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A tale of Tinder wins the day at the 10th annual UC Grad Slam

tomwt — Fri, 09 May 2025 15:34:41 +0000

A tale of Tinder wins the day at the 10th annual UC Grad Slam tomwt Fri, 05/09/2025 - 08:34 More College News Apollonia Morrill | UC Newsroom May 08, 2025

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CNAS Graduate Student, Ria Ghosh, Presents Research at Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2024

joanny — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 00:05:51 +0000

CNAS Graduate Student, Ria Ghosh, Presents Research at Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2024 joanny Sun, 08/25/2024 - 17:05 More College News August 26, 2024

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 and practice of ecology and supporting ecologists throughout their careers, the ESA also recognized students who are making contributions to the study of ecology. Among the students who presented and were awarded at the ESA conference was Ria Ghosh, a doctoral student with the Anderson Lab in the University of California, Riverside Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.

Ghosh’s research presentation on "Assessing the Spatial and Temporal Variation of Size-Spectra Distribution in Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities of the Urban Santa Ana River" offered insight into the productivity, trophic dynamics, energy flow, and population and community structure of benthic macroinvertebrate, supporting ecosystem conservation and management efforts.

Being a first time attendee, presenting at the ESA annual conference was made possible when Ghosh was honored with the ESA Student Section's Real Brown Travel Award which recognizes students with outstanding leadership, initiative, and contributions to ecology. This recognition not only supports participation in the conference but also encourages continued impact in ecology.

Ghosh also received the ESA Aquatic Ecology travel grant, which is awarded annually to only two students, in recognition to their emerging contributions as budding aquatic ecologists actively working in the field. In addition to supporting attendance at the ESA annual meeting, students awarded with the ESA Aquatic Ecology travel grant, must also be invited to present an oral or poster presentation at the conference.

To learn more about Ghosh’s work in the UCR Anderson Lab, visit www.kurteandersonecology.com.

More About UC Riverside Biology Major

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Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS

owenw — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 18:37:51 +0000

Making Beautiful Music: Nicolas Sanchez on Biochemistry, the Violin and CNAS owenw Mon, 08/05/2024 - 11:37 More Blog Posts August 05, 2024

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 include music in my life,” he says. “I started playing violin at UCR two years ago and one of my professors in the music department, Professor Frances Moore, always stressed the importance of being well-rounded. Music became my outlet.”

Nicolas says that even though he was supremely busy outside of Dr. Moore’s Chamber Music class, playing mostly classical pieces on the violin was the “breath of fresh air” he needed and led to his pairing with Professor Stephanie Dingwall, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Biochemistry and CNAS' Divisional Dean of Academic Student Affairs, on various jam sessions that included Bach’s Violin Concerto in D minor and Shostakovich’s 5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano.

Nicolas' musical aptitude led him to momentarily put down his violin and lead fellow graduates in singing UCR’s Alma Mater, “Hail Fair UCR”, during the CNAS Commencement in June 2024 at the Toyota Arena. According to Nicolas, the ceremony was particularly special in that he and many of his high school peers, who graduated in 2020 and then enrolled at UCR, did not have a commencement ceremony as high schoolers.

“Being selected to be the Alma Mater singer was an amazing way to close off this chapter in my life,” he says.

That chapter began four years ago when Nicolas was canvassing his hometown of Santa Ana and the surrounding area looking for a place to go to college. “I knew I wanted to enter the medical field,” he says. “I looked at the pre-med culture that existed at various schools and researched different universities when we were in COVID lockdown, so I couldn’t really schedule on-campus tours.”

Since he was unable to participate in on-campus tours during the pandemic, Nicolas dialed up different YouTube videos of students enrolled at UCR, and also read stories posted on Reddit about how they felt about the pre-med opportunities. “It wasn’t long before I got this overwhelming feeling that, at UCR, people were nicer and more willing to help each other," he says.

"That’s really why I chose UCR," Nicolas adds, "Because I got a sense that people here really love the community and the culture that surrounds pre-med here. I knew I wanted to stay near where I live in Santa Ana and I also had to consider my financial situation. UCR won out for the pre-med culture and the diversity and inclusivity...I didn’t want to feel isolated.”

