Team
Current members
Andres Rodriguez, President
Andres is a graduate student in the Aravin lab where he studies bacteria defense systems. He is from the Antelope Valley and is excited to bring the resources LEAP has to his home community. In his spare time he likes reading books and playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends.
Cai Tong Ng, Strategic Development Associate
Cai is a biochemistry graduate student in the Dunphy lab where she studies how DNA replication is regulated. Outside of research work, she is keen on helping underprivileged students gain access to better resources so that they can reach their full potential. She has participated in various projects towards that objective, both locally and abroad. In her spare time, she likes to fuss over a Shiba fur ball and watch standup comedy.
Jingjing Sun, Vice President for Campus Liaison
Jingjing is a postdoctoral fellow in Angela Stathopoulos's group. She enjoys hiking with her dog outside of the lab. She feels fortunate to be part of LEAP, hoping to bring more talented students into STEM fields.
Jesus Galeana, Strategic Development Associate
Jesus Marcelo Galeana is a first year graduate student perusing his PhD in chemistry. By studying chemical biology, he hopes to develop and improve chemotherapeutic delivery using both an inorganic and a molecular biology approach. He also studied both at College of the Sequoias and at the University of California, Irvine where he received his bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry. In his spare time he likes cooking, traveling, and playing Catan.
Inhoo Lee, STEM Outreach Associate
Inhoo is a Junior studying computer science and is currently doing research with Professor Erik Winfree. He also spends time as a RISE tutor, a health advocate, and a volunteer at the Union Station. In his free time, Inhoo enjoys spending time outdoors and attending sporting events.
Tomasz Gawda, STEM Outreach Associate
Tomasz is a graduate student in biochemistry, working in the Kaihang Wang lab. His research focuses on developing new methods for large-scale genome engineering. As part of LEAP, he aims to share Caltech's resources with other educational institutions and is interested in outreach opportunities. In his free time, he enjoys playing the guitar, photography, and squash.
Vy Nguyen, STEM Outreach Associate
Vy is a biochemistry graduate student working in Voorhees lab. As part of LEAP, she wishes to help students from under-resourced background gain access to laboratory equipments that can facilitate their education. In her free time, she enjoys watching squirrels, listening to music, and cross stitching.
Victor Garcia, STEM Outreach Associate
Victor is a biochemistry graduate student working in the Clemons lab. As part of LEAP, she wishes to help students from under-resourced background gain access to laboratory equipments that can facilitate their education. When he is off-duty being an advocate for under-privileged students, he is off releasing those tension in his shoulders at the gym.
Advisors
Liz Jackman
Associate Director of Student Programs, Caltech Y
Liz provides consultation and programming support to the LEAP project and offers valuable insights into educational landscape in the region.
Peiwei Chen
Founding President & Member-at-Large, LEAP
Peiwei was the founding president of LEAP from 2022-23 and continues to support LEAP's mission wherever possible.
Suchitra Dara
Founding Member & Member-at-Large, LEAP
Suchitra was the part of the founding team of LEAP, and served as co-President from 2023-24..
Kitty Cahalan, Ph.D
Assistant Director for Educational Outreach, Caltech CTLO
Kitty brings a tremendous amount of expertise in educational outreach to the LEAP project and has been instrumental in every step of the project development.
Affiliates
Xiaotian Bi
Chemistry grad student, Lu Wei's lab
Natalie Wu-Woods
Biology grad student, Ismagilov's lab
You could be here!
We are currently recruiting LEAP affiliates who are interested in helping us campaign for lab equipment donations and/or serving as contact persons for different labs/buildings/groups at Caltech.
Learn how to get involved.
History
The Lab Equipment Access Program (LEAP) was co-founded by Peiwei Chen, Frank Macabenta, Jingjing Sun and Suchitra Dara - students and postdocs in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE) at Caltech - in early 2022. Originally as a project with Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID), LEAP continues its effort to make a real-life impact with the generous support from Caltech Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach (CTLO), Caltech Y and BBE. In May 2023, LEAP officially became a Caltech Y-affiliated program.