Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center

UROC Peer Writing Fellows

UROC scholars and researchers who have successfully completed a UROC Program are invited to apply to be a peer UROC writing fellow.  Applications open late fall; position begins in spring. Writing fellows mentor incoming UROC scholar cohorts as well as UROC researchers, Koret Scholars, LSAMP, and UROC Research Rookies students to support them in undergraduate research and professional writing development. UROC Peer Writing Fellows are responsible for: 

Back row: Alex Jensen, Robert Castro, Katie Brown, Emily Smith & Gina Dabbah; front row: Madison Heard and Natasha Oehlman

 

  • Facilitating weekly professional writing groups of 3-4 UROC scholars to provide critical, yet constructive, peer feedback on REU applications, ePortfolio components, and scholarships and fellowships.
  • Assisting scholars in all stages of the writing process—from idea generation, to content organization, and delivery of final message.
  • Attending professional development orientations as well as bi-weekly professional development meetings focused on strategies for effective group facilitation, best practices for responding to written work; reading strategies for comprehending complex academic texts; and calibration of written work.
  • Collaborating with the campus-learning center (CLC) writing team to co-facilitate workshops.
  • Leading select UROC Workshops.
  • Assisting in UROC program planning and development.

Meet the 2025 UROC Peer Writing Fellows

Annie Hansen posing for picture

Contact: ahansen@csumb.edu

Annie Hansen

Hi! My name is Anne (Annie) Hansen (they/them) and I am a 4th year Marine Science major and Computer Science minor, set to graduate this semester. As both a UROC and Goldwater Scholar, I innovate current technologies to support the restoration of coastal ecosystems, while using my research to catalyze dialogue regarding effective science communication and affordability of instrumentation.

This is my third year conducting research at CSUMB, with most of my experience centered around Seagrass Ecology, Open-Source Programming, and Low-Cost Environmental Sensors, working with mentors Dr. Sherry Palacios and Ryan Solymar. Currently, I am engineering the Coastal Optical Shallow Sensor Arrangement (COSSA) to provide smaller institutions and coastal management with the tools needed to survey seagrass meadows in their local estuaries. To date, I have attended the 2024 CSU Council for Ocean Affairs, Science, and Technology (COAST) Annual Meeting and the 2024 Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) Annual Meeting to disseminate my progress on this project. 

I’ve also attended the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) REU Program during Summer 2023. There, working with mentors Brodie Pearson and Amrapalli Garanaik, I researched the influence of Wave-Driven Surface Mixing on the Arctic Ice Sheet using data from the WaveWatch III and NextSIM Lagrangian Sea Ice Models. Outside of the 2023 College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) Summer REU Symposium, I presentedmy research at the 2024 Goldwater Scholars Community (GSC) Conference, receiving Runner-Up Best Poster. 

Beyond my role as a Writing Fellow mentor, I am also an AAUS Scientific Diver and Volunteer with the CSUMB Research Diving Program. You can also find me facilitating the Basic Needs Hub as a Student Assistant. During my free time, I love crocheting and knitting, spending time with close friends, and exploring the outdoors!

student posing for picture

 

Oscar Murillo-Espinoza

Hello everyone, I am Oscar Murillo-Espinoza (He/Him), and I recently graduated from CSUMB with my Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. My love for these subjects come from its abstract nature and requirement to think deeply about problems. My research touches different areas in math yet they are all united by the study of graph theory, a highly applicable subject that is used in nearly every science such as computer science, biology, chemistry, and physics.

At UROC, I participated in the McNair Scholars Program as a transfer student to develop my research identity. For my first summer of research, I worked on a combinatorial problem at the 2023 OXY Math REU, where I helped develop a method of counting arithmetical structures on canoe paddle graphs. The following summer,  I participated in a research project at the Baruch College Discrete Math REU, where I worked to improve the best-known bounds on the number of plane graphs that can be embedded on a set of points in the plane.

Complementing these research experiences, I was named a 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholar, won poster awards at the 2023 and 2024 NDiSTEM conferences, and received the 2024 PME Outstanding Presentation Award. Additionally, I competed at the 38th Annual CSU Student Research Competition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where I received an honorable mention in my subject category. Most recently, I presented my work from Baruch College at the 2025 Joint Mathematics Meeting in Seattle, WA.

In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer with friends, exercising, playing video games, and solving random problems from Project Euler or textbooks (feel free to ask me about what problem I’m currently stuck on!). Additionally, I am advising the Men’s Soccer Club at CSUMB to support their efforts in transitioning the club into a competitive team.