Being a first generation college student is, in Nicolas’ words “no easy feat.” That’s why, in addition to finding creative outlets that take the pressure off of excelling in academia, Nicolas says finding the right balance at school is paramount.

“At the end of the day, doing well in school is why we’re at the university, but you have to carve out time for yourself – whether it’s playing Mozart sonatas or reading or going to the movies,” he says. “Having that balance – which goes hand in hand with finding outlets -- is important. I’d also add to that spending time with friends, especially a ‘go-to’ person that you can really talk to, is important.”

Having go-to friends became extra critical during Nicolas’ second year, when he was pulling all-night study sessions. “I was so focused on getting amazing grades that I was neglecting friends,” he says. “By the end of the year, I was exhausted. After that, I started to go outside my bubble and circulate more. Because of that, I feel the past two years have been the best years of my life.”

The friends he made during those years and the discussions he had with them led Nicolas to change his major from Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology to Biochemistry. “I feel like second year was where I was questioning whether I wanted to pursue a degree in Biology,” he says. “I met a friend in Physics 2A and we started studying together. She was Biochemistry major. I hadn’t considered that as a major [but] the degree program just made sense to me."

“I made the decision to switch majors because I knew I would have support going into it -- friends that I could do the degree alongside,” he continues. “Even though I hadn’t taken a Biochemistry class before, I ended up loving it! It was kind of like a leap of faith.”

A former CNAS Science Ambassador, Nicolas completed the Emergency Medical Technician Program at Moreno Valley College this past spring and has plans to work as an Emergency Room Technician in Riverside with plans to enroll into medical school by the fall of 2026.

For Nicolas, the CNAS Commencement Ceremony represented more than the conferral of a degree - his family was the reason he was up on that stage. He says that his parents have always been shining beacons to he and his brother and sisters – all of whom are either college graduates or on track to graduate.

“My dad installs tiles and does bathroom restorations,” he says. “We didn’t have the most fortunate circumstances, economically. Sometimes I would help him by cutting tile for him. He would take me to his jobs and I would see how difficult it was. Even though it was a tough job, he never wavered and was committed to doing it well; always attentive to detail…I think we all got that from him.”

CNAS STUDENT-FACULTY CONNECTIONS: NICOLAS SANCHEZ & DR. STEPHANIE DINGWALL

Pre-Professional Advising Center

Science Ambassador

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For recent CNAS graduate Briana Baldovinos '24, UCR was a whole new dance

owenw — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:18:59 +0000

For recent CNAS graduate Briana Baldovinos '24, UCR was a whole new dance owenw Thu, 07/11/2024 - 09:18 More Blog Posts July 11, 2024

For the past year and a half, Briana Baldovinos has worked at the “Happiest Place on Earth”...Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, where she dances in the Main Street Parade.

Before enrolling at UC Riverside, she used to dance ballet, jazz and tap – “everything” – for an average of five hours a day. She’s been dancing since she was three years old.

“I’ve always loved to dance and want to keep it up,” she says. “For the Disney gig, they held auditions and I went and got the job. My idol is Misty Copeland. As the first African-American female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater in New York City, she broke boundaries for what a woman of color could achieve in ballet.”

A Neuroscience major and recent UC Riverside graduate, Briana is breaking some boundaries herself along with her brother, a pre-med student at UC Riverside. “There is no one on either side of my family that has ever been in the medical field,” she says. “We are the first.” Briana’s mom works as an office manager for the Union for American Physicians and Dentists, and her dad drives trucks out of the Port of Los Angeles.

Coming from Corona, CA, Briana wanted to find a college close to home from which she could commute to school, and UC Riverside fit the bill perfectly. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to look over the campus personally because I started during COVID,” she says. “I checked out UC Riverside’s website – and just looking at pictures of the campus and the new medical school, it seemed like a good fit for me.”

Briana says that the trick to successful community plays into one of her natural tendencies: scheduling. “I am very much a set schedule person,” she says. “I need to have everything written down in a planner. During the pandemic I didn’t have to commute for my first year, but going into my second year when we started back up, it was a bit of a struggle. I just had to make sure I adhered to a routine.”

