BIOPOLIS
Julia picker
Co-Founder
As one of the founders and co-presidents of Biopolis, Julia has led the organization since its conception in fall of 2018. In high school, she interned at Mirati Therapeutics, where she researched the KRAS Cancer pathway. She also used Crispr-Cas9 to study cardiac muscle development at San Diego State University during the summer after her junior year. She hopes to pursue a career in academia, where she can continue teaching science as well as conducting her own research. In her free time, Julia loves to sing with her Jazz band around San Diego! She will be studying Molecular/Cellular Biology at Dartmouth college.
Kaitlyn Wang
Co-Founder
Kaitlyn is the co-founder and co-President of Biopolis. She discovered her love for biology while growing mammalian cells in a laboratory class her freshman year and she has been hooked ever since. Throughout high school, Kaitlyn has interned at Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute, UC San Diego Medical School, and Salk Institute conducting research on prostate interferons, fibroblast enzymes, and neuron stem cell genetics. She has also been awarded for her research at regional, state, and international science fairs. She will be attending UC Berkeley as a Molecular and Cell Biology major. She hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in both research and medicine.
lily pfeizer
PAST president
Since joining the Biopolis team in 2019, Lily has dedicated her time to helping underserved communities receive more educational opportunities, specifically in the STEM field. In Biopolis, Lily cherishes her time spent with inquisitive elementary school students as she shares her passion for science in a hands-on setting. Her devotion to the sciences extends beyond teaching and creating STEM curriculum for students; through Biopolis, Lily hopes to help with expanding opportunities and reducing inequalities in her community. Aside from studying science, Lily studies ethics and philosophy, looking for ways to reconcile the humanities with the STEM disciplines. In her free time, Lily enjoys traveling, reading, and creating art.
Kaley Mafong is a senior at Canyon Crest Academy and is excited to lead Project Biopolis. Since joining Biopolis her sophomore year, Kaley has enjoyed sharing her passion for science with others and promoting STEM education in local communities. She helped coordinate and facilitate the Biopolis virtual summer program in 2020 along with the elementary school enrichment classes. Aside from Biopolis, Kaley loves hiking, spending time with her pet chickens and turtles, and dancing.
Kaley Mafong
CCA President
sarina hegli
Sarina is delighted to be a member of Biopolis and has been lucky enough to participate in numerous events, including facilitating a DNA Extraction experiment at Solutions for Change’s Unity Day and working with elementary school students at Biopolis’s 2019 summer camp. She has had a profound love for STEM since elementary school and has pursued engineering opportunities throughout high school, from building toothpick bridges to completing a certification course in computer-aided design through Solidworks. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, reading novels, and writing plays.
April Zuo
April is a member of the Biopolis team who joined in late 2019 and had been helping with worksheets and other infographics. As a relatively new member, she is excited to work with the children once she gets the chance, as she has had previous teaching experience and enjoys helping children decipher confusing questions and teaching them new information. She wants to become an ER doctor one day, since she is fascinated by their ability to heal and save lives, and her goal is to study biomed at Johns Hopkins college. Her hobbies include competitive fencing (sometimes at the national level), flute, drawing, and creative writing.
Matthew Huang
Matthew Huang is one of the new volunteers at Biopolis. He has over 5 years of experience in teaching underprivileged students in China and finds teaching to be very rewarding. He looks forward to helping Biopolis interest kids in science and reach out to the community. He plans on studying biology in college to pursue a career in family medicine. Matthew is also a devout Christian, Boy Scout, and Speech and Debater.
Sarah Mirsaidi
Sarah is a newer member of the Biopolis team. As a member, she is excited to share her passion for science with young elementary and middle school students. Sarah discovered her love for science in early middle school, and has continued to grow her passion for science by taking multiple science-related courses throughout high school, including AP Chemistry and AP Biology. Outside of school, Sarah is the Co-Director of the Awareness department at SimplyNeuroscience, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aiming to foster interdisciplinary interests in neuroscience, and she is a creative writer for Girl Genius Magazine, a 501(c)(3) aiming to inspire and empower girls in STEM. In the future, Sarah hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in neurology. In her free time, Sarah loves to write, listen to music, and watch movies.
Kyra Wu
Joining Biopolis in the summer of 2020, Kyra is thrilled to be increasing educational opportunities for children by developing curriculum and teaching! Teaching at her local fencing club and demo-ing experiments at the San Diego Air and Space experiment, she fostered a positive environment while imparting a love of science. At CCA, she experimented with research classes, where she learned CRISPR, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and more! She has also worked with researchers from the UCSD Chemistry and Biochemistry department to conduct computational enzyme research on fabI inhibitors. Outside of pursuing science opportunities, she loves learning about other cultures and fencing!
Dylan discovered his passion for biology after taking Research Methods and Applied Sciences at school, where he learned numerous advanced biotechnology techniques and innovations such as PCR, CRISPR, phage therapy, and RNAi. He further sparked his interest in biology after conducting independent research on the anti-inflammatory effects of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles at UCSD and presenting his results at the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. He hopes to study human biology in college and pursue a career in medicine and research. Dylan is also heavily involved in sports, as he is a competitive tennis player and also coaches tennis and other sports to young children.
Dylan Feldstein
Timothy Stiven and Zachary Brown are the mentors for the Canyon Crest Academy based branch of Biopolis
Selena Xiang
Selena Xiang is a junior at Canyon Crest Academy. She is very excited to be a part of Project Biopolis, where she can spread her passion for STEM with younger students! Ever since injuring herself during ice skating practice, Selena has been very interested in learning more about biology, especially the human body! She is currently doing research at UCSD on spine surgery, and she also studied osteoarthritis in the knee. Additionally, she started her own non-profit organization, “Association of Youth Sports Injury Prevention (AYSIP)”, to help educate younger athletes about the importance of of caring for their bodies. She hopes to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery or sports medicine in the future. In her free time, Selena enjoys ice skating, playing piano, and hanging out with her friends!