Students Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Two Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę graduate students and an alum from the School of Natural Sciences were recently awarded fellowships from the highly competitive National Science Foundation .
This year, NSF awarded 1,000 GRFP fellowships compared to about 2,000 in previous years.
NSFās website notes that the program is the oldest of its kind and is known for selecting outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based masterās and doctoral degrees and who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.
Peter Nguyen is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Professor 's lab. He is also an affiliate researcher at the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
"Itās an absolute honor to receive the NSF GRFP, especially in such a challenging year,ā he said. āThis support allows me to focus on my research and move toward a career in academia.Ā I hope to make a positive impact by contributing new knowledge to science and expanding our understanding of the natural world.
āThis would not have been possible without the support of my mentors and collaborators."
Nguyenās research in the Graduate Program focuses on how plants adapt to drought ā specifically Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy.
āI look at how plant traits, genetic variation and the microbes around their roots and in the rhizosphere (the root-associated microbial zone) help them survive in different environments,ā he said. āThis work helps us better understand how plants respond to climate stress, with applications in conservation, restoration and agriculture.ā
Nguyen is also a U.S. Department of Energy RENEW Fellow and a 2022-23 UC Santa Cruz Earth Futures Institute Fellow.Ā
Hashel Orquiz was also awarded the NSF GRFP. She will join Professor research group this fall as a Ph.D. student in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program. Orquiz earned her bachelorās degree in ecology and evolutionary biologyĀ from the University of Texas, El Paso, where she studied patterns of hybridization in Arctic willows and analyzed gene expression associated with deterioration in tussock cottongrass, a foundational tundra species.
She credited participating in two NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduate programs with sparking her interest in marine science and ultimately inspiring her to pursue it at the graduate level.
Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ęās third GRFP recipient, Baldemar Motomochi, conducted research in life sciences and developmental biology on campus and received a bachelorās degree in biological sciences. They are now a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley.
Recipients receive an annual stipend of $37,000 for three years, as well as professional development opportunities.
The campus also had four graduate students and five undergraduate alumni recognized with honorable mentions:
Emma Brass, who earned a bachelorās degree in chemistry from Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę, is now a Ph.D. student at UC Irvine.
Lynn Breithaupt earned a bachelorās degree in organismal ecology and
evolution from California State University, Stanislaus, and is a Ph.D. student in Professor lab at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę.
Saam Doroodian, who earned a bachelorās degree in biological sciences at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę, is an associate scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Edith Gollub, who earned a bachelorās degree in biochemistry from Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę, will attend UC San Diego to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry and biochemistry.
Charles Hu, who earned a bachelorās degree from Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę, is a Ph.D. student in Earth system science at Stanford University.
Kyle Magro, who received a bachelorās degree in biological sciences from Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę, is a biomedical sciences Ph.D. student at UC San Diego.
Katherina Martinez received a bachelorās degree in biochemistry from California State University, Monterey Bay, and is a Ph.D. student in Professor lab at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę.
Alejandro Ramos Hurtado, who earned a bachelorās degree from UC Davis, is a Environmental Systems Ph.D. student in Professor lab at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę.
Mara Schwiesow, who earned a bachelorās degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Cornell College, is a Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. student in Professor lab at Ā鶹ĪŽĀė°ę.
This support allows me to focus on my research and move toward a career in academia.
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