Two Students Honored as 2025 RISE Scholars for Outstanding STEM Research

Miki C. ’26 and Kelly Z. ’26 have been recognized as 2025 RISE Scholars for their contributions to scientific research and innovation. The Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) Scholar Awards recognize 12 outstanding young women from the Los Angeles area for their dedication to addressing real-world issues through science, engineering, and design. This year’s cohort was honored at the Archer STEM Symposium on Saturday, May 17, where each scholar delivered a 15-minute presentation of their work.

Each RISE Scholar receives a $500 stipend toward educational expenses, recognizing both their academic talent and their passion for innovation. For Miki and Kelly, the award affirms a shared commitment to leveraging STEM for social good—whether through addressing health disparities or promoting sustainable agriculture.

Miki's project, “Recent Trend Analysis of Breast Cancer Incidence Identified Striking Patterns in Asian-American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Women,” broke new ground as the first statistics/data analysis project ever honored by RISE. Using recently released data from the SEER cancer registry and statistical tools such as SEER*Stat and Joinpoint regression, Miki analyzed breast cancer incidence rates from 2000–2021. Her research revealed an alarming trend: Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women experienced the steepest annual increases in breast cancer incidence, especially among women under 50.

“These findings highlight the importance of increasing awareness about these concerning trends,” Miki shared. “This population is rapidly growing and deeply understudied. Understanding the specific patterns in breast cancer incidence for AANHPI women is vital for developing effective, equitable healthcare policies.”

The project is deeply personal to Miki due to her own family history of breast cancer. She credits the UCSF DreamLab for its mentorship and resources, which enabled her to approach her work with both scientific precision and a strong sense of social responsibility.

Kelly's research, titled “Multi-spectral Classification of Temporal Coffee Land Cover and Remote Sensing Index Analysis for Soil Health Assessment,” addressed the intersection of environmental science, agriculture, and machine learning. By using 30 years of Landsat satellite data and a Random Forest classification model, Kelly evaluated soil health and coffee crop trends in Uganda’s Rwenzori region—an area where coffee farming is both a cultural and economic staple.

Her work revealed a troubling decline in coffee populations between 2020 and 2025, suggesting a need for urgent soil management strategies in the face of climate change. Kelly developed a user-friendly application on Google Earth Engine to help local farmers visualize crop decline and plan sustainable farming practices.

“I really valued the feedback I received at the RISE event,” Kelly said. “Experts in aerospace engineering and data science offered insights that helped refine my approach, and speaking with other student researchers was incredibly motivating. Hearing from a lead systems engineer at JPL made me feel even more confident in my aspirations to pursue a future in aerospace.”