2023 STEM-NET Student Summer Research Fellowship Recipients Highlight

Student Name: Veronica Ceja

College: California State University, Dominguez Hills
Family and Personal background: My parents are Mexican immigrants and I'm a first generation college student.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: My favorite food includes anything spicy, like chicken wings, carne con chile, mole, or agua chiles!
Research Interest: My research interest is within the cognitive behavior of humans.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. H. Crogman
Future goals: My goal is to obtain a Ph.D in Psychology.

Student Name: Daniel Hidalgo

College: California State University, Fresno
Family and Personal background: Both of my parents are from Mexico and immigrated to the United States in 1998s. I am the oldest of two, I have a younger sister named Jessica who is a special needs individual. I am the first in my family to attend college and pursue a career in the food industry. Growing up in agriculture was always present in my life, particularly dairy, due to my father being a supervisor at the Hillcrest Dairy in Planada.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: I enjoy being active, whether it's going to the gym, hiking, or driving on road trips. I'm currently enjoying reading the Witcher books, which were used as references for the Netflix adaptation. Additionally, I also enjoy hanging out with friends and family.
Research Interest: Currently, I am interested in developing healthier food alternatives that are high in calories and low in nutrients. Another interest I have in research is the chemistry side of food. Specifically flavor chemistry and protein chemistry. Other fields I find interesting in my major are Dairy Processing, Sensory Analysis, and Microbiology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carmen Lcion
Future goals: I would like to have a strong presence in the food science industry while pursuing higher education. Currently, I am studying for the GRE and looking into different master's programs. I eventually would like to be the first in my family to receive a PH.D.

Student Name: Tyler Depe

College: California State University, Fullerton
Hobbies and favorite food or books: Playing rugby and chess.
Research Interest: Solar Energy.
Faculty Mentor: Mahto Rakeshumar
Future goals: Going to graduate school.

Student Name: David Angel Martinez

College: California State University, Northridge
Family and Personal background: I am a first-generation college student, and my father is from Mexico and my mother is from Guatemala.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: One of my hobbies is photography and one of my favorite foods is sushi.
Research Interest: My research interest is analyzing Ultra High-Performance Concrete beams when they are experiencing torsion.
Faculty Mentor: C. Shawn Sun
Future goals: My future goals are to pass my FE exam, get my PE license, and try to enter grad school.

Student Name: Nathan Arturo Flores Saa

College: California State University, East Bay
Family and Personal background: I have a small family, with only 3 family members here: Mom, Dad, and Brother. Most of my family is located in El Salvador (where my dad is from) or Colombia (where my mom is from). I am a first-generation college student.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: Some of my favorite books include: Things Fall Apart, The Handmaid's Tale, and Lord of the Flies.
Research Interest: Tumor Growth.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jesus R. Oliver
Future goals: My goal after my undergraduate degree is to pursue a medical degree and become either an oncologist or anesthesiologist.

Student Name: Kiara Saucedo

College: San Diego State University
Family and Personal background: I am a first-generation college student and I am happy to be pursuing higher education. I am motivated to overcome challenges, expand my horizons, and create a path for future generations. With determination, I am embracing this opportunity to make a meaningful impact and achieve my academic and personal goals.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: I enjoy reading, painting, baking, and watching movies/shows. Each of these hobbies offers its own unique form of escapism and relaxation, enabling me to explore territories of imagination and creativity. I enjoy these activities the most with friends and family.
Research Interest: I hope to learn and understand the extent of people's awareness of earthquake risks. Through this project, I want to effectively communicate earthquake risks to the public and for them to achieve a certain level of knowledge on preparedness, procedures, and even a bit on infrastructure.
Faculty Mentor: Professor Gloria Faraone
Future goals: I plan on completing my bachelor's degree at SDSU and starting my master's degree soon after. I hope to figure out what branch in my field I want to focus on in the next few years in order to put my skills and knowledge to use.

Student Name: Marta Ester Cos

College Level: Junior
Major: Biology, emphasis on physiology.
Department: Biological Sciences
College: California State University, Los Angeles
Family and Personal background: My siblings and I are Latinx, while our parents are from Guatemala.
Hobbies and favorite food or books: I like to spend time working out, playing sports, and I enjoy hiking. I don't have a favorite food. A book I'm reading at this moment would be the crimson petal and the white.
Research Interest: My research interest involves the structure of the protein, OTP86DYW. By figuring out its structure because at normal temperatures it remains unknown, and also the mechanism for C-to-U RNA editing.
Faculty Mentor: Olaseni Sode
Future goals: To earn a place in a medical school, in order to obtain a career in medicine/research.