Science in Action Past Speakers

Fall 2021 Seminar Schedule

Research and Strategies for Equity in Physics Grading and Assessment

December 7, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Cassandra Paul | Physics & Astronomy Professor at San Jose State University

Both professors and students want course grades to be issued fairly. Therefore, professors carefully select grading practices and communicate those grading practices to students to ensure fair treatment of all students. But what happens when those practices are unfair in ways that are hidden from both professors and students? I compare two numerical scales: the 4-point scale (where each integer 0-4 corresponds to a letter grade) and the percent scale (where letter grades A through D are uniformly distributed in the top 40% of the scale). I share data collected from over 15,000 students enrolled in an introductory college physics course that clearly indicate that students graded using the percent scale are significantly more likely to fail, that students from underrepresented minority groups are disproportionally impacted by this phenomenon, and that this effect is consistent across all instructors in this study. I also briefly discuss alternative grading and assessment practices, and how they are implemented at San Jose State University.

Student Research Panel: nEXO

November 30, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Shannon Hoang, Jiries Kaileh, Madelaine McSwain, & Brendan Murtagh | Skyline College Students

Earlier this year, Skyline College’s physics department, led by Prof Emilie Hein and Prof Kolo Wamba, formally became a part of an international nuclear physics experiment called nEXO and was awarded a grant by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science to participate in this research. This award has made it possible for Skyline College to partner with Stanford University and SLAC and to take on four student trainees (Shannon Hoang, Jiries Kaileh, Madeleine McSwain, and Brendan Murtagh) who are now contributing to the ongoing detector R&D activities for nEXO. Join us for a chance to ask questions about their research experience in a panel-style format. Then get a chance to join individual breakout rooms to interact with our nEXO interns! For the panel segment, please submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link.

Watt does it take for our energy systems to achieve net zero? Turning analysis into action

November 16, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Monica Harnoto Kabel | Principal Strategy Analyst at National Grid

Interested in building a career fighting climate change? Monica Harnoto Kabel is a Principal Strategy Analyst at National Grid, focused on driving the electric and gas utility to achieve net zero by 2050. Prior to National Grid, Monica worked at Bloom Energy – a solid oxide fuel cell company – as a Senior Program Management Specialist. Monica holds a BS in Environmental Sciences from UC Berkeley and a dual masters in Civil & Environmental Engineering and Business from MIT. In her spare time, she enjoys discovering new hiking trails and trying to ski.

Planning around Covid-19 and Preparing for Spring 2022 Semester

November 9, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Raymond Hernandez | SMCCD Covid-19 Safety Officer

Former STEM Division Dean and current Covid-19 Safety Officer, Raymond Hernandez visits Science in Action to share updates on how Skyline can best prepare for the upcoming Spring 2022 semester. As SMCCD students register for classes in their upcoming semester, participants in the seminar will learn about the landscape of Covid-19, strategies/mechanisms put in place to deal with the pandemic, and how that will influence SMCCD's health and operational procedures for the spring semester.

Making Drones "See," a Summer Research Experience at Stanford

October 26, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Ned (Nazih) Bitar | Skyline College Student

As part of the Aeronautics & Astronautics Community Research Experience (AACREs) program, Ned worked with Professor Mac Schwager in the Multi-robot Systems Lab (MSL). As drones fly they need to dodge buildings, trees, and even people to avoid smashing themselves to pieces. Working with Professor Schwager he explored how to help drones ‘see’ and ‘think’ to avoid collisions. He worked to help develop software that helps drones navigate safely using Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO). It sounds like a simple task, but the issue is that racing drone's design follows a very bare-bones philosophy - they are designed to be ultra light-weight and fast. He had to find a way to extract data from the drone, and his day-to-day tasks varied throughout the project. The first day, alone, consisted of trouble-shooting and diagnosing issues to get the quad-rotor off the ground, installing new rotors that would produce enough thrust to lift the drone and the camera, and designing and 3D printing a custom frame to hold the camera steady. Finding the VIO package was the easy part, but getting it to work was the biggest challenge, which required learning about Linux, a ROS (Robotic Operating System), C++, and Python. After two weeks of dead-ends and failures, including a hard-drive failure, he finally succeeded, and was able to compile a ‘ROS Bag’ using a test set of data, to help the drone understand what it was ‘seeing.' During his time in the AACREs program, Ned found that research is like a black box – until you explore the data, you don’t know what you are going to learn. Come join us for an insightful reflection on Ned's summer research experience and how he was able to apply and join the AACRE program!

