Ashley Yeh ‘24 (CCS Biology) and Guy Wilks ‘24 (CCS Computing) Receive Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
Two CCS students among four recipients honored
Guy Wilks ‘24 (CCS Computing) and Ashley Yeh ‘24 (CCS Biology) both received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, marking the first time two College of Creative Studies (CCS) students have received the esteemed award in the same year. Each year, four UC Santa Barbara undergraduate students are chosen to receive this award which honors exceptional contributions to knowledge creation through research in respective fields.
As part of his research in Computer Architecture UCSB, Guy Wilks developed an innovative hardware-software system that allows for dynamic migration of responsibilities between software and hardware while the chip operates. His groundbreaking project, "Non-Newtonian Hardware Design," exemplifies his innovative approach to computer system design, developing a language-enhanced system that smoothly transitions between hardware and software to handle complex faults.
His nominating professor, Jonathan Balkind stated, "I have had no other undergraduate demonstrate this breadth of skills nor do I expect to anytime soon…Guy stands out as the most capable undergraduate researcher of the more than 50 I have mentored.”
During his undergraduate experience, Guy was a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipient. Guy, who is graduating a year early, will be starting his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon in the fall.
“Guy consistently exhibits commitment, ingenuity, autonomy, and graceful mentorship, both as a mentee and mentor.”
—CCS Interim Dean Timothy Sherwood
Ashley Yeh led a groundbreaking project on retinal organoids, resulting in a first-author publication, and aided numerous other projects published in Bioengineering and Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Her nominating professor, Dennis Clegg, described her as an "exceptional undergraduate researcher" and noted she ranks in the top 1% of the over 100 undergraduates he has mentored in his 35-year career.
During her time at CCS, Ashley was a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). She also acted as a student representative at the 2023 Spring UC Santa Barbara Foundation 150th meeting. Additionally, Ashley founded a new online journal called Science, Translated which breaks down scientific jargon in research manuscripts to address communication barriers between scientists and the public. Ashley is set to attend Stanford Medical School this fall as one of the first Knight-Hennessy Scholarship recipients from UC Santa Barbara.
“Ashley has distinguished herself as an exceptional undergraduate researcher in science, exhibiting remarkable intellectual merit, initiative, and a genuine desire to serve her community.”
—CCS Interim Dean Timothy Sherwood