Yuena Zhang

Undergraduate Fellow, Team Skeet

Yuena Zhang, rising WashU junior, joins Tyson for her first summer of fieldwork as a member of the Mosquito Evolution and Ecology Team. Her many ventures in biology have led her here. 

“There are different tracks under biology and I’m fascinated by so many of them. As a kid, I was really into marine biology because the ocean is deep and mysterious and has many different organisms living there. I’m from China where I generally feel there are fewer opportunities for younger kids to do field work. I am grateful that Tyson has this opportunity for a range of ages, from high school SIFTers [Shaw Institute for Field Training] and TERAs [Tyson Environmental Research Apprentices], undergraduates, graduates, and onwards. At WashU, I’ve been interested in ecology and evolution biology, but now I’m realizing that I’m interested in medicine and cancer biology too! I am still deciding which route to go down.” 

Who inspired you to pursue STEM? 

“My dad, absolutely, He’s a chemist and has been talking to me about science since I was a kid. We moved to the US when I was 4-8 years old. Then we moved back to China for my middle school and high school years. Now I’m in the US for college, doing the fieldwork I never thought I would get to do!”