For Briana, that meant waking up in plenty of time to get ready for school, which included making and packing a lunch and accounting for potential traffic snarls. “My commute is only 35 minutes without traffic, so that’s not bad...but there were days when everyone was on the interstate! I don’t like to rush, so I made sure to leave when I could drive more leisurely. Look at the traffic maps on your phone in the morning to make sure there isn’t construction or accidents on your route and don’t get lazy with your routine. Adhere to it and you’ll be okay.”

Briana Baldovinos '24

Briana describes herself as a “hands-on” learner. “I love making new discoveries, and applying what I learn in lecture courses to labs allows me to better grasp the concepts,” she says. Just like in her dancing, Briana says she gets a kick out of “seeing a reaction unfold. The discipline and patience that lab work takes is something that I love.”

Hands-on learning was more than a euphemism for Briana at the beginning of her stint in college as a first-generation student and amid the challenges presented by the pandemic.

“My first advisor, Mario Trejo, influenced me greatly, she says. “He was the mentor I had during COVID and as a first-generation student, I literally didn’t have any guidance. All the questions I asked my mom were deferred. She didn’t graduate from high school. My dad ended getting his GED later on. They both said: ‘You can’t ask us. We don’t know.’ I felt bad asking Mario so many questions and sending him so many emails, but he was very reassuring. He told me to ask as many questions as I wanted. He said: ‘I’d rather you ask than not ask and be late on something like applying for financial aid or registering for classes incorrectly.’”

According to Briana, asking questions was a huge factor in her academic success and it’s also the best advice she could give any incoming freshman to UCR. “Approaching teachers was very overwhelming, especially because during COVID, the classes were all streamed,” she says. “On Zoom, if I had a question, I could pop in real quick versus being in a classroom-type setting where you had to personally approach instructors one-on-one with the fear that you might ask a dumb question.

“Sometimes in class you might look around and start comparing yourself to other students,” Briana adds. “From my perspective, I sometimes thought: ‘They seem so ahead,’ whereas I felt I hadn’t done this or that. The issue of asking questions was also compounded by my fear that I should already have known the answer to what my question was.”

Briana says that her biggest supporter, her mother, told her not to be afraid to ask questions for clarification about anything. "She told me I had every resource at UC Riverside to draw on and that I’d be good," Briana remembers. “I took that advice to heart and found that when I asked questions, the fog lifted and my professors were encouraging – almost endearing – in that they told me we could go through the answers step-by-step. That was a light bulb moment for me!”

For Briana, it was mostly about overcoming a rooted fear that people would judge her. “But, hey, we as students all have better things to do," she realized. "It was largely a groundless fear, but one that I could only overcome for myself.”

As any incoming college freshman can attest, the transition from high school to college can be fraught, and study techniques learned in high school may not always successfully transition with the student. “I feel I learned so many different, helpful techniques trying to nail down what would work for me,” Briana says.

One winning study technique was going through her lecture slides, thoroughly, the same day. “If I have class that morning, I’d go through them that night,” she says. “I’m the type of person who if I write stuff down over and over again, I’ll be able to memorize it. So, with the lecture slides, I’ll go through maybe 10 at a time and then I try to memorize as much as I can. I’ll then I dump everything that I’ve remembered on a piece of paper. And everything that I’ve missed, I’ll write in a different color – and that paper will be what I need to further memorize. It’s a technique that really works for me.”

Briana counts serving as Vice President of Community Building on the CNAS Science Ambassador Leadership Team from 2023-2024 as a highpoint of her UC Riverside tenure. She was also involved in UC Riverside’s Latino Medical Student Association as Marketing Chair, and she performed outreach to high school and middle school students through the Medical Education Executive Project, helping them to become CPR-certified, how to use EpiPens, and how to apply a tourniquet using just a pen and rubber band.

“I was also a member of UCR Hooks, where we crocheted ‘granny squares’ which we would give to the leadership team. They would connect them and make blankets that they’d give away to the homeless.”

Briana’s immediate future plans include taking a gap year and hopefully landing a cruise contract as a dancer, during which time she’ll have six months to a year to study for the MCAT and then take the test. “I’d like to attend medical school at UC Riverside,” she says.

