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Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Center
N e w s l e t t e r | W I N T E R 2 0 2 5
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Greetings and welcome to 2026! We hope you had a restful winter break, and are back with renewed vim and vigor in the new semester. I spent a few weeks conducting field and lab research in Ecuador with some of our UROC students - a challenging but rewarding way to spend the winter break! In this issue of our newsletter, you’ll meet our new cohort of UROC Scholars, and say goodbye to students who graduated in the fall. You’ll also hear about our Fall Research Competition - and we celebrate student outstanding achievements as well as our own Natasha Oehlman’s 25th year of service to CSUMB. Finally, we invite you to consider applying to compete in the CSU Research Competition coming up in April – it’s a great way to get experience with research dissemination in a friendly environment. This year’s competition will be held at San Jose State – we list details at the end of the newsletter on how to apply.
Here’s wishing all Otters a great spring semester!
John “Buck” Banks, Ph.D.
UROC Director
**Image of John Banks assembling insect traps with Maria Ugaz and Audrey Longan in Ecuador.
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Congratulations to Natasha Oehlman, who in 2025, completed 25 years of service to Cal State Monterey Bay!
Since joining UROC in 2015 as the Writing & Professional Communications Associate, Natasha has been instrumental in supporting students applying to competitive graduate programs, scholarships, and fellowships. Natasha’s expertise in helping students find their voice through writing has contributed to an impressive array of student awards, including 32 NSF GRFP awards, an impressive 29 Sally Casanova Scholarships, 13 Goldwater Scholarships, 2 GEM Fellowships, and the first ever Ford Foundation Fellowship. With her support, many students have gained admission and have continued on to pursue graduate degrees in prestigious universities across the country after working directly with Natasha and her innovative writing techniques that help bring the student’s best self through their writing.
In spring 2022, Natasha created CSUMB’s first ever Graduate School Prep Conference. Funded by the CSUMB METAS grant, Natasha collaborated with the Cooperative Learning Center, Center for Advising, Career, and Student Success, and MAESTROs, to provide students with the foundation and resources needed to submit a competitive graduate school application. Fourteen students attended the first ever conference; it grew to nearly thirty participants the following year. Students are increasingly asking for this type of guidance and Natasha has consistently been there to help provide it.
Natasha has always played a tremendous role in the execution of the Ronal E. McNair Post-baccalaureate program, but now serves as the McNair Program Manager. In this new capacity, Natasha continues to engage first-generation, income eligible students across all disciplines in the high-impact practice of undergraduate research. This is no small task – Natasha provides students with professional guidance that applies to both academic and emotional challenges inherent in their journey. Even after graduation, students continue to rely on Natasha for support as they navigate graduate school and beyond.
In conclusion, Natasha is overall an invaluable colleague and terrific collaborator who is deeply committed to student success and CSUMB’s mission. For 25 years, Natasha has helped elevate the university from behind the scenes – we are so lucky to have her!
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Meet the New UROC Scholars /
McNair Scholars Cohort
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Please join us in welcoming the newest cohort of UROC Scholars & McNair Scholars! 3 McNair Scholars and 6 UROC Scholars -- all from diverse disciplines and research areas -- will work with faculty research mentors to secure summer research positions at CSUMB and other institutions across the country; present research at academic conferences; and explore leadership opportunities to support their career and graduate school goals. We’re fortunate to have many returning faculty mentors to help our new cohort of Scholars through this journey and we’re thrilled to welcome several new faculty mentors -- Dr. Joanna Wong, College of Education and Leadership, Dr. Tess Shirefley, Department of Human Development and Family Science, and Dr. Katie Grobman, Psychology Department -- this year as well.
Our partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genome Research Experiences to Attract Talented Undergraduates into the Genomics Field to Enhance Diversity (GREAT) program continues as well. The 11 students accepted into the GREAT program will join the new Scholars cohort and spend their summer conducting research at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute. We are excited to be part of their academic journeys and look forward to their growth and development as scholars.
The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, prepares academically-talented and motivated undergraduates for doctoral studies, by providing research funding and other opportunities for scholarly advancement.
Welcome to the UROC and McNair family!