Panel Discussion: Data Science at CSU East Bay

October 19, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Panelists: Jessica Brungard & Bradley Silva

Science in Action continues our exploration of the emerging field of Data Science. Skyline College recently introduced a transfer pathway to CSU East Bay to earn a BS in Statistics with a concentration in Data Science. Get a sneak preview, and meaningful insight, into life after transfer by joining us for hosting a panel discussion with current students in CSUEB's Data Science program. Our panelists look forward to responding to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link.

Jessica Brungard is currently a Senior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Statistics with a Data Science concentration. They also serve as the Vice President of the CSUEB Data Science Club and an advocate for pet adoption and rescue.

Bradley Silva is formerly a community college student who transferred to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Geology. He is now a graduate student in the Data Science program at CSU East Bay and enjoys analyzing geospatial data.

From the Bay to 𝛽-decay: A Journey into Nuclear Chemistry

October 5, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Mejdi Mogannam | Skyline Alum and Ph.D student at Michigan State University

Mejdi is a third-year Ph.D. student at Michigan State University studying Nuclear Chemistry. He is a second-generation Palestinian-American who was born and raised in San Francisco with a long-held ambition to find a meaningful career with which to have a positive impact on the world. By the end of high school, he decided that that path would be science, specifically chemistry. While attending Skyline College, with the encouragement of his professors, he was able to participate in summer programs that would foster his interest in nuclear chemistry. This further inspired him to transfer to UC Berkeley, which has had historically strong ties to nuclear science, and where he earned his BS degree in Chemistry. He is currently working on studying 𝛽-decay properties of isotopes important for astrophysics research in order to inform models that help describe how elements are made in astrophysical events such as neutron star mergers. An important factor as to why he decided to get his PH.D. and become a career scientist was the lack of role models in his community and a desire to change the narrative of who Palestinians are and can be.

Panel Discussion: Data Science at UC Berkeley

September 28, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Panelists: Elda Pere, Rosey Stone, and Ellen Zheng

Interested in pursuing a degree and/or career in Data Science? Please join us to get a quick look into the program at UC Berkeley's Data Science program, one of the first universities in the Bay Area to offer an undergraduate degree in this field (2018). Skyline College began offering Math 211 (Introduction to Data Science), which was modeled after UC Berkeley's Data 8 course. In collaboration with the up-and-coming Data Scholars Program, join us for a discussion where panelists share their experiences with the Data Science program at UC Berkeley. Our panelists look forward to responding to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link.

Elda Pere is a data science and analytics consultant with a passion for supporting underrepresented communities. Pere has been recognized as New Jersey Community College Student of the Year and as a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship recipient. She is currently working with nonprofits and tech companies in the Bay Area while pursuing a master’s degree in Data Science at UC Berkeley.

Rosey Stone Now a Software Engineer at Myriad Genetics nurturing her passion for the intersection of genomics and data, Rosey Stone graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a double major in Data Science and Molecular and Cell Biology after transferring from City College of San Francisco. As a Berkeley student, she performed epigenetic epidemiology research to complete an honors thesis in Data Science, as well as medical and health policy research at UCSF. She is enthusiastic about expanding access to data science education and worked both as a Connector Assistant and to establish a mentorship program for intended Data Science transfer students to UC Berkeley.

Ellen Zheng studied business and data science at UC Berkeley and is now a Program Manager at eBay. Born and raised in California's Central Valley, she originally had no intention of studying data science or any STEM related field. This changed after being introduced to data science in Berkeley's Data 8 foundations course. As the Connector Program team lead at Berkeley Division of Data Sciences, Ellen expanded and fostered an inclusive community that encouraged students from diverse backgrounds to become leaders in data science education.

