May the Research

Be With You!

*McNair Scholar -- Nested in the UROC Scholars program is the  McNair Scholars program . A subset of UROC Scholars who meet the necessary requirements, are invited to the McNair program as well. The McNair Scholars Program’s ultimate goal is to diversify the faculty at colleges and universities across the country.

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MEET YOUR UROC MENTOR OF THE YEAR

Dr. Jenny (Meng-Hsien) Lin

Dr. Jenny (Meng-Hsien) Lin  is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at California State University Monterey Bay. She received her Ph.D. in Marketing from Iowa State University as her MBA and MS in Biomedical Sciences prior to that. She holds a BS in Veterinary Medicine from Taiwan, where she is originally from.

Her research focuses on studying individual differences in sensory (olfaction, hapnic, visual) perceptions and its impact on consumer decision making and consumer well-being outcomes using a combination of surveys, behavioral experiences, neuroscience methods and in-depth interviews. Her other research interests involve understanding children's cognitive and emotional processing of online advertising and the influence of social media with the focus of empowering parents (mothers in particular) through understanding their use of social media.

Dr. Lin's work has been published in European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Frontiers in Psychology and other scholarly outlets. Her research has implications for marketers, retailers, advertisers, and public policymakers. Dr. Lin has been awarded the Best Article for Journal of Advertising in 2019, and in the same year, she also received the CSUMB Faculty Discovery and Creation Award.

Dr. Lin has mentored 16 UROC Researchers and Scholars, including students majoring in business or psychology. Four of her past students have been selected as delegates representing CSUMB at the CSU Student Research Competition, in which two of them won first place in the Business, Economics, and Public Policy track. She has co-authored with several of her students resulting in over 10 peer-reviewed articles and can be seen in conference papers, book chapters and case study. In her free time, she enjoys spending time her 3-year-old son and 14-year-old cat. She also traveling the world and her son has followed her on many of her adventures.

The CSU Student Research Competition is held each spring to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments across the 23 CSU campuses. Of the 6 students selected, f our CSUMB students, Nicholas Heyer , Jessica Folck (alumni), Sarah Ricks , and Selina Espinoza presented at this year's virtual CSU SRC hosted by CSU East Bay on April 24, 2020. We are thrilled to announce that two students were selected as winners!! Congratulations to all our CSUMB Delegates for representing us proudly. We will see you at next year's event in CSU Pomona!!

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CSUMB Alumni Awards

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And They Are Off!

UROC is proud to play a role in the development of education ownership, intellectual vibrancy, and scholarly identity in our CSUMB students. That growth allows students to not only move into the next phase of their academic careers, but feel a lot better prepared for the rigor they will encounter. Though not all are represented, we want to congratulate and wish the best of luck to some UROC Researchers and Scholars who are off on a whole new adventure somewhere around the country.

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CSUMB SACNAS Chapter

SACNAS, the society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native Americans in STEM, is a key undergraduate and graduate organization. They help thousands of students across the country by introducing them to the world of scientific research and facilitating a scientific, and cultural exchange during its annual conferences. Plenty of UROC students and alumni have participated in this wonderful conference experience. The conference is only three days out of the year though. That's why we are proud to announce that CSUMB faculty members Corin Slown and Elizabeth Mosqueda, along with student officers McNair Scholar Silvia Vasquez (President), Veronica Gutierrez-Delgado (Vice President) and McNair Scholar Kaiku Kaholoaa (Treasurer) have resurrected our SACNAS Chapter to provide year-round support for CSUMB students. Vice President Veronica had this to say about the club:

"Invested in your own professional success? The Society of Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is the largest diversity inclusive organization in STEM in the United States. SACNAS is dedicated to Chicanos/Hispanics and Native American success and their journey as undergraduate students to professionals, attaining careers, and leadership positions in STEM. SACNAS is looking for students from any background who seek to connect with faculty and obtain important information regarding careers in STEM to join us for the Fall 2020 semester!"