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Christopher Rodriguez, Psychology
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mrinal Sinha
Jadelynn Capron, Liberal Studies
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Wong
Anna Linna-Johnson, Visual and Public Arts
UROC Scholar
Elizabeth Schmidt, Human Development and Family Science
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tess Shirefley
Devin Chapa, Psychology
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katie Grobman
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Soren Maxfield-Sawada, Marine Science
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alison Haupt
Jackie Martinez, Psychology
UROC Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Lovell
Adrian Ruiz, Marine Science
McNair Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gerick Bergsma
Makayla Thomas, Psychology
McNair Scholar
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Danielle Burchett
| | The Return of Nikole Babcock | | |
UROC would like to welcome back CSUMB Alum and current University of Connecticut PhD student, Nikole Babcock, back to CSUMB! Nikole has agreed to join the UROC this spring semester in a short-term capacity to teach RSCH 301 to the current UROC Scholars / McNair Scholars cohort as they continue conducting independent research, strengthening their communication skills, and finalizing their graduate school plan of attack. As a former UROC Scholar, Nikole is well aware of what’s required to be fully prepared to apply for graduate school and is ready to help support her fellow Otters!
In addition to teaching RSCH 301, Nikole will be wrapping up her dissertation while also balancing life as a mother of two!
Welcome back, Nikole!
| | Congratulations to the following UROCers who will begin new chapters in their lives as CSUMB Graduates! Be sure to keep in touch and join us at our upcoming spring year-end celebration May 7 2026 from 12-3pm at UROC. | | |
Angelica Alcazar, Biology
Innovation Scholars
Itzel Gonzalez, Biology
Innovation Scholars
Luis Mejia, Agricultural Plant and Soil Science
Innovation Scholars
Karina Renteria, Psychology
Innovation Scholars
Iris Fuentes, Psychology
Koret Scholars
Carlos Garcia, Psychology
Koret Scholars
Ashley Holland, Kinesigology
Koret Scholars
Ariyanna Piazza, Psychology
Koret Scholars
Karla Buitrago-Yepes, Marine Science
McNair Scholar
Andrea Grande Batres, Marine Science
McNair Scholar
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James Brady, Marine Science
UROC Researcher
Andrea Felix Gastelum, Psychology
UROC Researcher
Evelyn Flores, Psychology
UROC Researcher
Jay Funaro, Marine Science
UROC Researcher
Maria Hernandez, Psychology
UROC Researcher
Lauren Mallicoat, Marine Science
UROC Researcher
Addison Ryne, Marine Science
UROC Researcher
Megan Staton, Marine Science
UROC Researcher
Kaitlin Tunick, Environmental Studies
UROC Researcher
Jason Wagner, Environmental Studies
UROC Researcher
| | Fall 2025 Research Competition Results | | |
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Fall Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Competition! The program consisted of ten outstanding presentations representing six different disciplines. The robust panel of judges consisted of four CSUMB professors, our Associate Provost & Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, and our guest judge: Sara Rubin, Editor for the Monterey County Weekly. Visit our Fall Competition page for more details on all the student presenters. The judges awarded prizes to the following:
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1st Place: Aaron Wickware, Marine Science. “Power System Engineering and Testing for a Polar Marine Surface Vehicle”. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jamie Greenbaum, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
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2nd Place: Max Johnston Gomez, Marine Science. “Plenty of (Rock)Fish in the Sea: Genetic Species ID of Baja California Rockfish Larvae”. Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Carlos Garza, University of California, Santa Cruz
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3rd Place: Addison Ryne, Marine Science. “Advancing Rapid Qualification of Microcystis Colonies in Freshwater Systems Using Digital Holography”. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aditya R. Nayak, Florida Atlantic University
All presenters are encouraged to apply for the 40th Annual CSU Student Research Competition hosted by San José State University, April 23-25, 2026. Find out more about the competition. Applications due Thursday, February 12. Thanks to everyone who joined us and we hope to see you next year!
| | Left to Right: Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Cindy Juntunen, Addison Ryne, Aaron Wickware, and Max Johnston Gomez (taken in Nov 2025) | | 2026 International Research Expedition in Ecuador | | |
In early January, UROC students Audrey Longan and Maria Ugaz joined Buck as they participated in a research expedition in Ecuador focused on sustainable cacao production. The team spent nearly two weeks at the Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales (FCAT) field station northwest of Quito. There, we worked with local staff and cacao farmers on a collaborative project focused on identifying microbial communities associated with cacao plants and their associated insects. This project entails collecting vegetation and insects from local cacao farms and extracting/amplifying DNA for sequencing. The project is an ongoing collaboration with Tulane University that aims to identify both beneficial and harmful microbes important for sustainable cacao production. We had a productive time at the station in the field and in the lab – and yes, we did get to process and sample some delicious chocolate!