Experiences in a Virtual Summer Research Internship

September 14, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Carissa Avina-Beltran, Hollywood Banayad, & Aidan Morson | Students at San Francisco State University

Get a chance to hear a first-hand perspective on what it is like to do a summer research internship virtually. Join us for Science In Action to hear from three San Francisco State University (SFSU) students who participated in a virtual research internship during the summer of 2021!

Carissa Avina-Beltran is a rising senior majoring in Physics with a concentration in Astrophysics at San Francisco State. After transferring from Santa Monica College, she had the opportunity to assist in cube satellite integration and prep at USC's Space Engineering Research Center. This, along with a summer at the Center for Astrophysics characterizing exoplanets, fueled her interest in the spectrograph installation she is currently working on through the Exoplanets group at SFSU. Carissa will share her research from studying TYC 8830 410 1, a ~600 million-year-old solar-mass star surrounded by inner planetary system dust. This dust lies along our line of sight and blocks out significant portions of the star's light. The research focuses on assessing the origin and evolution of the dust by analyzing multi-band monitoring obtained from the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescopes.

Hollywood Banayad is a rising senior at SFSU majoring in physics. He transferred from Skyline College in 2020 and earned an AS-T in Physics & Mathematics. He plans on applying to graduate school at the end of the year and eventually earn a PhD in Biophysics. Hollywood's research focused on utilizing MATLAB Interface to communicate with Hardware (Lock-in Amplifier) Techniques, such as lock-in amplifier (LIA), which are commonly found in engineering and physics research labs. MATLAB interfacing is useful to communicate with various instruments and data acquisition, thereby data analysis as well. There are normally three main types of devices we aim to communicate within the lab: having only input, only output, and both input & output. His research goal is to build a MATLAB library with codes to communicate with LIA in terms of sending read, write, and status query commands.

Aidan Morson is involved in two research groups, one at San Francisco State and one at the University of Washington. At San Francisco State he does computational work with photonic crystals and quasicrystals studying bandgap geometry. The second group is with the University of Washington doing computational work with the international collaboration working on the HERA telescope. HERA is a radio interferometer trying to look at the Epoch of Reionization by observing the 21cm line produced by Hydrogen. His future research interests lie in high energy physics, specifically neutrinos and their role in explaining the early universe.

Identifying Ways to Support Students in STEM

September 7, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |

Jing Folsom & Emilie Hein | Skyline College Professors

The STEM Division at Skyline College is applying for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant titled “NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM)”.

The main goal of this grant is to support our students to pursue successful careers in promising STEM fields. Ultimately, this program wants to increase the number of students who graduate and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge.

In addition to providing scholarships, this is also an opportunity for us to figure out how we can meet your needs better. To better support you (students), we need your feedback and look forward to facilitating a conversation with you to get to know the type of support you really need, may it be financial or academic, as well as in developing resume writing skills or looking for internship…. any support you need to be successful in the STEM field of your choice.

We need your participation, please join us at Science In Action!

Learn about RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK - The Bio-Economy Welcome Party

August 31, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |

Ivan Rodriquez Jaubert & Seth Peachey | SynBioBeta/Gingkgo Bioworks

Business will forever be about WHO you know! So we want to introduce YOU to the existing bio-economy community, who KNOW how to get your ideas and products to market faster. On October 6th, SynBioBeta and Ginkgo Bioworks will host the 1st annual Race Against the Clock student and start-up welcome party that will introduce and celebrate the next generation of bio-based "Gonna Be's" to the current bio-economy community. This is a unifying networking event, as we can only win the race to true sustainability by working together! We will introduce the current bio-economy companies, thought leaders and investors to the next wave of students and start-ups who want to use biology to make our planet a better place.

So, if you are a bio-founder in need of strategic connections or a student considering using your gifts to further the bio-economy, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Link to Promotional flyer →

Science in Action Fall 2021 Kick-Off: What is Science in Action and who do you want to hear from?

