The CNAS Staff Advisory Committee (SAC) was formed during the COVID-19 campus closure and provided the opportunity for the committee to voice staff concerns and comments, share insight and feedback, and make suggestions and proposals to CNAS Dean Kathryn Uhrich. In this edition of the CNAS Blog, you’ll get to know each member of the...

Name: Sophia Parks Hometown: Murrieta, CA Undergraduate school, major and graduation year: University of California, Riverside, BS in Neuroscience, 2017 Graduate school, program, and graduation year: University of California, Riverside, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology/Nematology, expected 2021 Websites: dillmanlab.org and propel.stanford.edu/scholar How did you become interested in your field of study? I have been interested in...

With the CNAS community back on campus, your department chairs want to make sure that you are on-track for a stellar year. In this edition of the CNAS Blog, find out what they are looking forward to with students being back on campus, how students can get involved in research, and tips to succeed both...

Name: Mark Hanin Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2021 Describe the research you participated in as an undergraduate. I conducted a comparative research project on how the living standards in both South Africa and Nigeria can help explain the differences in their public health policies, where I looked at and compared both nations’ infant mortality rates...

Name: Alejandro (Alex) Cortez Undergraduate Education: University of California, Riverside, Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology minor (2002) Graduate Education: University of California, Riverside, Master of Science in Evolution, Ecology. and Organismal Biology (2009) Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico and Riverside, CA Alejandro shared about his career journey, passion for outreach, and experiences with undergraduate students...

CNAS celebrates Women's History Month with women making history in the sciences. Over the month of March, learn more about women scientists in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside who are making history today. Name: Xingping Cui Title: Professor and Chair, Department of Statistics Please share with us a brief description...

CNAS celebrates Women's History Month with women making history in the sciences. Over the month of March, learn more about women scientists in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside who are making history today. Name: Wenwan Zhong Title: Professor of Chemistry Lab Website Please share with us a brief description of...

CNAS celebrates Women's History Month with women making history in the sciences. Over the month of March, learn more about women scientists in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside who are making history today. Name: Chia-en Chang Title: Professor of Chemistry Please share with us a brief description of your research...

CNAS celebrates Women's History Month with women making history in the sciences. Over the month of March, learn more about women scientists in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside who are making history today. Name: Karine Le Roch Title: Professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology UCR Profile Please share with...

CNAS celebrates Women's History Month with women making history in the sciences. Over the month of March, learn more about women scientists in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside who are making history today. Name: Vyjayanthi Chari Title: Professor of Mathematics Google Scholar Citations Please share with us a brief description...

The bees that cheated the system — and what we can learn from them When I share with people that there are over 1,600 species of bees in California and over 20,000 worldwide (that is more than the number of mammal, bird, and reptile species combined), I am often met with shock. I usually go...

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...