Angel Eunisse Yanga '28, Biology

"I want to serve people with scientific research, and show other kids who grew up like me that they could do something like that, too."

Angel Eunisse Yanga '28 didn't expect her Bucknell research to take her halfway around the world so soon. But just a year into her college career, the biology major spent her summer in Uganda capturing and tagging bats as part of an international research team studying infectious disease.

In Uganda, Yanga worked with a diverse group of researchers from Bucknell and Muni University, gaining hands-on field biology experience while adapting to life halfway around the world. "I've been caught in a storm on the Nile River, trekked through marshland to spot shoebills and stood several feet from a teenage rhino," she says.

The fieldwork is part of a long-running bat immunology research program led by Bucknell biology professors Ken Field and DeeAnn Reeder. The award-winning lab seeks to understand why bats from Africa may be asymptomatic to Ebola and other deadly viruses — knowledge that could help scientists mitigate future outbreaks.

Yanga didn't join the team as a typical biology student. Instead, she brought engineering experience from leading her high school's robotics team. Her skills enabled her to build a low-cost automated bat-tracking system, first in Lewisburg and later during the field expedition in Uganda.

"I was initially unsure that I belonged in an immunology lab," she says. "I walked away with a new perspective, and I saw that there is more than one way to contribute to biology research aside from just knowing how cells work or building a phylogenetic tree. It solidified my desire to pursue research in the future." Yanga is still contributing to the Field-Reeder lab through immunology research that measures antibody levels in bats. 

Working with professors DeeAnn Reeder and Ken Field, Angel Eunisse Yanga ’28 combined biology research and engineering skills to develop a low-cost bat-tracking system used in both Lewisburg and Uganda. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

Yanga first learned about research at Bucknell through the Posse Scholars Program, which provided a community that helped her navigate the "information soup" at Bucknell.

"The Posse Scholars Program is one of the best scholarships for undergraduates in the nation," she says. "Other high-tuition support scholarships don't get the same type of academic, professional and personal development programming that we get, even before coming to college. Getting in that mindset inspired me to become an active part of my community and work in different departments."

Yanga grew up in the Philippines and immigrated to Los Angeles just before starting high school. There, she organized a summer camp that partnered with her home high school, which taught coding and robotics. "Growing up in the Philippines gave me a global mindset and inspires me to keep fighting for more things that are accessible, scientifically and financially," she says.

Outside of her STEM work, Yanga organizes TEDx events at Bucknell and facilitates Model UN conferences. "The same things that draw me to research are appealing about Model UN: being able to problem solve and discuss solutions for real-world issues," she says.

For her scientific contributions and leadership in Model UN, this spring, Yanga was honored with the Ubben Award, a highly selective scholarship that grants five Posse Scholars nationwide a $10,000 stipend and a summer internship. She was also recently named a Goldwater Scholar in recognition of her exceptional promise in scientific research. These honors will help her continue to develop her leadership and research skills as she pursues her ultimate goal of earning both a medical degree and doctorate.

"I want to serve people with scientific research, and I want to show other kids who grew up like me that they could do something like that, too," she says. "The mentorship I've received has helped me realize that I do belong in the field that I want to go into, and that I could actually do it."