August 24, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |

Nick Kapp & Bryan Swartout | Skyline College Professors

Our Science in Action Speaker Series started in 2014 with the aim to connect Skyline students with researchers and professionals related to the STEM industry. Our speakers focus on two main themes during our sessions: sharing their research work and the educational journey that brought them there, providing a first-hand perspective to students interested in or exploring various STEM-related careers. What careers and research are you interested in? Who do you want to hear from? Spend our kick-off session with Science in Action hosts Nick Kapp and Bryan Swartout to learn about the speaker series and make requests! Hope to see you there!

Spring 2021 Seminar Schedule

Cultivating Pre-College Biology Students in the 21st Century - Blurring the Lines Between Research and Education

May 18, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Jason Williams | Assistant Director, External Collaborations at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, DNALC

Jason Williams is Assistant Director, Inclusion and Research Readiness at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center where he develops national biology education programs. Jason leads education, outreach, and training for CyVerse (US national cyberinfrastructure for the life sciences) and has trained thousands of students, researchers, and educators in bioinformatics, data science, and molecular biology. Jason's focus has been developing bioinformatics in undergraduate education and career-spanning learning for biologists. Jason is the founder of LifeSciTrainers.org – a global effort to promote a community of practice among professionals who develop short-format training for life scientists. Jason is advisory to cyberinfrastructure, bioinformatics, and education projects and initiatives in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia. He is also a teacher at the Yeshiva University High School for Girls.

From studying chemistry to publishing chemistry

May 11, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube | Slides for Presentation

Matteo Cavalleri | Publisher at Wiley

Matteo (@physicsteo on Twitter) studied Chemistry at the University of Milan (Italy) and University of Valencia (Spain) before obtaining his Ph.D. in the Quantum Chemistry group of the Physics Department at Stockholm University (Sweden). After 3 years’ experience as a researcher in Berlin (Germany), working on computer simulations of novel catalytic materials, he left the lab bench (which was actually a computer) to join the US-based STEM publisher Wiley in 2010. Matteo held several editorial roles in various scholarly journals in chemistry and material sciences prior to becoming the publisher of the material sciences and physics group at Wiley, overseeing the operations of the US-based journals in those areas.

Exploring the JEDI Way - Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM

May 4, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Slides for Presentation

Maryam Khan, Emilie Hein, & Kolo Wamba | Skyline College Professors

It has been the longest year ever. Classrooms and labs have been converted online. With distance learning, R2D2 has retired and Zoom has taken its place with broadcasting messages for hope and assignments. In wake of a massive pandemic, the galaxy is in need of new Scientists, Engineers, Mathematicians and Physicists to develop newer technology to address the systemic issues with Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). For this, we seek new Padawans to establish the JEDI Way and what it means for the ‘Skyliners’ to lead the change.

In this Science in Action, we will be taking a different spin on the hour with an interactive session exploring social justice and how it pertains to pursuing degrees and careers in STEM. Join Professors Emilie Hein, Maryam Khan and Kolo Wamba as we embark on a journey to explore what is needed for the JEDI Path in STEM. (Please fill out this Survey (https://tinyurl.com/SIA-Survey-JEDI) before our session and May the Fourth Be With You.)

Bonus: https://tinyurl.com/SIA-May4-Abstract

My Experience in Science: A Journey into the Amazing World of Molecules

April 27, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Martha Marquez | Skyline College Alum & Biochemistry Research Technician

I am a first-generation student that was born and raised in Mexico and moved to the United States in the pursuit of opportunities in higher education. My life-long interest in the natural sciences led me to start my education at Skyline College and later transfer to UC Berkeley, where I completed a bachelor's degree in Chemical Biology. I currently work as a research technician in a biochemistry lab studying enzymatic reactions that help bacteria carry out their functions. I love learning all about molecules, whether small or large, and I am fascinated by how they perform their miraculous chemistries. I am excited to share my story and give insight into how to get into undergraduate research!

