California State University, Monterey Bay
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center
Newsletter -Issue 1                                                                                         Spring 2016
Students Represent UROC and CSUMB at the 30th Annual
CSU Research Competition! 
This year, ten CSUMB student delegates were selected by the campus to compete in the 30th Annual Student Research Competition at CSU Bakersfield. Over 200 student delegates from the 23 CSU campuses presented research that informs the local, regional, state, national, and international communities. CSUMB delegates presented research from diverse topics ranging from the impact of sea floor structure on sand dollars to bat foraging activity in the Northern Monterey County to measuring visitor engagement in mission museums.  Delegates presented 10-minute oral presentations and were evaluated by a panel of professional experts. 
From left to right: Gina Dabbah, Madison Heard, Jesirae Collins, Carl Thacker, Charles Farber, Elizabeth Hensley, and  Jewel Sean Gentry.
Six of the ten CSUMB student delegates are in two of UROC's student programs. Overall, students presentations were well received, with one CSUMB student, Madison Heard, winning second place in her division, representing biological and agricultural sciences.  
From left to right: Natasha Oehlman,  Elizabeth Hensley , Jordan Collignon , Carl Thacker, Charles Farber, Madison Heard, Gina Dabbah, and Jesirae Collins.
UROC Ambassadors in the Community
At UROC, Scholars and Researchers are encouraged to go beyond research and get out into the community to connect their research to broader impacts. 

UROC Student Ambassadors, a new voluntary service, is designed to encourage UROC Scholars and Researchers to serve as liaisons to develop and maintain strong ties between UROC, CSUMB, and the local t ri-county areas. UROC Ambassadors  span the academic disciplines-- marine science, psychology, humanities-- and work to enhance their professional development, leadership, and communication skills, as well as become a part of a growing professional network of community leaders. 

In fall, UROC Ambassadors will present to the local Philanthropic Education Organization (P.E.O.), an organization dedicated to helping women pursue higher education. Scholars will  present their research as well as engage participants in the role undergraduate research plays as a high-impact practice. 

If you would like to connect with the UROC Ambassadors program, please email Megan Bassett at: mbassett@csumb.edu. 
UROC Ambassador and Scholar Juan Mayorga speaking (top) and with CSUMB President Ochoa (bottom) at the Have a Heart fundraiser, Spring 2016.
ConGRADulations UROCers!
Graduation is an exciting time! This year, we'd like to highlight all the UROC graduates--scholars, researchers, and certificate recipients--for their amazing academic achievements. Congratulations on your success!  
Graduating UROC Researcher: Mia Sosa

Mia, an Environmental Science, Technology & Policy major and LSAMP student, has been working on bioreactor research for agricultural runoff remediation for the past year with her research mentor John Silveus. 

Research on the CSUMB bioreactors gave Mia the opportunity to work with mentors that had engineering and research backgrounds. She quickly realized her interest in the math and physics involving hydraulics.

Mia has been accepted into the Stanford University M.S. in Environmental Fluid Mechanics & Hydrology Program, and plans to focus her research on sediment transport. She was awarded a School of Engineering Fellowship and plans to continue on to complete her PhD.  She aims to work with wetland and riparian restoration projects, to improve water resources and watershed health, as well as influence policy. She will begin her program in the fall. 

Mia's faculty mentors note that she has been pleasure to work with-- and "her success is a testament to her work ethic, her personal drive, and the opportunities afforded to students in undergraduate research through the UROC Program."   
Graduating UROC Scholar: Avery Thurston
 
Avery, a McNair Scholar, graduated Cum
Laude in Fall 2015 with a B.S. in Marine
Science, minor in Statistics. 

In 2015-16, Avery was selected as a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar  as part of the California CSU Pre Doctoral Program , receiving $3,000 for research-related endeavors and graduate school preparation. As part of the program, Avery had the opportunity to apply for additional research funding for the summer after graduation at a prospective graduate institution.  He applied and was awarded-- housing, meals, and a research stipend. 

For eight weeks starting June 1, Avery, using his training and research as a marine scientist with a  background studying population dynamics, will research the effects of stigma on the LGBTQ+ community with Dr. Cheryl  Kaiser at the University of Washington. This will be his stepping stone to pursue a Ph.D. in social psychology.