For Briana, that would fulfill a dream, and could well turn out to be her next “Happiest Place on Earth.”

CNAS Science Ambassadors

Science Ambassador

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Science Ambassador Spotlight

Finding Her Hive: A Summer RISE Student's Story

tomwt — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:21:09 +0000

Finding Her Hive: A Summer RISE Student's Story tomwt Wed, 08/02/2023 - 08:21 More Blog Posts John Perna and Karina Quevedo August 02, 2023

Melissa Arellano, her first name translating to "honey bee" in Greek, signifies the impact of research experiences on students' academic paths. As a 4th-year Environmental Science major that transferred from City College of San Francisco, Melissa found her passion for bees through the Summer RISE program at the University of California, Riverside.

Melissa is in Dr. Hollis Woodard's lab studying various species of bumblebees, from their biology to behavior. The lab primarily focuses on Bombus impatiens, a hardy species Melissa referred to as the 'beagle of bee research' due to its robust performance as a lab-researched species.

Melissa's research is assessing wild bumblebees at two distinct national parks, comparing populations from burned sites versus non-burned ones. Her research examines factors like plant life and competition with honey bees, and incorporates measurements of the bees' size, including their heads, wings, and weight. This project aims to better understand wild bumblebees in response to naturally-occurring landscape changes due to fire versus unburned regions.

This work took Melissa to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks over the summer, where she hiked to recent wildfire locations to collect bee samples. Despite the strenuous nature of this task, she considers it a highlight of her research experience.

Interestingly, before joining the Summer RISE program, Melissa never saw herself as a researcher. She imagined a straightforward path - completing her bachelor's degree and stepping into industry work. It was RISE that opened her eyes to the potential of research and its real-world implications. She credits RISE with giving her a chance to work with bees, an experience she hoped for but didn't expect.

Moving to UCR brought challenges for Melissa. She moved from San Francisco with only her partner, without any family or friends nearby. The winter transfer was financially taxing, with Melissa struggling to balance her studies with bills. The RISE program offered her the chance to focus entirely on her research and academic work, a luxury she might not have otherwise had.

Looking ahead, Melissa's experience with RISE and bee research has made her reconsider her long-term goals. Although she had never previously considered a Ph.D. or graduate school, her friends and principal investigator have sparked her interest in these possibilities. Melissa is now contemplating using her environmental science background and bee research to investigate agricultural applications of native bee species.

As for her advice to future RISE students, Melissa stresses the importance of seeking a lab that aligns with their interests even before applying to the program. She encourages them to pursue the type of research they want to do and to find a lab with a supportive culture to thrive. This proactive approach, she believes, will help them fully utilize and maximize the benefits of the RISE program.

Learn more about the RISE Program

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Research Abroad: A CNAS Story

owenw — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:53:41 +0000

Research Abroad: A CNAS Story owenw Mon, 07/31/2023 - 06:53 More Blog Posts July 31, 2023

Jared Hudnall '24, a physics major at the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside, spent his summer abroad doing research in Italy. We asked Jared a few questions about his experiences:

(Part 1 of 5) What research topic are you working on and where?
I'm working at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (@lns.infn) — the largest underground research laboratory in the world and one of the primary research centers for particle physics — in Assergi, Italy, a tiny medieval village on the foot of an Italian national park. I'm doing research testing and developing bleeding edge light detection technology for use in the largest dark matter direct detection experiment ever conducted, a global collaborative effort of several dozen universities and research institutes.

Pictured: My lab space at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.

(Part 2 of 5) How did you come across/get involved in this opportunity?
I came across this opportunity in much the same way as I've come across any other: networking! On day one of week one of my first quarter at UCR after I transferred, I emailed a number of faculty from UCR's Physics & Astronomy Department to get involved in undergraduate research. I have an amazing principal investigator who I started working with immediately. They sent me an impromptu email in the Spring quarter that read, "Hey, so you can go to Poland, the United Kingdom, or Italy over the summer — tell me what you want to do, and I'll email my colleagues." One of the best things you can do to invest in yourself is to network and build connections...one of a scientist's most important skills is communication, after all!

