They Spent Their Summer Doing Research in a UC Davis Nematology Lab

It's great to see two high school seniors spend their summer doing research in a UC Davis nematology lab as young scholars in the UC Davis Young Scholars Program (YSP) 

YSP is a six-week summer residential program that introduces several dozen high-achieving high school students to original research within the fields of biological, agricultural, environmental, or the natural sciences.

The lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, mentored Anderson Van Wang, a 17-year-old senior at California City High School, Kern County, and  Mason Walline, now 18, and a senior at Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles.

Anderson worked with doctoral student Veronica Casey of the Siddique lab to investigate the effects of bacterial supernatant to plant parasitic nematodes. Walline worked with Ching-Jung Lin, a doctoral student in the Siddique lab and the lab of Professor Gitta Coaker, Department to Plant Pathology, to transiently express nematode proteins in the plant system. 

Also mentoring them were Siddique and lab members Bardo Castro Esparza,  a postdoctoral fellow; and Alison Blundell, a doctoral candidate.

YSP, launched nearly 60 years ago, offers students an opportunity to work one-on-one with a scientist on an individual project, then prepare a journal-quality paper describing the research and its conclusions. The young scholars then present their project at a research symposium and later to their home high school. 

Each scholar receives five units of University Group Study Credit. All work is graded. Not only do they engage in university-level course work, attend lectures, and work on their projects, but they experience “the climate and culture of living and learning on a university campus,” according to YSP director Megan Bettis.

Mason won second-place honors in the research competition, the "YSP Summer Slam" (Elevator Pitch or short-version), competing with some 35 other students. His topic:  “Advancing Transient Nematode Peptide Expression: A Pathway to Co-Immunoprecipitation Optimization." Said Lin: "He  delivered a compelling two-minute presentation with a single slide. His expertise and professionalism were evident, and he was awarded second-place among the six finalists."

Anderson's topic: "Effects of Bacteria Supernatant on Parasitic Nematodes." It was also well done.

Neither plans a career as a nematologist, but what an amazing program and what an amazing experience. 

“Working in Dr. Shahid Siddique's lab was an absolutely amazing experience," Anderson said.

“The lab environment was very high energy and upbeat," said Mason. "I'm so glad I was a temporary part of such a strong and inclusive community.”

And they learned a lot about nematodes.

Siddique defines plant-parasitic nematodes as "destructive pests causing losses of billions of dollars annually. Economic, health, and environmental considerations make natural host plant resistance a preferred strategy for nematode control, but there are limitations to this approach. In many cases, the resistance conferred by resistance genes is partial, and some of the nematodes are able to survive. Similarly, nematode resistance genes are often effective against only one or a few species, whereas plants are exposed to several pathogens in the field. Another concern is the emergence of pathotypes that can overcome resistance. In view of all these limitations, it is important to identify additional mechanisms and tools that can be used to develop novel and sustainable approaches to the management of nematodes."

The 2025 YSP summer program is set June 22-Aug. 2, with applications opening Jan. 15. High school students can apply at https://ysp-app.ucdavis.edu/.