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Chloé Houy, Kristyn Miyamoto and Kayla Lum at the program conference in Washington, D.C.
Undergraduate students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa traveled to Washington, D.C., in March, as part of the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) program. Chloé Houy, Kayla Lum and Kristyn Miyamoto participated in months of research advocacy training, preparing them to effectively communicate the importance of undergraduate research to policymakers. They are mentored by School of Life Sciences Associate Professor Sladjana Prišić and work on research projects in the Prišić Lab.
Their training, which began in November 2024, included workshops on relationship building with legislators, writing policy briefs and crafting persuasive op-eds. The students’ efforts culminated in meetings with the offices of Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Ed Case.
Drawing from their experiences conducting microbiology research in the Prišić Lab, the students highlighted how undergraduate research fosters scientific discovery and professional development. They emphasized the critical role of federal support from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health in sustaining research opportunities that shape future scientists and medical professionals.
“Advocating for undergraduate research on Capitol Hill was an incredible experience that showed me how science and policy intersect to shape the future of research opportunities,” Lum said.
Prišić added, “Seeing my students confidently communicate the impact of their research to policymakers reinforced the importance of mentorship and the role of advocacy in advancing scientific discovery.”
Through the STR program, the students gained hands-on experience in research advocacy while refining their ability to communicate scientific concepts to a broad audience. Their participation not only amplified the value of student research at UH but also underscored the broader impact of continued investment in scientific exploration and education. Their research and trip were funded by the UH Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and a grant from the National Science Foundation awarded to Prišić.
Expanding support for undergraduate research
Noah Perales-Estoesta, UROP program coordinator, also participated in the STR program. His goal was to explore how UROP can adapt programming similar to what is offered by STR for undergraduate students at UH Mānoa.
“A major part of what UROP does is support the dissemination of student research and creative work, usually in the form of presentations and publications,” Perales-Estoesta said. “Especially in today’s university climate, I think we should be encouraging students to think more creatively about the broader impacts of their work and, from the administrative side, about how to provide them with the infrastructure to realize and articulate those impacts. STR provides a great model for this, and I look forward to exploring what similar efforts UROP can develop.”
Each year, UROP awards more than $500,000 in merit-based scholarships directly to students to support mentored undergraduate research and creative work projects and presentations. An additional $135,000 is awarded directly to mentors to support undergraduate research and creative work during the summer via the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program.
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