Kristine Ly:

Kristine is a Summer Research Student at Devers Eye Institute, Discoveries in Sight Labs with Dr. Brad Fortune.

She will contribute to all ongoing projects in the lab with a focus on analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images and studies of capillary blood flow through the retinal and optic nerve head.

Kristine earned her Bachelors of Vision Science at Pacific University and will be in her second year at Pacific University College of Optometry (PUCO) this upcoming fall. During her undergraduate years, she was a research assistant at the Vision Performance Institute and worked on projects involving 3D vision and display technology.

She has previously worked as an ophthalmic technician at several optometry and ophthalmology clinics and is currently an active volunteer at vision screening events with PUCO and the OHSU Casey Eye Van. Her goal is to become a well-rounded clinician scientist that is able to provide more accessible care for underserved populations.

Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys playing and teaching violin/viola, playing tennis, and going to farmers markets.

Kyler Howard:

Kyler started working as a Research Student in the Summer Internship Program with Dr. Michael Bottlang in the Biomechanics Laboratories. Kyler will assist in a wide range of research and testing on orthopedic implants and construction of helmets.

Kyler is currently an undergraduate student at George Fox University studying Biomedical Engineering. He just finished his junior year and is looking forward to what his final year will bring. Last year he worked with one of his professors over the summer doing independent research on the biomechanics of the volleyball spike through motion-capture data. Through the end of the work, he had determined what the internal forces and torques on the shoulder would be throughout the motion and had validated a new method for incorporating the forces from the ball into the model.

In his free time, Kyler loves going outside and doing things in nature. He has rock climbed for about 7 years and loves going to climbing gyms, or to a crag itself. In past winters you could find Kyler camping most every weekend around Mount Rainier. He also enjoys hiking, biking, zip lining, and scuba. When allergies stop him from going outside, or when there is too much homework for long trips, he enjoys being inside and playing video games.

Eli Hiton:

Eli is a Summer Student Intern working with Dr. Brad Fortune at Devers Eye Institute, Discoveries in Sight Labs to implement machine learning in the analysis of glaucomatous eyes.

Eli is a rising junior at Kenyon College where he's studying mathematics and music and is excited to apply his mathematical background in this vibrant and dynamic medical setting.

In his free time, Eli enjoys playing piano, reading, and listening to music.

Jingyi Tian:

Jingyi is a summer Research Student working with Dr. Danielle Osborne in the RS Dow Neuroscience Labs. Jingyi will be assisting Dr. Osborne and Sadie Baer with the examination of obesity-related effects on the brain, specifically how lysosomes and autophagy are impacted in learning and memory areas of the brain. This includes looking at the part of the brain that is among the earliest to develop degeneration, the entorhinal cortex. This work will inform on whether obesity affects the brain along a similar trajectory as major neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Jingyi is a recent college graduate with a background in biology. During her undergraduate, she focused on searching antibiotic producers in natural environments and investigating antioxidant properties in plants. She also has experience testing for COVID while working as a lab technician in clinical testing.

In her free time, Jingyi enjoys watercolor painting, watching movies, traveling, she is also very passionate about archeology and mummies.