2021-2022 Research Scholars
We are extremely proud of each of our LSAMP Research Scholars, and would like to share their success! LSAMP Research Scholars have distinguished themselves in many ways: through their academic achievements, research experiences, service to their campuses and communities, and through their compelling personal stories.
Elston Lewis
Elston Lewis is a senior Mechanical Engineering student here at California State University Fullerton. This is his first year in the LSAMP program. Elston started as an undergraduate researcher in October 2020 researching improved renewable energy harvesting technologies, such as utilizing thermoelectric energy generation in solar panels to increase the efficiency of solar cells. He participated in Cal-state Fullerton summer undergraduate research academy in June 2021-August 2021. There he worked with his faculty advisor Dr. Sagil James to complete a hybrid renewable energy harvesting system. Elston completed a CAD design of the model accompanied by mathematically modeling the different environments interacting with the renewable energy systems. Elston's academic goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, he specifically wants to research ways in which to improve solar panel efficiency. This leads to Elston's career goal, which is to own a solar company that provides highly efficient and cost-effective solar power to low-income commutes across the country.
JieQi Yan
JieQi Yan is a senior major in Geological Science at California State University. She has been an LSAMP participant for more than two years. Under Dr. James Parham's mentorship, JieQi is currently describing and analyzing a Miocene dolphin from the Monterey Formation of Orange County, CA. Becoming a LSAMP research scholar allows her to work closely with a faculty member who is an experienced researcher and works in her area of interest. Working alongside her mentor, she will gain a deeper understanding of the process of scientific study in practice. Her future career plan is to become a research scientist. Once she receives her bachelor's degree of Science in Geology, she will continue her education and pursue a master's degree in Geological Science with an emphasis on Environmental. She is captivated by theoretical research that will increase the general public's understanding of renewable and sustainable resources for future generations.
Lauren Martinez
Lauren Martinez is a Computer Science Major, in her senior year, at Cal State University, Fullerton. This is her first year being an LSMAP scholar. She has been working with Professor Ankita Mohapatra for the past year building an optimization method to find best low-cost placement of sensors over a large area. Their research goal is to develop a network of sensor nodes that will utilize an array of sensors to quickly identify wildfires and generate an alarm. Over, the past year Lauren has contributed to first iteration of the project. Being an LSAMP research scholar allows her to focus on Data Science and Analytics which is the field she is passionate about. After her graduation, she plans to continue her studies as a graduate student in Computer Science or Management.
Marco Hernandez
Marco Hernandez is a senior undergraduate in Biochemistry at California State University, Fullerton. He is a new LSAMP recipient. Marco is new to the research scene and is under Dr. Linder’s mentorship. For his first semester in research, he is conducting tests on the affinity of dog ceruloplasmin. Dog ceruloplasmin acts different from all other mammals in that it acts “bigger” than other mammals, and in higher salt concentrations it acts its normal size. Marco’s job is to replicate this and learn how to manipulate dog ceruloplasmin. He will also learn the structure of dog ceruloplasmin through purification and crystallography. Marco hopes to continue going to CSUF doing a Masters in Organic Chemistry.
Miriam Marroquin
Miriam Marroquin is a senior majoring in Mathematics with a concentration in Probability and Statistics at California State University Fullerton. She has participated in the LSAMP program for 2 years. She is interested in learning more about various statistical methods that can be used to understand data across many disciplines. She is currently working with Dr. Valerie Poynor where they are using Bayesian statistical methods to analyze the critical thinking scores of students who took Math 338 (Statistics for Natural Science and Mathematics majors). The results from this project can help Math 338 professors understand the demographic of students taking Math 338 who may be struggling with the material and in what areas. These findings can then allow professors to provide students with adequate help so they can understand the material. After completing her bachelor's degree Miriam plans to attend a graduate program in statistics with hopes of completing a PhD. She looks forward to learning more about statistical applications and conducting cross-disciplinary research.
