Previous Awards
Congratulations to Sara Pfremmer and Anthony Garcia for their awards at the 2010 SACNAS conference in Anaheim, CA! Sarah received the Marine Biology award for her poster presentation on oyster settlement in Newport Bay. Anthony received the Marine Conservation award for his poster on human impacts on rocky intertidal communities in southern California.
Congratulations to Ernesto Casillas and Elizabeth Hessom who won Outstanding Poster Awards at the 2009 SACNAS meeting in Dallas, TX. Ernesto won in Marine Biology and Elizabeth won in Plant Biology.
Patricia Gonzalez
was featured in SACNAS News for Summer/Fall 2010!
"The Mojave Desert, California: It’s hot, it’s windy and if you forgot your sunscreen, it’s pretty miserable. Which describes perfectly how I felt, slumped in the shade of the van my research group drove out to our field site. We had spent the hottest part of two days hauling buckets of sand across the desert to fill seed trays for our feeding experiment, and the question I kept asking myself was “Who in their right mind would do this?” Early the next morning, I shook a rodent out of a Sherman Trap we had set out the night before, and I found my answer. The rodent we had caught was a kangaroo rat, and as I held it firmly in my gloved hand, I peeked into its giant eyes. What I saw there was a calm curiosity, and a naked wildness that both terrified and fascinated me. I was stunned as I realized that everything I shared with this small mammal—the earth, the air, and the water we drank—was threatened by destructive human habits. But if I wanted to, I could make a difference by conserving it and other species. So what is a scientist? In my case, it’s accepting that I can’t save all the animals in the world, but I can try to understand how to increase the chances that some of them will survive. As a scientist, that’s what I can do, and the real question now is "Who in their right mind wouldn’t?"
Patricia Gonzalez is currently a Southern California Ecosystems Research Program scholar at California State University, Fullerton, and is investigating the physiological responses of oysters to thermal stress. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation after she earns her bachelor’s degree in biological science in spring 2012.
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Former SCERP scholar
Andres Carrillo
was featured in the SACNAS News Special Web Supplement for Summer/Fall 2010. His essay appears below:
"As a high school student, I recall being determined to study marine science in college. I loved learning about marine biology, which inspired me to do well in my studies and extra- curricular activities. I had high hopes of getting into a good school. Upon graduating from high school, I was awarded the Science Pathways Award and the Marine Vocational Studies Award for my coursework and internship at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Despite my interests, studies, and achievements in high school, I had no clue what career options were available for someone with a degree in marine biology; all I knew is that I wanted to learn more. I was a transfer student at California State University, Fullerton, where I was selected as a Southern California Ecosystem Research Program (SCERP) scholar. This NSF-funded program is designed to engage undergraduate students in environmental-biology research. In 2004, SCERP sponsored all scholars to attend the SACNAS annual conference and prepared us to present our summer research projects. At the conference, I attended talks, networked with professors, and discussed research with other students. I was submerged in the scientific community and for the first time I had my own research experiences and the knowledge that gave me the confidence to ask questions and contribute to discussions between professors and students. It was then that I identified myself as a scientist-in-training, but a scientist nonetheless. The experiences SCERP provided me were the driving forces that led me to develop an interest in scientific research. Research is now my passion and life.
Andres Carrillo is currently a MS candidate at California State University, Fullerton investigating larval fish development. As a laboratory assistant at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Andres is also a marine educator to schoolchildren and a research mentor to high school students."
Carmen Cortez was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a UC Davis IGERT fellowship to pursue her PhD in Ecology at UC Davis.
Yareli Sanchez won an Outstanding Poster Award in Biology at the 2008 SACNAS conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Congratulations to Lauren Velasco who won an Outstanding Poster in Plant Biology Award at the 2008 SACNAS conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Elizabeth Hessom was awarded the UC Riverside Dean's Distinguished Fellowship in 2010 to support her Masters Degree in Environmental Science