Chemistry in Action at the NASA Ames Research Center

April 13, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube* | Slides for Internship Opportunities at NASA

Andro Rios, Ph.D. | Skyline College Professor & NASA Ames Researcher

The quest to understand how life emerged on Earth is central to the field of science known as Astrobiology. Come learn about how the knowledge and skills obtained from your Skyline College chemistry courses are being applied to astrobiology by student interns and scientists working with me at NASA Ames. I will also share a little bit as to how I came to work in this field of science. Interested in becoming a STEM intern at NASA? I will provide some insight into those opportunities as well.

*The recording is currently under review for approval for public viewing by NASA. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Biotechnology at Skyline and beyond: A student's perspective

April 6, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Arlyne Grace Bautista | Skyline College Alum

I’m a first-generation college student and recent Skyline graduate. Growing up in South San Francisco, Biotechnology was constantly surrounding me. After graduating from the Skyline Biotechnology program, I transferred to Solano Community College to pursue my Bachelors in Biomanufacturing! I’ve also entered the field to help combat the Coronavirus pandemic. I’m excited to share my experience with all of you!

Panel Discussion: Medical School Preparation Tips

March 23, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Moderated by: Eleazar Dealmeida and Sarah Tran

Panelists: Alex Silva, Elizabeth Picazo, Manuella Djomaleu, Daniel Reyes, Joyce Tran, Dr. Spencer Wong

Interested in attending Medical School? In collaboration with the Biology and Chemistry Scholars, join us for a discussion where panelists share their journeys to Medical School. Panelists biographies are included below, would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link.

Alex Silva (UCSF): Alex Silva is a first year in the MD/PhD program at UCSF. Alex went to college at Penn in Philadelphia where he majored in bioengineering and became interested in the intersection of data science and medicine. At UCSF, he hopes to work in the field of brain computer interface and learn to care for patients with neurological disorders.

Elizabeth Picazo (UCSF): Elizabeth Picazo is a first-year medical student at UCSF who is a part of the Program in Medical Education - Urban Underserved (PRIME-US). She is a second-generation Mexican-American who was born and raised in San Francisco with an aim to serve her community. She went to UC Davis for undergrad where she cultivated her interest in medicine, systems change, and policy.

Manuella Djomaleu (UCSF): Manuella Djomaleu was born and raised in Cameroon and moved to Rockville, MD in 2008. She went to the University of Maryland, College Park and received her B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2020 and later that year started medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. She has strong interests in global health and advancing health equity in medicine.

Daniel Reyes (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School): Daniel Reyes is a 4th-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is going into emergency medicine. Before medical school, he was a high school biology and chemistry teacher in the East Bay. Daniel graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 with a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology and from Saint Mary's College of California with an MA in Teacher Leadership in 2011.

Joyce Tran (UCSD): Joyce Tran is currently a 3rd year MD/PhD student at UC San Diego. She started her graduate studies in Neuroscience studying neurodevelopmental diseases in mice. She’s originally from Daly City, and went to CCSF for 3 years before transferring to UCLA to study Biochemistry. She’s a first-generation college graduate and took 2 years off after graduating college before starting medical school.

Dr. Spencer Wong: Spencer Wong is a Medical Director for Cañada College.

**The panelists would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link →

Game Shows, Trivia, and Memes Through the Lens of Data

March 16, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Meeting Link | YouTube

Niño Yosinao | Data Analyst & Instructor

Join Niño as he explores data concepts through modern media of entertainment. Niño Yosinao is an Data Analyst from San Francisco, CA who also teaches at a Data Analytics bootcamp. He started his journey as a community college student in San Diego, pursuing an AA in Mathematics. Since then, he has refined his skills in mathematics and telling stories through data in various academic and industry roles. In his spare time, he enjoys pursuing trivia challenges and learning languages. Niño holds a B.S. Degree in Mathematics from Cornell University and is in the process of completing his M.A. in Mathematics from San Francisco State University.