Pictured: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (@lns.infn) exterior entrance...check out that view!

(Part 3 of 5) What are your responsibilities as a member of the research team?
We work with light detection technology called silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) — the most advanced modern photodetection units — which have numerous applications such as medical imaging, particle detection, astronomy, LiDAR, quantum optics, DNA sequencing, and environmental monitoring, to name a few. I test batches of them at a time in a clean room, a stainless steel space equipped with filtration systems and stringent protocols to ensure a near sterile working space enabling precision testing of sensitive devices, to evaluate each individual SiPM's response to various electromagnetic phenomena (breakdown voltage, current stability, etc.). Additionally, I'm experimenting with the electronics boards in an effort to improve the dynamic range of signals the SiPMs can report.

Pictured: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (@lns.infn) lab interior

(Part 4 of 5) What’s been the best part of the experience thus far?
The people! We have an extremely diverse team of graduate students and postdocs @lns.infn who are all incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and great fun to work and spend time with. I'm learning a lot from them, and I'm incredibly grateful to have made some great friends!

Pictured: The view from my apartment window in Italy.

(Part 5 of 5) Jared Hudnall discusses his future goals as a CNAS student.

What are your future research goals?
I'll be spending the fall quarter applying to graduate schools for condensed matter physics research. After graduate school, I'll do a postdoc, and in the future I'd like to stay in academia as a physics researcher in the field of condensed matter and quantum technology.

Pictured: Italian countryside.

Learn more about Jared's UC Riverside experiences.

Science Ambassador, Transfer Student

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Learn more about Jordan’s time in the Digital Agriculture Fellowship (DAF)

From physics to math to digital agriculture, Jordan Guillory ’23 is making his mark

owenw — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:20:43 +0000

From physics to math to digital agriculture, Jordan Guillory ’23 is making his mark owenw Wed, 06/14/2023 - 13:20 More Blog Posts June 14, 2023

Jordan Guillory's first research paper as a community college student in San Diego was quite literally a star-studded affair.

"We were studying double stars and attempting to calculate their orbits," he remembers. "I had a lot of opportunities to get involved in research early on, and that's what really got me involved in the research community [at UCR]."

On the eve of graduating from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Jordan reflects on his overall experience at UCR.

"UCR has great classes, and you'll do a lot of learning here,” he says. “But the main benefit of coming to this school is that it's a hub of opportunities and different pathways you can take. It's your job as a student to explore these opportunities.”

Jordan adds, “College is like a playground…you can have a lot of different experiences which will help you amass a skill set that will carry you through the rest of your life."

Growing up in Encinitas, CA, Jordan attended San Dieguito Academy, and initially thought he would major in physics thanks to the passionate STEM faculty he encountered. “I was interested in physics because I had a pretty influential teacher,” he explains. “His passion for physics inspired me to pursue the subject.”

After graduating from San Dieguito and enrolling at San Diego Miramar and Mesa colleges, Jordan felt himself being pulled in a different direction academically. “I began to be more and more interested in math,” he recalls, “because I like the foundation-building process…that’s something that was present in math that it sometimes felt we were skipping in the physics classes.”

Jordan remembers the initial college transition being a tough one. “I didn’t have the study skills I needed to be successful in college,” he says. “I was working two full-time jobs, and juggling that and school was very difficult for me.”

Jordan credits those challenges with teaching him an important lesson that would serve him well throughout his college career. “The experience forced me to get really good at balancing a lot of things,” he says.

Armed with this newfound sense of balance, Jordan brought his insatiable curiosity to UCR. “When I came to visit the school, I really enjoyed the community,” he recalls. “I knew I would have a good support system if I came here.”

Support systems for College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) transfer students include the Peer Mentors program, a group of CNAS students trained to assist new transfers with navigating undergraduate life and developing skills for success.

Now a Peer Mentor himself, Jordan credits the students he encountered with helping him successfully transition to UCR. "By talking to them and having them introduce me to the school and show me a bunch of different resources,” he says, “I knew I would be successful.”