Noora Ghadiri
Noora’s research interests include modeling gravitational waves caused by extreme astrophysical events, such as merging black holes or neutron stars, by using numerical relativity. Her current research involves implementing and testing a calculation of the vorticity of a spacetime, which measures the twisting an observer would experience near a black hole because of differential frame dragging. She is implementing this using a next-generation numerical-relativity code called SpECTRE. She wants to pursue a PhD in gravitational waves physics to continue contributing to gravitational-wave science.
Leeza-Marie Rodriguez
Leeza-Marie Rodriguez is a 5th year Undergraduate at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) where she is conducting research investigating the effects of the non-indigenous spaghetti bryozoan, Amathia verticillata on the recruitment of the native Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida. The main objective of this study is to understand the role of facilitation non-indigenous species may have on native species and how to apply these findings to achieve conservation efforts on coastal and intertidal environments. With LSAMP funding, Leeza-marie can focus more time in the field and lab conducting research for her project and of others that specialize in coastal conservation. Leeza-marie plans to pursue a PhD in marine ecology after completion of her BS degree in Biology.
Ramzieh Kanaan
Ramzieh Kanaan is a senior undergraduate majoring in Civil Engineering at California State University, Fullerton. This fall marks her second year as a member of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and her first year as a research scholar. Ramzieh is currently pursuingre search with Dr. Xenia Wirth. We test the physical and chemical characteristics of wildfire ashsamples from recent California fires. The study involves running multiple tests on the fire samples, including grain size distribution, specific surface area, loss of ignition, and ring shear with the goal of understanding how these characteristics influence the behavior of the ash. The research will help determine how weak the ash is and if it can be stabilized to prevent landslides. Ramzieh is also currently working as an intern in the Public Works Department at the City of Fountain Valley. She has a broad interest in geotechnical, traffic, and architectural engineering; she hopes to attend graduate school and work in the public sector to improve the city and help its citizens.
Thuan Truong
Thuan Truong is a senior undergraduate student in the Computer Engineering department at California State University, Fullerton. This will mark his first year with the LSAMP program. Thuan currently researches under Dr. Rakesh Mahto on a memristor based 48x48 pixel read-out integrated circuit. Memristor crossbars reduce energy consumption and increase performance in vector-matrix multiplication. This research hopes to reduce the extra area taken by the memristor and provide the ability to tune the image at the pixel level. Since Fall of 2021, Thuan has used tanner tools such as Ledit and Cadence to design CMOS and integrated circuits. LSAMP Research Scholar funding will enable Thuan to spend more time in the lab designing and gathering data. Thuan’s area of focus within computer engineering is hardware security, nanotech, and VLSI design. His career goal includes pursuing an M.S. in Computer Engineering and continuing his research on processor hardware and VLSI design.
Tiffany Azusada
Tiffany Azusada is a 4th year Biochemistry major at California State University, Fullerton. This is her first year in LSAMP. She is currently participating in Dr. Pecic’s biochemistry lab as a Research Scholar and has been in the lab since April 2021. Tiffany’s research focuses on developing DNA-based biosensors for the pesticide imidacloprid using the method SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment). This research resonates with her because this pesticide is toxic to humans, and detrimental to the environment and wildlife. Thus, it is beneficial to take action and help discover how to detect levels of imidacloprid early to manage this public health issue. As a result of being chosen as an LSAMP Research Scholar, Tiffany is able to spend more time concentrating on her research and academics. Her career goals include attending a Clinical Laboratory Scientist program where she is able to apply her interests of medicine and science.
Vincent Mugica
Vincent Mugica (he/him/his) is a junior Geology major at California State University, Fullerton. This is his first year participating with LSAMP. He is conducting research under the advisement of Dr. Valbone Memeti and is investigating plagioclase mineral whole/trace element geochemistry, petrography and field relations to better understand the incipient formation of the Tuolumne Intrusive Complex, Sierra Nevada, California. He is passionate about geoscience education, planetary geology, history of geology and meteorites. After graduation he plans to attend graduate school to specialize in Meteoritics.
