CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson had some special wisdom he wanted to impart to students making up the college’s 71st graduating class during commencement ceremonies held on June 16 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA. “Science matters,” he said, “and science is never finished. Every answer leads to a new question. Every theory invites deeper...
Maritssa Nolasco, a fourth-year Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary School (MTSS) major at the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences and a Digital Agriculture Fellowship (DAF) participant, has been awarded the 2025 National Student Recognition award. Co-sponsored by the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the...
Each year, the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) proudly recognizes a select group of students who have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievements, innovative research, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the science community. These outstanding individuals are more than just award recipients—they are a testament to the...
Angeliz Vargas Casillas from UC Riverside, who won third prize for her talk on using math to model keloid scar expansion, reflected, “It really made me think about where I'm going with my research. Where can I take it? What is the goal? You have those things in mind, but when you’re putting it together...
Sreenidhi Surineni, a neuroscience major with a minor in philosophy in UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), has been named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar with the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, one of the most prestigious national honors awarded to undergraduate researchers in the STEM fields. Surineni was...
Two UC Riverside undergraduates working with faculty mentors at the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) won Best Undergraduate Research Poster awards at the 2025 California Plant and Soil Conference in Visalia, CA. David Ranai, an Electrical Engineering major working with Amir Verdi, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Urban Water Management in the CNAS...
When asked how she's enjoying UC Riverside's Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program this summer, Riverside City College student Kat McVeigh doesn't hold back. "It's been a great experience!" she says. "Being in an actual lab [and] getting to know the other people in the lab has been pretty cool. Meeting new people is...
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) — the nation’s largest organization of professional ecologists— held their annual meeting on August 4-9, 2024 where thousands of ecological scientists, educators, students, and practitioners gathered from around the world to share new research findings and discuss solutions to today’s ecological and environmental challenges. Dedicated to advancing the science...
Like many students before him, Nicolas Sanchez '24 has learned that finding the proper outlet can circumvent the pressure of a tough academic course load. For Nicolas, who graduated from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences with a Biochemistry degree with an emphasis in Medical Sciences, that outlet was music. “I wanted...
To say that twin sisters Assal and Sadaf Sadighian are used to long commutes would be an understatement. The twins, who will graduate next spring with Biology degrees, live “a very short drive” away from campus, and will readily tell you that using Google Calendar is an immeasurable help in ordering their days and, metaphorically...
