2018 UROC Graduates
Graduating UROC Scholar: Malachi Alexander
Malachi, a McNair Scholar and LSAMP Proud Recipient, will pursue a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He will study theoretical mathematics.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Kirby Bartlett
Kirby, a NOAA Scholar, graduates with honors with a B.S. in marine science and a minor in statistics. She will pursue a Masters of Science and Environmental Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Bren School. She will be funded by a Dean’s Merit Fellowship. Kirby’s research will focus on advancing modeling techniques for managing data poor fisheries in Latin America.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Katie Brown
Katie graduates with a concentration in Science for Sustainable Communities. Katie has conducted research in both the natural and social sciences, specifically focusing on resource-dependent communities within the fields of marine science and environmental studies. Katie will enter the Science Communication Program at UC Santa Cruz with fellowship funding.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Gina Dabbah
Gina, a LSAMP Proud Recipient, graduates with a concentration in Molecular Biology and a minor in Statistics. Gina will pursue a PhD. in Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Uniformed Services University funded by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. She is determined to detect, diagnose, and combat current infectious problems including antibiotic resistance, the spread of vector-borne diseases, and communicable diseases emerging from conflict zones.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Robert Castro
Robert, a McNair Scholar and Sally Casanova Scholar, will pursue an M.P.H. in Epidemiology/Biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on better characterizing slum areas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and improving these ares' access to basic services. This multi-year design will potentially become his dissertation project for his PhD. Robert is supported by the UC Berkeley Graduate Opportunity Program Fellowship.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Cecilia Garcia
Cecilia, a McNair Scholar and LSAMP PROUD Recipient, will graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a Molecular Biology concentration. This fall, Cecilia will pursue a Ph.D. in in the Program of Biomedical Sciences at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research interests include researching host-virus interaction within Ebola Virus and other infectious diseases. #PhDInTheMaking!
Graduating UROC Scholar: Flor Gomez
Flor Gomez, a McNair Scholar, graduates cum laude with a degree in Liberal Studies. Her passion for working with first generation and low income students has led her to pursue a graduate degree in Mexican-American Studies at San Jose State University. Her research interests analyze the effects of intersectionality on mentoring relationships of Mexican-Americans in higher education.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Jacob Green
Jacob, a Sally Casanova Scholar and McNair Scholar, will pursue a summer research fellowship, funding by the CSU Pre-Doctoral Program at the University of Rhode Island. His work with Dr. Johnathan Puritz Jr. will focus on rebuilding the eastern oyster genome with novel Exome-sequencing technology and assembly programs.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Blake Hansen
Blake graduates with a Concentration in Statistics and a Minor in Biology. For the past two years, as a BD2K Scholar, Blake has conducted research in biomedical data science and systems biology to leverage the power of big data against cancer. This fall, he will pursue a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics at Brown University with a scholarship from the Department of Biostatistics.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Alex Jensen
Alex, a McNair Scholar, will graduate summa cum laude with a BA in Human Communication, a concentration in peace studies, and a minor in music. Alex will attend Harvard Divinity School's Master of Divinity program this fall as a Dean’s Fellow. Alex’s research interests in moral injury in US wars and military ministry call him to pursue Unitarian Universalist military chaplaincy in his future ministry.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Kyle Mooers
Kyle Mooers will work in the field of marine sciences before applying to graduate programs to study marine ecology.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Franco Sanchez
Franco majored in mathematics and the mentor was Dr. Steven Kim.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Jazmin Luna
After graduation, Jazmin will be taking a year off to gain work experience with a goal to apply to counseling psychology Ph.D programs. Her research interests include immigration as it influences public policy. She is immensely grateful to Dr. Snapp, UROC, and her family.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Chelsea Newbold
After graduation, Chelsea will be attending Oregon State University to attain her Master's in Botany and Plant Pathology. She will be working with Dr. Walt Mahaffee and supported by a department GRA studying fungicide resistance in grape downy mildew. She would like to thank Dr. Miles and Dr. Crandall, UROC, and her lab mates for their continued support.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Rebekah Newman
Rebekah is an LSAMP participant, and Vice President of CSUMB’s chapter of Psi Chi International Honor Society. After graduation, Rebekah will serve as an Applied Behavioral Therapist. She plans to conduct research on alternative therapies for children with special needs and address gaps in accessibility. She is grateful for all of the support she has received during her educational journey.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Bailey Gastelum
After graduation, Bailey will attend the annual conference of the American Society of Mammalogists to present her research on which types of entry level positions in wildlife biology are likely to require handling skills.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Samantha Gonzalez
Samantha will attend Arizona State University to pursue a Master’s in Education and Applied Behavioral Analysis to further her career in the field of Behavioral Intervention for children with Autism. She sincerely thanks her fellow lab members, her family, and especially her faculty mentor for being a part of the journey as a UROC Researcher.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Skylar Kensinger
After Skylar graduates, she plans on getting a job in biotech and then pursuing a PhD in genetic/biomedical research.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Emily Smith
Emily, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program honorable mention recipient, graduates cum laude with an archaeology concentration and biology minor. This fall, Emily will pursue an M.A. in Anthropology at George Mason University,. Under the advisory of Dr. Daniel Temple, Emily will investigate the bio-cultural effect of Spanish colonialism on Peruvian populations to advance knowledge of globalization during the 16th-17th centuries.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Julia Barnett
As a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar, Julia will spend an eight week summer fellowship at UCLA under the mentorship of Dr. Christine Dunkel Schet-ter researching unplanned pregnancy to learn about specific stressors affecting maternal and infant health throughout pregnancy and the first year of life.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Ryan Blakeman
Ryan, Computer Science graduate, will pursue a career in Game Development.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Patricia Carrillo
Patricia intends to obtain a Master's in Linguistics and pursue a career in language analysis.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Taylor Chille
Taylor will pursue a doctoral degree at Eastern Kentucky University working with Dr. Dustin Wygant on forensic assessment and the utility of psychological testing in forensic, correctional, and medical settings. She thanks UROC, Dr. Burchett, and her family for the encourage-ment and support she received as an undergraduate.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Shelby Delcambre
After graduation Shelby will apply to graduate programs in Occupational Therapy. Shelby's research conducted through UROC was to determine health disparities between Latino American and European American college age students to predict health status as aging occurs. Shelby is grateful for the opportunities and the support she had through UROC and Dr. Martin.
Graduating UROC Researcher: Gema Garcia
After graduation, Gema will be pursuing a Master’s degree to conduct research on deep sea extremophiles and study their adaptive responses to harsh environments.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Madison Heard
Madison will be working as a Dive master this summer at the Catalina Island Marine Institute. As an educator and dive leader, she will teach youth marine biology and assist students to obtain various SCUBA certifications, while shaping the next generation of ocean stewards.
Graduating UROC Scholar: Heriberto Marquez
Heriberto, a McNair Scholar and Sally Casanova Scholar, will graduate with a Bachelors of Arts in Social Behavioral Science. As part of his summer fellowship funded by the CSU Pre Doctoral Program, Heriberto will work with Dr. Alison Galloway at University of California, Santa Cruz to catalog and curate osteological remains from Dos Pilas, an ancient city in Guatemala.