Microbes Medicine and Money - Biomanufacturing in the 21st Century

March 9, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Jim DeKloe | Founder and Director, Industrial Biotechnology Program at Solano College

Jim DeKloe serves as the director and founder of the Industrial Biotechnology program at Solano College in the North San Francisco Bay Area. He also played a key role in designing the Solano College Bachelors of Science in Biomanufacturing program; this baccalaureate degree contains upper division courses in the scientific, technical and engineering principles of biomanufacturing, as well as in the business, regulatory, quality aspects of biomanufacturing, bioethics, technical writing and project management. Needless to say, graduates of the program are in demand to their well rounded character. Dr. DeKloe heads a United States consortium working on developing a national workforce for emerging Cell and Gene therapy technologies, this effort is funded by the National Institute for Innovation in the Manufacture of BioLogics (NIIMBL).

In 2011, Solano College faculty chose Jim as the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year. He has also served as a consultant to help biotech giant Amgen redesign the training programs for their biomanufacturing technicians and for their quality assurance associates. He is a knowledgeable, exciting and humorous speaker. If you are interested in biotechnology, in the flavor of business, engineering, science or regulation, he has a talk that will interest you.

The Insect Apocalypse

March 2, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Nathan Rank | Professor at Sonoma State University

I grew up in Michigan and attended Kalamazoo College with a degree in Biology. For my senior thesis, I rode a bus out to the Arizona desert and spent a fall studying the insects that live in rotting barrel cacti. This experience made me want to pursue graduate study in the West and I moved to Orange County in 1983 to study plant-feeding insects. I began working in the Sierra Nevada mountains studying insect populations then and for the past 25 years, I have studied the factors influencing the ecology and evolution of native insects.

In the past 20 years, appreciation for the many roles insects plays in our lives has grown along with a better understanding of the importance of biological diversity in sustaining natural systems. In the past, many of us considered insects to be a nuisance, but we now recognize how important they are for our economic health and food supply. Unfortunately, however, insect populations seem to be declining rapidly in many parts of the globe. I conducted a survey of professional entomologists (insect biologists) to gain a better understanding of the consensus opinion about whether insect declines are a major concern. Some entomologists are not convinced that insect declines are a concern, but most of them are, regardless of which part of the world they come from or work in. My talk reviews some case studies of insect decline.

She Se Puede! - A Latina's Journey to Space

February 23, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Meeting Link | YouTube

Araceli Gonzalez | Mechanical Engineering Associate at Lockheed Martin

Join Araceli as she shares her triumphs and persistence as a 1st Gen Latina Engineer. Araceli will share her academic journey along with insights into how she overcame the imposter syndrome as a STEM student and now as a working aerospace/mechanical engineer. Araceli is currently a Mechanical Engineering Associate at Lockheed Martin, who got her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at San Francisco State University. Prior to SFSU, Araceli attended Skyline College where she explored many majors before Engineering!

Journey From Geologist to Dean

February 16, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Carla Grandy | Dean of STEM Division

Carla Grandy is the new Dean of the STEM Division at Skyline College. Prior to that, she was Earth Science Faculty for 13 years. Carla has a B.S. in Environmental Geology from Texas Christian University, an M.S. in Oceanography from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Carla has worked as a Hydrologist and Coastal Specialist in the Environmental Field. At Skyline, Carla coordinated the sustainability work on campus as well as serving as faculty advisor for the Energize Colleges Program, and served as the Director of Guided Pathways. Come hear about her journey through academia to Community College Leadership and share your thoughts for and hopes for the STEM Division moving forward.

Biotechnology, Engineering and Vaccine Production

February 9, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Melisa Carpio | Global Technology Consultant at Sartorius

Learn about fascinating careers at the intersection of Biotechnology and Engineering and see how engineers are playing a major role in the production and manufacturing of novel vaccines. Melisa is a Global Technology Consultant for the Cell Culture Technologies department at Sartorius. In this role, she focuses in the areas of single-use bioreactors and upstream processing. She works to continually investigate opportunities for new product enhancements, collaborations, and applications. Prior to Sartorius, Melisa spent nine years working in the industry doing cell engineering and cell line development at Genitope, Medimmune, and Takeda. She holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Fall 2020 Seminar Schedule

