Leah Vela

Hi, I’m Leah Vela, and I am Dr. Grace's research assistant. During my time at Ransom Everglades School, I participated in YREP for two years and focused on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). In 2025, I presented a research poster at the APS March Meeting on the Laser Breakdown Spectroscopic Analysis of Soil and Sargassum. I now attend the University of Miami studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology on the pre-medical track.

Pursuing research through YREP allowed me to further develop my problem solving and collaborative skills. Additionally, I found my love for research which led me to continue within YREP as a research assistant. I am extremely excited to work with YREP members to develop their research and find their passions.

Apart from research, I love finding new music to listen to and expanding my vinyl collection. I also make ceramics in my freetime and have overfilled all my shelves with them.

Education

University of Miami
Graduating — May 2029

Ransom Everglades School
High School Diploma — May 2025

Research

YREP: Lasers (2025–Present)

Research Assistant | Ransom Everglades School

I assist Dr. Grace in leading an interdisciplinary high school research initiative that empowers students to engage in authentic, publishable research using lasers and optical instrumentation. Projects include cost-effective optical tweezers, LIBS-based elemental analysis of marine and urban samples, and fluid dynamics studies of mangrove ecosystems. This work emphasizes mentorship, hands-on learning, and professional scientific dissemination.

YREP: Lasers (2024–2025)

Student Researcher | Ransom Everglades School

I participated in YREP from my junior to senior year at Ransom Everglades. My senior year, I focused on preparing sargassum and soil samples from Miami beaches and local brownfields. These samples were analyzed using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and pythonic algorithms to detect potentially harmful heavy metals.

Posters

"Laser Breakdown Spectroscopic Analysis of Soil and Sargassum"
APS Global Summit, Anaheim, CA — March 2025

Athletic Accomplishments

FSRA Sculling State Championships — Girls Lwt Double, 2nd place scholastically (2025)
FSRA Sweep State Championships — Girls Varsity 4+, 3rd place scholastically (2025)
FSRA Sweep State Championships — Girls Junior 4+, 3rd place scholastically, qualifying for nationals (2024)

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