One of those resources was the Digital Agricultural Fellowship (DAF), a 15-month paid research program Jordan joined at the beginning of his senior year. Designed for undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience in agriculture and research, the program works to revitalize interest in agriculture as a career by providing students with the experience and guidance necessary to enter the U.S. agricultural workforce.

Given his interests in math and data science, Jordan says the DAF was a natural fit. “I really enjoy mathematical research because it allows me to actually solve problems,” he says. “When it comes to research, you’re actually getting to use mathematical tools and seeing how they function in real life.”

As a DAF fellow, Jordan worked with co-project director Professor Ray G. Anderson on classifying crops using satellite imagery. He will continue the fellowship this summer by interning with a digital agriculture company in San Diego.

In addition to pursuing research, Jordan continued to nurture his academic interests by immersing himself in a diverse array of mathematical fields, taking courses in discrete math and linear algebra. He even opted to enroll in a reading course on category theory, exploring the theory of mathematical structures and their relations to one another.

“What I really enjoyed about that class was that it was a completely new area,” he says. “I had no reference for it because I hadn’t even been introduced to it.”

While such a prospect would be daunting for some students, Jordan clearly relishes the opportunity to dive into brand-new subjects. “I’m not afraid to be wrong a lot of the time,” he says. “Taking those educated guesses that turn out to be wrong has given me opportunities to learn and develop a solid foundation.”

As Jordan's academic and research interests have evolved, so too has his learning style. “I’ve always been someone who’s liked reading and learning by myself,” he explains. “That’s why I struggled in high school…I would study the things I was interested in, which were often different from what the class was talking about.”

Jordan found the group-based approach he encountered in his math courses particularly helpful. "I discovered a limit to how much I can learn at once," he says. “Working with a small group and being able to talk about ideas is something I really enjoy.”

After graduating from UCR, Jordan plans on pursuing a Master’s degree at San Francisco State University in the fall, with an eye towards eventually earning his Ph.D.

“I plan to delay joining ‘the real world,’” he jokes. "There’s a lot I need to keep learning!”

In thinking about his time at UCR, Jordan is struck by the sheer number of opportunities he encountered both inside and outside of the classroom. “It’s been a great experience, and I’ve learned about a lot of different perspectives,” he says. “I feel like my world completely changed by the amount of exposure I got at UCR.”

According to Jordan, that’s the key to a successful UCR experience.

"Take the time to explore as much as you can," he says, "and test as many things as possible.”

Watch Jordan and fellow CNAS transfer students answer FAQs in “The Transfer Experience” YouTube video series

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For Riverside Native Sonali Bhakta, Life at UCR Brings Her Full Circle

owenw — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:28:45 +0000

For Riverside Native Sonali Bhakta, Life at UCR Brings Her Full Circle owenw Mon, 06/12/2023 - 10:28 More Blog Posts June 12, 2023

Born and raised in Riverside, CA, Sonali Bhakta, a 4th-year Biochemistry major, has always considered UCR to be (quite literally) the campus next door. In fact, she readily and proudly admits that she’s been “intertwined” with the college in some way, shape, or form since she was a fifth grade student at Riverside STEM Academy.

“I’ve lived my entire life within a one-mile radius of the UCR campus,” she says. “I used to attend ballet recitals here. I went to math camp, etymology camp…I even learned how to read at the extension center! The first 22 years of my life happened right next door to UCR, if not always on the campus directly. I toured other campuses and got into other schools, but nothing felt right - nothing clicked like UCR. It’s like my home.”

In fact, Sonali says the link between her hometown and the adjacent campus is inextricable, her connection to Riverside and UCR an organic association that continues to bring her full circle. She cites one of her UCR mentors, Physics Professor Bahram Mobasher as an example. “He was a lecturer at the Riverside STEM Academy when I was a fifth grader,” she explains. “I was 10 years old, and actually got his autograph on a NASA photograph of outer space!”

Fast forward 12 years, and Sonali says she took Professor Mobasher’s Physics 37 course at UCR last quarter. “I learned things about biology and chemistry that I didn’t learn from my core classes,” she says with a sense of dazed bemusement. “We ended up talking after every single lecture, and when I told him I was interested in pursuing a career that combines science and law, he became a huge supporter.”

