Smiling young woman in green sweater leaning on railing, metal DNA sculpture behind
A first-year Ph.D. student in the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (BMCDB) Graduate Group, Natalie Sahabandu said, “One of the biggest highlights of my career has been the people who have been involved in this journey.” Greg Watry/UC Davis

Taking a Bite out of Research

Natalie Sahabandu wasn’t sure how to properly hold a pipette when she joined Assistant Professor Katherine Ralston’s lab as an undergraduate researcher in June 2016. But all fledgling scientists start their research journeys somewhere.

“Being a minority and being a first-generation college student, it was super important to me to have a support system,” said Sahabandu, who enrolled in the Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP) when she transferred to UC Davis in 2016. “I needed the best.”

With the help of Connie Champagne, director of Educational Enrichment and Outreach Programs, Sahabandu found her research footing in the Ralston Lab.  

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