Our Journey to become Ambysians: Women in Science at Ambys Medicines

December 15, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Krystle Okialda, Charity Juang, Carolina Diaz, Allyson Merrell, & Lisa Liao | Ambys Medicines

Ambys Medicines is a cell and gene therapy company focused on discovering and developing regenerative and restorative therapies for patients with advanced liver disease. We are pioneering the novel application of cell and gene therapies to reverse liver disease progression and restore liver function for patients with severe liver disease. This remains one of the most underserved areas of modern medicine. For thousands of patients with severe liver diseases, liver transplant is the only option, and nearly forty thousand cirrhosis patients die annually in the US. Our goal is to create a world without liver transplants.

Learn more about us from a group of dedicated researchers. The Ambys Women's Group would like to share our passion for our work, the unique journeys we have had to bring us to Ambys, and general advice and lessons we've learned to pursue a position in the biotech industry.

Quality Control Associate at Genentech

December 8, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Kaela Ann Fajilagutan | Genentech

Kaela Ann Fajilagutan is a quality control associate at Genentech. In 2019, she received her Bachelor's of science in biotechnology from UC Davis. She was an intern at Kokel lab in UCSF, where they studied neuronal and motor responses to chemical stimuli in Danio Rerio. Kaela is pursuing a career in clinical laboratory science.

Experiences and Lessons Navigating from Skyline to UCSF School of Dentistry

December 1, 2020 | 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | YouTube

Roger Krupetsky | Student: UCSF School of Dentistry

Roger Krupetsky attended Skyline College from 2013-2016 before transferring to UC Davis to complete a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior in 2018. Following his undergraduate degree, he spent 1-year working full time and attending a post-baccalaureate program at Cal State East Bay before applying to dental schools in the summer of 2019, and matriculating in September of 2020. He has a wide variety of experience ranging from wet-lab work in Skyline's own Biotech lab to managing a free dental clinic for the homeless in Sacramento. In addition, he has organized and led children's oral health education courses, and has been a private tutor within the STEM field for 8 years.

*Today's event is meeting later to accommodate our speaker's schedule.

My Journey from Skyline to Berkeley, Discovering and Exploring the Scientist I Want to Be

November 17, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Phillip Sanvictores | Research Associate at Genentech

I recently gained a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in May of 2020, I started at Skyline College in 2015 where I was able to explore my various interests and learn how to be a successful student. Landing on a passion for molecular biology from my time at Skyline led me to the path of pursuing research in molecular genetics as my main topic of interest where I found it to be greatly exhilarating and informed me of the science I aim to pursue in the future.

I aim to share my own personal experiences that I’ve found to be of great help in my journey from Skyline and how I used what I learned from my community college experience to find success in Berkeley. I’ll share some of the research I’ve done in the Evolutionary Genetics Laboratory in Berkeley where we focused on conservation efforts of our species of interest Pleurodema maromartuml and my plans for the future.

Panel Discussion: Women in STEM

November 10, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Morelia Karina Cruz, Carla Grandy, Mayra Lopez-Thibodeaux, Beatriz Qura del Rio, Susanne Schubert

Skyline College's Women In STEM discussion panel returns for a third iteration. The panel will take place virtually, organized in partnership between the STEM Center and the Library. Women in STEM will share experiences in their fields, lessons they have learned along the way, and what drives them to do the work they do. Panelist bios below:

Morelia Karina Cruz

Morelia (also known as Karina) is a first-generation Mexican American student who received her Associate in Science Degree for Transfer in Mathematics and Physics at Skyline College. She was a part of organizations like the Associated Students of Skyline College, Engineering and Tech Scholars, the Latin American Student Organization club, and the Women in Science and Engineering club. She transferred to the University of California, Berkeley and is currently studying Mathematics and working as a STEM Center Peer Mentor at Skyline College. She will graduate in 2022 and plans to work in Tech as a Data Scientist.