Additional UROC Accolades! 

Congratulations to UROC Scholars,  Emily King for winning the Provost's Award for Exemplary Achievement and to Elizabeth Hensley for winning the President's Award for Exemplary Achievement. Both awardees were recognized for their academic achievements and contribution to the CSUMB learning community.  UROC Researchers, Brian Phan, Jesirae Collins, and Jamel Thomas were also honored for their Service Learning work within their respective majors. 

Image: UROC Scholar Elizabeth Hensley delivering 2016 student commencement address. 

UROC Researcher Kristen Burroughs (top right) explaining her research on decorator crabs and UROC Scholar Rebecca Von Open (bottom left) with her poster on Anxiety and eating disorder behaviors. 

Gearing up for a busy summer
Every summer, UROC offers a summer research program designed for UROC Scholars and Researchers conducting research in the local area. The UROC Summer Research Program guides students through the process of designing and presenting  research in a public venue through professional development workshops. .  
The summer program is supplemental to summer research, and helps ensure students will get as much out of the summer research experience. 

The UROC Summer Research Program will culminate in the Summer Research Symposium on Friday, August 12th. The symposium is a collaboration between UROC, the Monterey Bay Regional Ocean Science Research Experience for Undergraduates program, the Naval Post Graduate School, and Hartnell Community College. 
 
If you are interested in more information about the Summer Research Symposium, please contact uroc@csumb.edu 

2016 Barbara Baldock & 
Phillip Butler UROC Research Scholarship Awardee
Phillip Butler and Barbara Baldock
Former scholarship recipients and founding UROC Director, Bill Head, with Barbara and Phil.
UROC Scholar Alex Jensen, Human Communication major, concentration in Peace Studies, is the recipient of the 2016 Barbara Baldock and Phillip Butler UROC Research Scholarship. He was selected based on academic achievement, undergraduate research accomplishment, financial need, graduate school aspirations, and a commitment to serve the community through research, outreach, and service. He receives a $5,000 scholarship to support his undergraduate research and graduate school application activities.

Alex has served as the Secretary and President of CSUMB’s LGBT and Allied Advocates club and is dedicated to social justice work in local communities.  Alex's research interests include examining multicultural conflict resolution practices and nonviolent communication techniques in order to solve issues of disconnect in our society.  This summer, Alex will be working with Dr. Patrick Belanger (HCOM) on moral inquiry, or the psychological/spiritual injury a person suffers when they commit an act or transgression against their moral conscience. Alex aims to work on the role society and civilians have in aiding returning veterans assimilate back into a nonviolent society.

Barbara and Phil have been supporting UROC Scholars since 2010.
Thank you Barbara and Phil!  

Meet the UROC team!                                                  
UROC has grown quite a bit over the past two years! There are many new faces around the office. The most recent addition to the UROC team is the Director, Dr. John "Buck" Banks. 

John came to CSUMB from the University of Washington, where he spent 16 years as a professor of environmental science and administrator on the primarily-undergraduate Tacoma campus. 

With an academic background in applied mathematics and zoology, he t aught courses in biology, ecology, and entomology, and served as Director of International Programs and Director of Undergraduate Education. 

He has published over sixty scientific articles, book chapters, and technical reports exploring biological control and predator/prey population dynamics in agroecosystems, ecotoxicology, and the conservation of biological diversity in natural and managed systems. 
His  research uses a blend of field and lab data and mathematical models; recent projects include fieldwork in Costa Rica (biodiversity of rainforest and subsistence farms; sustainable coffee production), and Kenya (ecological restoration and interactions of birds, arthropods, and elephants) as well as an ongoing collaboration studying ecosystem services as an August T. Larsson Guest Researcher with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. 

When asked what excites him about CSUMB, he replied, "Over the years,  I have had the opportunity to work with many teams of undergraduates in research in both domestic and international settings -- and have had the chance to see how truly transformative such experiences can be for all involved.  Designing, implementing, analyzing, and communicating the results of research is a high-impact practice that can be one of the most challenging and rewarding elements of the undergraduate experience -- and  I eagerly look forward to helping continue to facilitate these kinds of experiences at CSUMB with UROC!"

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