Shaela Patel, a SOLS sophomore studying conservation biology with a minor in sustainability and certificates in cross-sector leadership and environmental education, already has gained invaluable experience interning at 

This article is part of a series of profiles for SOLS alumni stories. In this month's edition, we cover 6 alumni including recent graduates and alumni who were at SOLS when it first began 20 years ago. Read part 1 here

Nicholas Maalouf - Class of 2017

A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have generated the first complete chromosome sequences from non-human primates. Published in Nature, these sequences uncover remarkable variation between the Y chromosomes of different species, showing rapid evolution, in addition to revealing previously unstudied regions of great ape genomes. Since these primate species are the closest living relatives to humans, the new sequences can provide insights into human evolution. 

Bryan Yavari, a 2024 graduate who majored in neuroscience, has closed the chapter of his collegiate career filled with numerous achievements. Yavari chose to study neuroscience after a years-long interest in the brain, how it works and the research opportunities available to discover what is not yet known about it. During his undergraduate career in SOLS, Yavari led two projects focusing on cancer in the Arizona Cancer Evolution Center.