Meet Your New SACNAS Advisor!

Elizabeth Mosqueda, Ph.D., is the Assistant Professor of Crop Management at CSUMB. Sheis a proud native of Soledad, California and is the daughter if immigrant farmworkers from México. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Fresno State in Plant Science where she was able to perform research evaluating how automated lettuce thinners can protect grower investment during labor shortages, and her Ph.D. from University of Wyoming in Agronomy where she evaluated how varying integrated pest management programs impact the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds.

Her research interests include developing sustainable and economically viable crop and pest management practices that revolve around proactive long-term solutions opposed to reactive short-term solutions. She is also interested in mechanization and automation of varying crop management practices and evaluating the possibility of incorporating these implements for grower practice. Elizabeth is a proponent for diversity in STEM fields and especially within the agricultural sciences. She has been a member of SACNAS since she was a student and helps with diversity and inclusion initiatives for various professional societies related to agricultural sciences.



Be sure to email Elizabeth or Corin Slown on how to get involved.

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Paul Walker Youth Leadership Award Recipient: Maggie Seida

Congratulations to UROC Scholar Maggie Seida on being selected for the Youth Leadership Award from the Paul Walker Foundation .

The Paul Walker Youth Award was created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in collaboration with Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow Walker, and the Paul Walker Foundation to honor the memory of the actor who used his celebrity to advance ocean causes and in support of philanthropic ventures. The Youth Award recognizes a young person, age 16 to 22, who is an ocean conservation champion. The Paul Walker Foundation provides a scholarship to each youth award winner to help them pursue marine science/environmental studies in college.

Since graduating high school, Maggie has played a role in ocean conservation research and outreach with the organization Innoceana. She helped develop 3D models of coral colonies in Costa Rica, assisted with the installation of a weather station in Thailand, and spoke for increased conservation efforts on Television Española, Spain's largest public news channel. Maggie is currently working with Dr. Steve Moore on developing the lighting and composition systems to be used in the collection of ROV video of MBMNS maritime heritage sites. Congratulations, Maggie!

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Opportunities are still out there...

The current health crisis has forced many research opportunities throughout the country to either cancel or postpone. But that doesn't mean that there aren't virtual opportunities still out there.

Enter Zooniverse, the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers — more than a million people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers across various disciplines, all from the comfort of you own home. Their goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new discoveries, datasets useful to the wider research community, and  many publications .

Please note that this is not a UROC sponsored or supported project, but simply an opportunity for students to consider as they continue exploring ways to remain engaged in research. Learn more about how you can get involved on their website .

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UROC Summer Update

We are excited that summer research will still be taking place at CSUMB! However, it will be modified in response to the Shelter-In-Place Order put in place in Monterey County. All summer programs, including summer courses, will happen virtually. We have asked all mentors and undergraduate researchers to adhere to all mandated guidelines for social distancing.

Additionally, students participating in the Researchers Summer program will also be required to enroll in either RSCH 294, instructed by Dr. Corin White, or RSCH 394, instructed by Natasha Oelhman. Both courses will be offered virtually and will merge in late July as we approach the Summer Symposium. We will also be offering a workshop series focused on fellowship and scholarship applications as well as other faculty- and student-led workshops throughout the summer.

Unfortunately, this year's Summer Symposium will not be face-to-face as it has been in previous years, but that won't stop us from hosting one. We're excited to host this year's Symposium in a virtual format. Stay tuned for details!

UROC Scholar / Researcher Town Hall

Thursday, May 28 11am-12pm

Intro to Qualitative Data

Friday, June 19 12pm-2pm

Goldwater Scholarship

Friday, July 10 12pm-1pm

Knight-Hennessey Scholars

Information Session Offered All Summer

(Only for Stanford University) Website

CSU Pre-Doctoral

Scholarship Program

Friday, June 12 12pm-1pm

Udall Scholarship

Friday, July 24 12pm-1pm

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship

Website