A group of student researchers took a look at the science behind students’ involvement with protests on campus last spring.

Society and Genetics 150XP professor Nicholas Shapiro’s class examines the relationship between science and mass incarceration, in addition to understanding how future scientists can address social dilemmas. Through the class, students presented projects analyzing the intersection between science and the Palestine solidarity encampment.

Joanna Zhao, a fourth-year human biology and society student, said she teamed up with Brianna Hunter, an alumnus who also studied human biology and society, to collect oral histories of students who participated in the encampment or pro-Palestine protests from April 30 to May 2.

Hunter said her group focused on first-hand anonymous accounts of the encampment because they wanted the voices of people who were involved in the protests to be heard.

She added that they designed a scientific research plan and read literature related to mass incarceration throughout the quarter in preparation for the project.

“We took interviews from people who were both at the encampment, not at the encampment, basically anyone’s perspectives of policing as long as they were a UCLA student,” Hunter said.

Sydney Singal, a fourth-year human biology and society student, said her group worked on a project comparing protests and encampments across 14 universities by examining the institutions’ financial ties to Israel, as well as the timeline and nature of protests and involvement of police.

“Walking past the encampment every day, knowing people who are in the encampment – who are inside – hearing stories on social media from SJP… really made me interested in not just what was happening at UCLA, but what was happening at Columbia, USC,” Singal said.

Singal said her group’s project found that many private and public institutions had indirect investments into weapons manufacturing and other similar companies. She added that many of the students wanted the educational institutions to divest because some of these companies had interests tying them to Israel.

“The UC system has billions of dollars invested in the US Treasury, has $163 million in the investment firm BlackRock and just a lot of others,” Singal said.

Chloe Allen, a fourth-year human biology and society student, said her group surveyed students to assess their perceptions of campus safety and the UCPD, and revealed that many students felt increased anxiety due to heavy police presence on campus. Allen added that many students said funding should be redirected from policing to mental health and social services.

With fellow classmates Joanna George and Erika Nguyen, Allen added that she wanted to explore alternatives to policing to make the community safer.

Nguyen, a fourth-year human biology and society student said the group concluded that many students also were unaware of the mental health resources available to students on campus.

George, an alumnus who studied human biology and society, said she hopes the Undergraduate Students Association Council will use this information to create an impact on campus and capture attention among students at new student orientation groups.

Nguyen’s group also noticed many differences in thought amongst specific student demographics, she said.

“We also saw a disparity in the responses between North and South Campus majors,” Nguyen said. “North Campus majors, which are humanities majors, favored abolition of the UCPD, but for South Campus majors, they kind of lean towards keeping the UCPD but just adding some reform to it so that way they’re better equipped to handle such situations.”

Nguyen said that the group listed official roles of the UCPD on the survey from their website. She added that many students surveyed felt UCPD should only handle crimes such as sexual assault and physical assault but not be involved in subduing protests.

Zhao said she was also surprised how many students changed their opinions on policing because of the protests.

One of the HBS projects listed for display. (Courtesy of Shaun Thomas)

Shapiro said that although controversy can come from projects surrounding student identity, as each project has varying levels of identity protection, he believes these projects are a good fit for students who want to view science through multiple perspectives. Singal added that she would advise prospective human biology and society students taking the class to stay curious and work on a project that they truly care about.

“That’s also how we establish and reestablish trust, like public trust in science, and I think that’s how we bend that arc,” Shapiro said. “That’s how we bend it towards aligning with the needs of the public, so it all comes back to study design and how research questions are posed.”