
Kevin Wu, COL ’27, Clovis, CA
Over the summer, I’ve been working at the Kayser Lab and investigating the link between sensory processing and sleep in neurodevelopmental disorders in Drosophila. I was drawn to this topic because of its application to real life. As many people with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have trouble sleeping, it is important to understand altered sensory processing to determine treatments for disrupted sleep. Prior to this experience, I had little knowledge about sensory processing and neurodevelopmental disorders. But this project taught me a lot about different ASD-mutations and how to work with fruit flies.
The most challenging aspect of my experience was having to present my research to the members of the lab at the end of the period. It was my first time giving an academic presentation to an audience, so I was very uneasy. However, my mentor gave me many helpful suggestions and reviewed my presentation. She had me practice my presentation in front of her and gave me potential questions that the lab members may ask. I spent a lot of time preparing my presentation, and my efforts allowed me to deliver my research smoothly at the lab meeting. As a result of this experience, I’ve become more confident in my ability to give presentations.

What I loved about my lab was the connections I made with the members. They were very light-hearted and easy to talk to. It felt like they were friendly mentors rather than intimidating bosses. I get my daily dose of jokes and rave music in the lab, and it makes running experiments and working much more fun than I anticipated. My mentor was very patient and kind to me, and although there are significant gaps between us in education, age, and energy level, she worked to make me feel comfortable in the lab space. All the lab members liked to make jokes as they worked, and it solidified my decision to stay in the lab for the rest of my undergraduate career.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2024 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here