My goal as a writing fellow is to draw on my experiences as an undergraduate researcher to support students in winning scholarships, obtaining research positions, and developing their scholarly identity. I am excited to work with intellectually curious researchers who aspire to make their impact on the world.

student posing for picture with dog
Contact: eframirez@csumb.edu

 

Efrain Ramierz

My name is Efrain (he/him), and I am a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Statistics. I am also a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and a Barry Goldwater Scholar. Upon transferring to CSUMB and admittance into these highly-competitive programs offered through UROC, I have worked to develop skills in academic writing and research. I’ve participated in summer research projects with Texas Tech University, and Rutgers University where I disseminated my findings at the Society for Personality Assessment Convention and the MMPI Symposium. Through these experiences I was exposed to the world of validity scales and their important role as tools to ensure sound data in self-report assessments. Aside from being an undergraduate researcher, I like to build computers, fix things around the house, try my hand at trending haute foods, weld, play board games with friends, and play tug-o-war with my family’s Italian mastiffs.  

Future next steps for me is securing PhD interviews for Clinical Psychology or Quantitative Psychology programs and becoming admitted to a graduate program. Obtaining a doctoral degree in psychology will enable me to establish a more representative foundation in psychology for the projected population of the United States. 

As a Writing Fellow for Spring 2025, I am eager to reproduce the same success (OR BETTER) that I have had through this program with other budding undergraduate researchers who aspire to go to graduate school, win prestigious scholarships and fellowships, and aid in their development of their researcher identity along the way.

student giving thumbs up in a lab

Sarina Regis

My name is Sarina (she/her/hers) and I recently graduated from CSUMB with my B.S. in Biology (Molecular concentration) with a minor in Chemistry. I am a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, B&B Scholar, and also served as the Science Student Success Outreach Coordinator and Social Media Director on campus. Throughout my undergraduate career I engaged in twelve independent and course-based scientific undergraduate research experiences including a summer internship in the Sullivan Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz as a Genetech Academic Inspiration Network intern. Throughout my research experiences I have had the opportunity to conduct hands-on molecular biology and chemistry laboratory research that focused on a wide array of topics such as cartridge case alloy structures, novel gene characterization, genetic baseline annotation, machine learning, and microbe identification. 

Moving forward I plan to attend graduate school in order to earn a Master’s Degree in Forensic Biology in order to become a DNA analyst at either the state or federal level. As a multiracial, first generation student, I am passionate about advocating for underrepresented students in academia and am dedicated to building inclusive and diverse communities in STEM. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends, playing soccer, traveling, and going on hikes. I am excited to be a Writing Fellow this semester and greatly look forward to supporting each of you as you work towards achieving your academic and professional goals!

student posing for picture

Contact: yvictoria@csumb.edu

Yeritzi Victoria

¡Hola, mucho gusto! 

Hi everyone, I’m Yeritzi (she/her/ella), and I transferred to CSUMB in Fall 2022 from Hartnell College with a AA-T degree in Psychology and Spanish. I am currently in my final semester as a double major in Psychology and Spanish Language & Hispanic Culture with a minor in Statistics. As a McNair Scholar I have had the opportunity to conduct research during the academic years and the past two summers. My research centers on bilingualism and the study of bilinguals, more specifically the cognitive implications after learning a second or more languages. 

For the past 2 years I have been conducting research in two undergraduate laboratories. In the Applied Basic Cognitive (ABC) Lab with Dr. Renee Penalver I investigate how being bilingual impacts their false and source memory by administering a visual study.  In this lab, in another line of research, I also investigate how socialization impacts cognition in those experiencing dementia within older, marginalized people of color communities. The Clinical and Forensic Evaluation (CAFE) Lab with Dr. Danielle Burchett, focuses on the validation of psychological assessment instruments, with a special focus on scales that detect invalid test responding. With the findings of this research I have been able to present numerous oral and poster presentations at various national conferences. I served as the treasurer for the CSUMB Spanish Club, and with that experience I am now the current treasurer for the CSUMB Chapter of The Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. 

With the mentorship of my awesome femtors (including former peer writing fellows) I became CSU Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar for the 2024-2025 academic year. As a writing mentor, I want to help  new researchers build a scholarly identity like I did. I am an immigrant, English learner, female Hispanic, AND researcher in higher education. I recently applied to 9 PhD programs in Cognitive Science, Education, Psychology, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. I plan to increase that 1% of Latinas with a PhD to represent my community. 

In addition to being a Writing Fellow,  I am also a wife and mother of 5 wonderful children. So, when I am not on campus, I am home with my family or playing soccer.