Zippay Lab at the 38th CSU Biotechnology Symposium

Aiyana Singh represented Sonoma State University’s Biology Department at the 38th Annual

CSU Biotechnology Symposium, hosted by CSUBIOTECH in Northern California. The

symposium brings together faculty, administrators, industry professionals, and graduate recruiters

to highlight cutting edge biotechnology innovation and career pathways in the life sciences.

Aiyana shared information about the Biology Master’s program and research opportunities within

the Zippay Lab while connecting with students across the CSU system.

From left to right: Alyssa Stadia (Hua Lab), Aiyana Singh (Zippay Lab), and Dr. Hua representing Sonoma State University Biology at the 38th Annual CSU Biotechnology Symposium.

Aiyana’s Headed to WSN Thanks to the CSU COAST Travel Scholarship!

Aiyana Singh received a CSU COAST Travel Scholarship to attend this year’s Western Society of Naturalists (WSN)conference in San Diego, California!

Aiyana will be giving a talk on her master’s research, where she studies how thermal stress affects gene expression of Hsp90 during the maternal-to-zygotic transition in purple sea urchin embryos.

The CSU COAST Travel Scholarship helps support students who are doing coastal and marine research across California, making it possible for them to share their work and connect with other scientists.

Big Congrats to Shelby on Her New Publication!

We are so incredibly proud to share that Shelby has officially published her

manuscript: "Effects of thermal history on the heat shock response of bull kelp

(Nereocystis luetkeana)".

This exciting work dives into how past temperature exposure (thermal history) affects

the ability of bull kelp to respond to heat stress — a critical question as marine

heatwaves become more frequent and severe.

Shelby’s study is the first to report on the heat shock response in bull kelp, and her findings

suggest that acclimation temperature plays a key role in shaping their resilience.

Everyone should go read it as it's an important step forward in understanding how

climate change is impacting our coastal ecosystems.

Amazing work, Shelby! 👏

Welcome Chris to the Zippay Lab!

We are excited to welcome Christopher, our new undergraduate student, to the Zippay Lab!

Chris is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Zoology concentration. He is most interested in animal behavior research and how wild species acclimate to changing environments. Chris is very excited to contribute to the research at Zippay Lab and obtain knowledge that can be utilized for wild species.

Aiyana Awarded Graduate Equity Fellowship at SSU

We are thrilled to congratulate Aiyana on receiving an award for the 2025–

2026 academic year!

The Sonoma State Graduate Student Equity Fellowship is designed to support

first-generation, minority graduate students by reducing reliance on student

loans and helping accelerate progress toward degree completion.

Preference is given to students, like Aiyana, who demonstrate a strong

interest in pursuing doctoral studies and a future in academia.

Thanks to her outstanding and competitive application, Aiyana has been

selected for fellowship funding for the upcoming school year.

Congratulations, Aiyana — well done!