichtenheld is a senior from Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration in African Studies. After spending the spring studying Arabic and African politics in Egypt and the summer roaming Europe, Adam returned with nothing but a backpack of sweaty clothes and fresh vigor for serving as a URS fellow. His current research focuses on refugee rights and aid responses to internal displacement in East Africa, for which he conducted on-site fieldwork in Kampala, Uganda, in the summer of 2006. When not studying or traveling, Adam spends his time serving on the city of Madison's Public Safety Review Board and reading the hate mail that his fiery opinion column in the Badger Herald inspires. To blow off steam, he indulges in kickboxing, meditating, writing, and futilely attempting to imitate the musical genius of Tom Petty. After taking a year or two off after graduation to "find himself" and bum around the globe, Adam hopes to make respectable careers out of international law, freelance journalism, and smokejumping.

Adam Maus is a third year student majoring in Computer Science. He grew up in the great village of Slinger in southeast Wisconsin. This will be the start of his third year researching artificial neural networks under the advisement of Professor Sprott of the Physics Department. Aside from research, he works as a website design assistant for the CHESS project on campus and enjoys learning new things, associating with friends, among other enigmatic things. Adam has numerous plans for after getting his degree but has yet to choose between going to graduate school studying artificial intelligence or whether to go and expand his knowledge and skills in website design. Whatever happens, Adam one day hopes to have enough money to live off the interest of his investments.

Mona Mogahed hails from the exotic West side of Madison, where she was born and raised. Mona is a senior majoring in Communication Arts (Rhetorical Studies) and pursuing certificates in Religious Studies and Middle East Studies. This is her fourth year with URS (2-time Scholar, 2-time Fellow). With the support of the Hilldale Fellowship and Zillman Travel Award, Mona spent the last summer in Cairo conducting ethnographic research for her senior thesis about Egyptian reactions to the execution of Saddam Hussein. Besides URS and research-related activities, Mona spends her time as a Peer Advisor for Cross-College Advising Service at Chadbourne Residential College and an active member and retired executive of UW's Muslim Students Association. Mona's post-graduate plans include traveling abroad to study advanced Arabic before attending graduate school in Anthropology and/or Middle East Studies.

Amy Olsen is a third year student from Woodbury, Minnesota majoring in Zoology. This is her third year in URS and first year as a fellow. Amy currently researches the effects of environmental contaminants on mice in the Porter Lab in the Zoology Department. She is an executive member of the Career Development Association and is also active in the Undergraduate Zoological Society and Henry Vilas Zoo volunteer program. In her very limited spare time, Amy likes to do charity runs, read, and spend time with her kitty, Franklin.

Dayton Opel is a junior majoring in Molecular Biology and Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Dayton was born and raised on the east coast...of Wisconsin, in the city of Sheboygan. On campus, he has worked in a bacteriology lab studying RNA polymerase subunits and has also done research on process improvement in treating pediatric asthma. In his free time, you can find Dayton playing intramurals (basketball, tennis, football), watching Duke basketball, doing water sports, or playing Pink Floyd and Phish on the guitar. After graduation, he hopes to stay at Madison for four more glorious years to attend medical school and study pediatrics.

Gina Perez was born and lived her whole life in Green Bay, WI, until coming to Madison. She is planning on majoring in Molecular Biology and Spanish, and hoping to pursue Medical School in the future. This will be her second year in URS, and first year as a fellow. Besides being a URS Fellow, Gina is a Powers-Knapp Scholar (as well as a co-chair for her junior class), and works in the Asthma and Allergy Research Department out at the hospital. Although not currently taking on a research project, she plans on doing some Independent study in an upcoming semester, and could not have had a better first year as a URS Scholar. Besides being studious, Gina loves watching almost any sport, particularly football & baseball. She also loves playing piano, good music, and more than anything, being with friends.

Matt Pesko is a junior and plans to major in Rehabilitation Psychology. This is his first year as a fellow. Also interested in medicine, he has pursued a pre-med curriculum over the past couple years. He is very aware of the impact that early undergraduate research can have: his selection of study and recent summer internship in New York are both due in part to his prior experience in URS! He is also involved with and a leader for the Best Buddies, Knights of Columbus, and ASM activities on campus. Matt enjoys his summer adventures, Badgers sports, lake activities, and even the occasional blackjack game. A diet consisting of pasta and Krispie Kremes is just fine with him, despite the fact that he will lose ten years at the end of his life.

Nick Remshak is a junior from Franklin, Wisconsin working toward a degree in Political Science and a certificate in Business. This is his third year in the URS program and first year as a fellow. For the past two years Nick has conducted research in the field of organizational behavior under the guidance of Professor Loren Kuzuhara in the department of Management and Human Resources. An active volunteer, Nick works with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Dane County and the South Madison Coalition of the Elderly. When not engaging in academic pursuits, Nick enjoys being outdoors, reading, and spending time with his family and friends.

Scott Resnick was raised in the heart of Wisconsin (Wausau) and he is a junior majoring in Legal Studies and Political Science. URS is not just a class for Scott, but a way of life. This is his first year as a mentor, and his current research involved the reformation of the State Public Defender system. Besides researching, he enjoys web design, working with the Pre-Law Society (future law student), College Democrats (current political junkie), and Center for Russian, East Europe and Asian Studies (enthusiast). He is always looking for a learning opportunity, whether in the classroom, at the Capitol or around the state. When Scott does have break, he often can be found lying on Bascom Hill or relaxing in the Northwoods.

Vorada Savengseuksa is a third year undergraduate from south Minneapolis. She is majoring in Nutritional Sciences with hopes of becoming a registered dietician after graduating. She wishes to pursue public health studies in graduate school, particularly on prevention of chronic diseases. This year, Vorada will be researching the changes in nutritional status and overall health of children with special needs before and after surgical treatment. She is associated with a number of groups such as the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, the Summer Collegiate Experience Program, Lao American Organization of Students, Vietnamese Student Association, Khmer Student Association, La Colectiva & Latinos Unidos, and many others. When there’s time, she enjoys movies, pistachio gelato, reading non-fiction, trying new restaurants, and good conversation.

Jonathan Minhzy Truong is what you call “the straight up b-boy (break-boy)”. His favorite food is hip-hop and his favorite drink is flavor-aid. This is Jon’s fourth year in URS, two years as a scholar and his second year as a fellow. Majoring in Southeast Asian Studies and Biochemistry, Jon hopes to one day assess health disparities in underrepresented communities. Besides URS, Jon is the president of the Breakdance Club, co-chair of the Vietnam Health Project, and a Powers-Knapp Scholar. Jon supports himself financially through numerous jobs working for the Multicultural Student Center, MultiCultural Student Coalition, dance instructor for the Madison Center for the Creative and Cultural Arts, and a professional dancer for the Macintosh Shop and 106.7 Jamz. Besides dancing, Jon enjoys cooking and eating Vietnamese cuisine, learning about other cultures, and playing jazz piano and saxophone. On weekends you can find Jon dancing at Frida’s or the Cardinal Latin Club.