Sonali says that Professor Mobasher encouraged her to apply to graduate school - she will pursue a Master of Science and Law at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law starting in August. Although Sonali admits that her career trajectory isn’t the “straight line” most students pursue when they enter scientific fields of study, she says that Professor Mobasher and Dean Connie Nugent are mentors who have been foundational to her success at college.

“I met Dean Nugent before school even started because she was the one who interviewed me for the program,” Sonali says. “I was talking about issues I saw within the Riverside community with the schools, and how we can improve science programs. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had conversations with her where one question ends up in an hour-long conversation about anything and everything, from giving me career advice to working with different professors.”

Sonali adds that Professor Mobasher and Dean Nugent were transformative in another way. “They pushed me to see the world and the education system from an adult perspective, rather than the student perspective,” she explains. “Previously, I was always the student attending the lecture, never the adult looking into the issues. They encouraged me to adopt that new role.”

In her third year at UCR, Sonali became a CNAS Science Ambassador because she wanted to make a difference and serve her community in a way that would benefit students from underserved communities. In addition, she’s played a pivotal role as President of Change in Scientific Importance for Youth (Delta SIFY) and coached the Science Olympiad Crime Busters, an event that tests students' knowledge and skills in forensic science and crime scene investigation at her alma mater, Riverside STEM Academy.

For Sonali, coaching Crime Busters to a first place finish in divisional competition this year is something she is quite proud of. “I competed in Crime Busters when I was in 8th grade,” she says. “It gives students a kind of whodunit scenario in which they have to do some experimentation to figure out what kind of powders and fingerprints were at a crime scene, glass analysis, etc. It’s looking at chemistry and legalities as part of the same thing. I was doing that at 14, and now at 22 I had the opportunity to coach the same exact event that I had participated in. Crazy!”

With regard to the Riverside/UCR axis, what goes around comes around is definitely more than just an idiom for Sonali. As she makes plans to attend Northwestern University this summer, Sonali is excited about her future path of pursuing a degree that combines science and law.

“People don’t understand that science is around us 24/7…from the materials your towels are made of to the hair products you use, it’s all scientifically based,” she explains. “What people don’t understand is that the FDA and government policies are creating the lines and definitions, a whole rulebook of what we can and cannot do with science. But the problem is that there aren’t a lot of people that are knowledgeable about science or scientific disciplines that are advocating for science in the legal field.”

Sonali aims to be a change agent on how science is communicated. “Another reason why I took up the law minor was to learn how to communicate based on my legal and scientific knowledge,” she says. “The common jibe is that scientists don’t know how to write, and that’s why people are debating the legitimacy of climate change, or that certain drugs aren’t really optimal for certain conditions…or, for example, do I need to vaccinate children if they are on the autism spectrum, and where do they fall on the spectrum with regard to vaccination.”

According to Sonali, science is meant to progress at all times. “The planet has given us so much,” she says. “What have we given back to the planet or, for that matter, humankind? We can progress all we want, but if we don’t save the planet, what’s the point?”

Sonali says she harbors a dream of someday making an impassioned plea before Congress about just these concerns. For a graduate whose whole academic life has been giving back, no doubt that’s something we can count on.

Science Ambassador

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Science Ambassador Spotlight

A Conversation with Jared Hudnall '24, CNAS Transfer Student

owenw — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 16:58:13 +0000

A Conversation with Jared Hudnall '24, CNAS Transfer Student owenw Mon, 04/03/2023 - 09:58 More Blog Posts April 03, 2023

Jared Hudnall ’24
Mentone, California

Major: Physics
Campus activities: University Honors, STEM Connections, CNAS Science Ambassadors, Dark Matter and Neutrino Lab
Hobbies: Chess
Favorite place to hang out on campus: Physics Building, STEM Center, Orbach Science Library

Tell us a little about yourself.
I transferred from Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College to UC Riverside in Fall 2022 as a physics major. I’d like to stay in academia and do physics research at an institution not unlike UC Riverside in the future.

What first got you interested in studying physics?
When I started at community college, I figured out that I was interested in pursuing a career in the sciences, but I didn’t know what. When I took a calculus-based physics course, my first physics class ever, I immediately switched majors and never looked back. Studying physics lends an incredibly deep insight into the nature of the universe, more than anything I ever thought possible.