Check out our Instagram page to see more details about our adventures!
| | | | Buck's famous selfie action. | | Maria Ugaz sorting through samples. | | Congratulations to the following newly published UROC alumni and their research faculty! | | |
Nikole Babcock, UROC Scholar Alum, with R. Watson, R. Moody, C. Hong, S. Kalichman, et al. 2025. Sex Positivity, Resilience, Social Support, and PrEP and HIV Stigmas: Associations with Current and Lifetime Use PrEP. International Journal of Sexual Health
Margaret Falknor, UROC Researcher Alum, with Eric Martin, Kinesiology, and Dr. Steven Kim, Mathematics and Statistics. 2025. Spider Test Modified for Pickleball: Reliable, but Do Not Use It. J
Madison Moreno, UROC Researcher Alum, with N. Bonello, C. Bessey, J. Ramirez, and Dr. Victoria Derr, Applied Environmental Science. 2025. Listening Closely through Embedded Evaluation: Children’s Ecological Narratives and Co-Learning in Place. Children, Youth and Environment
| | They Successfully Defended | | We celebrate former UROC participants Drs. Assad and Gonzalez-Coffin who successfully defended their doctoral dissertations, one of the final steps in the degree process, and earned their Ph.D.'s in Fall 2025! | | |
Victoria Assad
CSUMB Class of 2020
UROC Scholar
Barry Goldwater Scholar
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
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Sarah Gonzalez-Coffin
CSUMB Class of 2017
UROC Researcher
University of Colorado Boulder
| | SACNAS 2025 in Columbus, OH! | |
 | | The annual NDiSTEM SACNAS Conference took place during Halloween weekend in Columbus, OH, and 21 CSUMB students, including Dr. Shahidul Islam, Department of Computer Science, and Eric Barajas, UROC, attended. 13 students presented across marine science, biology, psychology, computer science, and mathematics. Aside from benefiting from the dozens of graduate programs, research presentations, and professional development workshops, students also met with legislative staff from Representative Elgin Rogers, Jr. of District 42 for a tour of the Ohio State Capital Building and to learn more about their pathways into policymaking and their passion towards civic service. Lily Myers, McNair Scholar, a member of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation tribe of southern Ontario, Canada, participated and danced in the SACNAS Annual Powwow alongside other members. Juan Barkley, McNair Scholar and Sam Minard, UROC Scholar, visited Ohio State University, who just happened to be playing against Penn State in the Big10. Finally, Abraham Porras-Vargas, UROC Scholar, and Maria Andrea Ugaz, GREAT Scholar, took home Outstanding Research Poster Awards!
Enjoy some pictures from our time in Columbus!
| | Meet your Barry Goldwater Scholarship Nominees | |
Congratulations to the following students on their campus nomination to the Barry Goldwater Undergraduate Scholarship Program. This prestigious and highly competitive award aims to “encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields.” Scholars/Honorable Mentions will be announced on the last day of March 2026.
•Lily Myers, McNair Scholar, Marine Science
•Wren Pinkela, UROC Scholar, Psychology
•Stephanie Lara-Sotelo, McNair Scholar, Statistics
•Juan Barkley, McNair Scholar, Environmental Studies
•Grace Bettencourt, Biology
Since 2015, every year, CSUMB students have been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship or Honorable Mention-and in years 2016, 2020 & 2021, 5 CSUMB students were notably the only California State University students named as Scholars in their respective competition years. The streak continued in 2025 when only the second ever Psychology student was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship.
Congratulations and Good Luck!
| Top (left to right): Grace Bettencourt, Juan Barkley. Bottom (left to right): Wren Pinkela, Lily Myers, and Stephanie Lara-Sotelo | | Research Competition: Apply Today! | | |
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. Submit your application to compete in person at San José State University, April 23-25, 2026!
Due: Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 3 pm.
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