Two UC Santa Cruz engineering graduate students are pursuing anti-racist research with the support of the Baskin Engineering Fellowship for Anti-Racism Research (FARR). Established in 2021, FARR supports two graduate students each summer with $6,000 in funding to advance research focused on combating racism and bias in technology and engineering.
FARR builds on Baskin Engineering’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for research and education, promoting fairness, equity, and anti-racism in STEM fields. Over the past few years, FARR has supported student projects which include fostering inclusive open-source software communities and eliminating bias in diagnostic tools and machine learning.
Celine Neudorf (B.S., Human Biology; M.S., Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics, ‘24) and David Torres-Mendoza (B.S., Cognitive Science, ‘17; Ph.D., Computer Science, ‘28) are the FARR fellows, advancing research in genomics and cybersecurity.
Sequencing Māori DNA
Māori communities in New Zealand experience a disproportionate number of health conditions compared to the non-Indigenous population, and the lack of Māori genomic data makes disease diagnosis more challenging. A history of exploitation and inequity in Indigenous genomics research has also led to mistrust between the Māori and Western scientific communities, making it essential to rebuild trust through culturally sensitive research.
FARR enabled Celine Neudorf, a biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics master’s student and now alumna, to support a collaboration between UCSC researchers and Māori scientists to sequence six Māori reference genomes — with the goal of achieving better health outcomes for the Māori.
Neudorf worked in The Miga Lab at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, advised by Karen Miga, assistant professor of biomolecular engineering and director of the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium Production Center at UCSC.
The Māori-UCSC partnership is part of the Aotearoa Variome Project, now called He Kākano, which is a Māori-led initiative aimed at increasing the representation of Māori DNA in global genomic databases. The initiative is rooted in culturally respectful practices, and is carried out under the guidance of Māori scientists.
“The collaboration was essential for us to learn scientific practices that are culturally aware,” Neudorf said. “This allowed us to respect cultural protocols and build reciprocity and trust with the Māori.”
Neudorf acted as a communication liaison for the sequencing project, ensuring that bioethical principles and Māori expectations were upheld in meetings between UCSC researchers and Māori representatives, as well as in the handling of DNA samples.
For example, the Māori governance Rōpū, which oversees decision-making according to Māori cultural values, required a cultural ceremony be performed when DNA samples arrived at the UCSC lab. By documenting the ceremony, Neudorf helped ensure the samples were treated with respect.
Neudorf also facilitated the proper disposal of lab equipment, and arranged for unused samples to be returned to New Zealand. Throughout the project, she supported the application of the CARE Principles (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) of Indigenous Data Governance, which guide scientific exchanges with Indigenous communities.
“A key takeaway from this fellowship is that we need to understand where DNA samples came from originally, and that reciprocity is extremely important in research,” Neudorf said. “I hope my work helps provide just one step toward more transparent science.”
He Kākano is led by scientists and professors Phil Wilcox and Stephen Robertson of New Zealand’s University of Otago, and Huti Watson of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity.
Broadening participation in cybersecurity
The field of computer science has long faced challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and these issues are especially evident in cybersecurity. Women and People of Color remain underrepresented in the field nationally, making it crucial to understand the barriers and factors that influence students’ decisions to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
Supported by FARR, computer science Ph.D. student David Torres-Mendoza aimed to understand the experiences of college students interested in or considering careers in cybersecurity. Advised by Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Alvaro Cardenas, Torres-Mendoza designed a research study to explore when students first learn about cybersecurity, what draws them to the field, and the challenges they face in pursuing it as a career.
“My preliminary findings suggest that many students encounter cybersecurity late—often in late high school or early college—limiting their ability to explore it fully,” Torres-Mendoza said. “Barriers like financial constraints, or lack of support further compound these challenges. I’m trying to pinpoint whether these issues are specific to cybersecurity or reflect broader challenges in higher education.”
Torres-Mendoza aims to highlight opportunities for institutions to broaden participation in the field. Based on his own experiences, he suspects that students are interested not only in technical programming courses, but also in interdisciplinary classes that connect cybersecurity with fields like psychology and sociology.
“Cybersecurity isn’t just about coding, there’s also a social engineering component,” Torres-Mendoza said. “By offering a broader range of courses, higher education could make the field more accessible and show students that there’s room for different interests and skill sets.”
One long-term goal of his research is to highlight the need for programs that engage students from diverse backgrounds in cybersecurity, such as cybersecurity clinics that offer hands-on training for college and community college students.
“Having proof of student interest could help make these kinds of programs a reality,” he said. “If we can create even one opportunity to help students get started in cybersecurity, I’d be happy with that.”
While Torres-Mendoza’s research is still in progress, he hopes to continue building on this research throughout his Ph.D. program.
This block group hides your featured image, remove this block group to show your featured image again.
