Name: Bharat Rai Undergraduate Major and Graduation Year: Biology, 2020 Graduate School: University of Southern California (USC) Masters of Science (M.S.) Translational Biotechnology Hometown: Camarillo, CA Website: pickupnpark.com Having recently graduated in 2020 with a B.S. degree in Biology, please share your experience as an undergraduate, and how did the COVID-19 pandemic impact your last...

Stinknet Invasion!: Understanding the impacts of invasive plants on recovering ecosystems Climate change and the impact of human activity are causing drastic and concerning losses in ecosystems across the world. Despite these worrying losses, restoration provides hope for mitigation of some of the damage. Natural ecosystems have an ability to recover on their own; however...

Name: Radhika Amin Major: Second year Neuroscience major Hometown: Fremont, CA As a student, you lived on campus, you were involved in a variety of student groups, volunteered with a number of organizations, and conducted research. Please share some of the highlights during your time at UCR. How has that changed during the campus closure...

Name: Samantha Morales-Torres Major: 3rd Year Neuroscience Major Hometown: Riverside, CA Take us through your decision to attend UCR. As a first generation college student, what did attending a university mean to you and your family? After spending my freshman year at UCSD, I realized that I needed to make a change after my grades...

PROGRAM: MARC U STAR (Maximizing Access to Research Careers - Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research) PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Dr. Ernest Martinez, Professor of Biochemistry WEBSITE: marcu.ucr.edu Tell us about the MARC U STAR program. How does the program help students interested in a career in biomedical research or those interested in pursuing a graduate education...

Name: Caroline Hung Degree: 2 nd year Ph.D. student, Geochemistry in Earth and Planetary Sciences Hometown: Kenmore, WA Lab Website How did you become interested in Earth and Planetary Sciences and please share with us why you chose UCR to pursue your Ph.D.? Hardly ever exposed to nature as a kid, I was raised in...

Name: Colby M. Ostberg Program: Ph.D. in Geological Sciences (with a focus on Exoplanets and Venus) Hometown: Seaside, CA www.colbyostbergphd.com As a first generation college student, can you describe some of the obstacles you faced and how you overcame those challenges to get to this point in your academic career? For my undergraduate studies, I...

Name: Jennifer Le Major: Biochemistry Hometown: Westminster, CA Describe your research experience at UCR I would say my research experience at UCR has been unexpected, but incredible. When I came to UCR, I thought I wanted to go to medical school, but after taking the Dynamic Genome class, I realized how much I loved research...

Name: Saba Shaikh Major: Biology 2019-2020: 2nd Year Student "UCR is an amazing college that provides a lot of resources to its students - take advantage of them! Join clubs that you find interesting, work in a lab, and never hold yourself back from opportunities that interest you. Being part of Science Ambassadors has been...

Name: Hazel Anne Salvador Major: Biology 2019-2020: 4th year student "UC Riverside truly cares about giving their students all the opportunities to reach their dreams. Take advantage of the opportunities UCR has from the summer research programs to the free tutoring at the Academic Resource Center. While college is difficult, remember that there are many...

Name: Sophia Rogers Major: Biology 2019-2020: 3rd Year Student Why did you choose to pursue a degree in the sciences? I decided to pursue a degree in science because I was exposed to the world of science at a young age. I was part of a Summer Science Camp in Elementary School where we did...

Name: Merett Saad Major: Biochemistry 2019-2020: 4 th Year Student What is your favorite color? Spruce green- it’s very calming to the eye saturated brings spaces to life for those looking to illuminate their world with pure, extraordinary color. A great complement to Classic Colors. Where do you consider to be your first place? Molino's...

Name: Daniel Dorantes Valdez Major: Pure Mathematics 2019-2020: 3rd Year Student “A bit of advice that I would give to incoming UCR students is: enjoy your time here, make good friends quality over quantity, and definitely get involved going to school and then home is no fun!” Where do you see yourself 5 years from...

Name: Diana Medina-Yerena Major: Biochemistry 2018-2019: 4th Year Student "If someone were to tell fifteen year old Diana that she would be in my position right now, no part of her would believe this. After my first visit to the UCR campus I knew this was where I had the best chance of being the...