How did you first learn about UC Riverside?
Having grown up only half an hour away, I feel like I’ve always known of UC Riverside, but never much about it. I met a few UC Riverside undergraduates who visited my community college, but didn’t visit the campus until Highlander Day for transfer students. I got to check out the beautiful campus and meet a bunch of the amazing faculty, staff, and students!

What made you decide to attend UC Riverside?
The people! The first time I visited campus, I got to talk to the physics and astronomy student organizations, University Honors, and the Transfer Success Program. Everybody was so friendly and understanding - some of the physics students talked to me for over half an hour about classes, professors, research, and student life! Everybody I talked to was so humble, outgoing, and driven that it removed all doubt.

What was the transition process like?
I participated in UC Riverside’s RISE Summer Bridge to Research Program, where I completed a 10-week (paid) summer internship at UC Riverside studying artificial deep neural network models through a theoretical lens. I made a lot of great friends and learned a lot about the on-campus programs and resources on campus. It made my transition from community college to university smooth and seamless, and I owe a lot to the folks over at RISE!

What’s the experience been like thus far?
Absolutely amazing! The faculty are exceptional, my peers are wicked smart, and just as eager to learn as I am. The staff are here to help us succeed. The environment at UC Riverside is centered around collaboration and cooperation, and we all work hard together to see everybody win.

How was the adjustment from semesters to quarters?
I greatly prefer the quarter system. It’s much more fast-paced…the semester system was so long that, by the time finals came around, I was ready for it to be over. When you transition to 10-week quarters, you have to hit the ground running, but before you know it, you’re halfway through the term.

Can you tell us more about University Honors?
University Honors is an incredible resource for transfer students in particular, because they completely understand the challenge of coming to the university with only two years left. They remove a lot of the requirements that traditional students have to complete and instead focus on the capstone research project. This project might consist of research or a creative activity, depending on your major, that you complete with a faculty member. As a transfer student, you should be looking for research activities and letters of recommendation right out of the gate, so University Honors is a great advantage!

You’re also involved in STEM Connections. What is that?
STEM Connections is a program tailored predominantly to transfer students that offers a support system and a network of resources. [STEM Connections] directs a number of events throughout each quarter, including field trips, social events, faculty mixers, and more. The program consists of a number of peer mentors who know the ropes and want to see you succeed as you transition to university life!

What’s your go-to chess move?
Always the wrong one…

Are you involved in any research projects?
Yes! I’m in the Dark Matter and Neutrino Lab at UC Riverside, designing components for a remarkably large, cutting-edge dark matter detector being constructed underground in Italy. I’m also writing and running particle physics simulations. I’ve learned a ton, including computer-aided design software, programming and technical skills, cryogenic systems design, and more. I’ve also attended conferences, collaborated with international physicists and engineers, and got to set up the server for our lab! I’m also working with one of the theoretical astrophysicists at UC Riverside on a cosmological simulation project investigating the trends in the star formation rates of satellite galaxies shortly after being accreted into orbit around a large host galaxy. Next year, I’m thinking I’d like to get involved in the Quantum Materials Optoelectronics lab. Needless to say, there’s lots of opportunities at UC Riverside for undergraduates to do amazing work!

What are your plans for the summer?
I’ll be spending a few months in Italy on the development of bleeding-edge photoelectronics for employment in particle detectors and other new and exciting physics experiments.

What’s something every new transfer student should know about UC Riverside?
Unlike a number of other universities, the students here aren’t here to out-compete you - that’s just not the tone or temperament of the student body. The environment at UC Riverside rewards collaboration, and everybody wants to see each other succeed.

What three words would you use to describe UC Riverside?
Inclusive, research-driven, and collaborative.

What advice do you have for transfer students who are considering UC Riverside?
As transfer students, we have a significant disadvantage compared to traditional students – time. You’re going to want letters of recommendation and research experience - UCR is a research institution, after all! You’ll have to hit the ground running and network early, but UC Riverside gives you all of the resources you need to make it happen!

Science Ambassador, Transfer Student

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