UHCL students shine at UTMB summer camp, winning awards for biotech innovations

Two University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) students, Marzia Bamiani and Venkata Srilekha Kalavacherla, participated in a week-long innovation summer camp at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). During the camp, both participated in a hackathon where they designed startup biotech companies. Bamiani was part of a team that won first place, while Srilekha Kalavacherla secured third place. According to Texas Launchpad Network, the experience allows students to connect with a diverse network of peers, faculty, and industry leaders to learn how to change health and medicine from the inside out.

Srilekha Kalavacherla highlighted her experience, mentioning the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the brightest entrepreneurs in the life science and healthcare sectors.

“This journey led to our participation in a dynamic hackathon sponsored by Blackstone Launchpad, where it was our challenge to reduce medical waste of single-use medical equipment,” said Srilekha Kalavacherla. “Together with my talented team, we founded Green IV, a biodegradable medical device startup aimed at revolutionizing sustainable healthcare solutions. We chose to replace IV sets.”

Srilekha Kalavacherla’s team was awarded prize money to develop their idea further or invest in their personal growth. Currently pursuing her second Master of Science in Biotechnology with a specialization in Management, she shared that the summer camp broadened her career horizons and gave her a practical understanding of startup development, including teamwork, partnership-building, and overcoming financial challenges. The hands-on experience and exposure to industry professionals from across the nation were instrumental in shaping her understanding of the biotech landscape.

Additionally, Srilekha Kalavacherla appreciates that UH-Clear Lake’s Department of Biology and Biotechnology offers three career paths: Cellular and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and Management Specializations.

Srilekha Kalavacherla is particularly thankful for the resources UHCL provides and her professors.

“I mention my deepest gratitude to Dr. Lory Santiago-Vázquez, Dr. Martha Ariza, Dr. Bazlur Rashid, and Dr. Silvana Chambers for encouraging me throughout these semesters,” said Srilekha Kalavacherla. “I shall also mention Dr. Jorge Tennin from the Student Success Center for honing my people management and time management skills during my tenure at his office.”

Dr. Lory Santiago-Vázquez, program director of Biotechnology, emphasized that participating in the camp at UTMB is an incredible opportunity for students to gain practical and advanced experience beyond the classroom. She hopes to send more students to participate in the program next year.

“The more opportunities we have for our students, the better,” said Santiago-Vázquez. “It’s great for students to learn and understand things, but employers want to know ‘what can they do?’ We want our students to have advanced biotechnical training rather than just taking classes,” she continued. “They think as scientists. Not only do they have fundamentals, but they can gather data, present it, write about it, troubleshoot it, teach their peers in the lab, organize the lab, and more.”

Furthermore, Santiago-Vázquez emphasized her commitment to finding new opportunities for students. She noted that UHCL is near major technology companies like Johnson Space Center, Boeing, UTMB, and Lockheed Martin. “We are dedicated to connecting our students with these organizations every day,” she said.

For more information about UHCL’s Biotechnology Program, visit www.uhcl.edu/science-engineering/departments/biology-biotechnology/biotechnology/.