Carla Grandy, PhD

Carla Grandy is Dean of the STEM Division at Skyline College. Prior to that, she was Earth Science Faculty for 13 years. Carla has a B.S. in Environmental Geology from Texas Christian University, a M.S. in Oceanography from Oregon State University, and a PhD in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Carla has worked as a Hydrologist and Coastal Specialist in the Environmental Field. At Skyline, Carla coordinated the sustainability work on campus as well as serving as faculty advisor for the Energize Colleges Program.

Mayra Lopez-Thibodeaux

I grew up in Mexico, and moved to San Francisco as a young adult. I am a former Skyline College student who transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU) to earned a B.S. in Astrophysics. I started doing research in dark matter in my second year at SFSU and continued doing so for the next three years after graduation at Berkeley's Space Science Lab and Berkeley-Lawrence National Laboratory. I am now a graduate student of Aerospace Engineering at San Jose State University and working in my Master's Project. I was a graduate tutor at the Learning Center for four years before coming to the STEM Center in the beginning of this year as an Instructional Aid where I really enjoy tutoring students in Math and Physics and coordinating the PI Leader program.

Beatriz Qura del Rio

My name is Beatriz Qura del Rio, I am originally from Lima-Peru. I came to the USA when I was 20 years old and started my education at Canada College taking the last level of ESL. I transferred to College of San Mateo in 1994 and took my lower division classes and then transferred to CSU East Bay obtaining a BS in Biological Science in 2002. After working as a lab assistant at a hematology lab, I developed great interest in patient care and decided to enter the Respiratory Care Program at Skyline College.

I graduated from Skyline College in 2005 and since then I have been working as a Respiratory Care Practitioner at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System. I am new in the academia field but I have always liked teaching students doing their clinical rotations and training new employees in my health institution. In addition, I have a part time job at Foothill College as a clinical advisor

Susanne Schubert, PhD

Susanne was born and raised in the eastern part of Germany. She studied and received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Free University in Berlin. Susanne started her teaching career in 2018 that led her to join Skyline College in the fall of 2020. Before jumping into teaching, Susanne worked at several research laboratories in Germany and the US. When she can get away from her computer, Susanne enjoys the great outdoors with her family, and she cannot wait for the moment it becomes again safe to travel so that she can tend to her ever-growing travel bug.

**The panelists would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link →

My Journey in Biology

November 3, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Eric Huang | Manufacturing Associate at Pendulum Therapeutics

Eric was a Research Associate at Zymogen after graduating from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Biotechnology. Specializing in Fermentation and Microbiology, Eric has cultured numerous microbes, from strict anaerobes to soil bacteria. His passion lies in solving the intricacies of microbiology and the symbiotic relationship of the microbiota and its host. While in Davis, Eric studied the microbiota of ruminant animals, which led to the unforgettable yet awesome experience of working with a cannulated cow to study the anaerobic fungi and its role in breaking down cellulose.

My Educational Journey and my Past Research Projects

October 27, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Malori Redman | Instructor (Skyline College & San Francisco State University & La Canada)

Malori was born and raised in a small rural town in Iowa, which is where her spark of interest in the weather began. She moved to the Bay Area when she was 15, which broadened her horizons very quickly. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric and Oceanic sciences with an emphasis in Meteorology from San Francisco State University in 2014. After graduation, she took 2 years off to travel the world and expand her horizons even further. When she returned home, she pursued her Master's degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Arizona. After graduating in August of 2018, she returned home to the Bay Area and immediately began teaching at SF State, and later in 2019 at Skyline College. She currently teaches at both colleges and also La Canada.

After a brief introduction to Malori’s journey in the STEM field and the challenges faced while pursuing her degrees, she will go through some of the various research projects that she has had the pleasure of working on. They vary from going to Burning Man in 2013, to atmospheric rivers, to how thunderstorms in the Indian Ocean can influence weather patterns here in the United States.

Panel Discussion: Black Minds in STEM Matter!

October 20, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne, Elizabeth Turner-Grays, Kolo Wamba, and Kenyatta Weathersby

Despite it being 2020, STEM continues to have a serious diversity problem, and Black minds continue to be grossly underrepresented, mainly as a result of historical and structural inequities that continue to plague our society and the world. Join us as we reflect on the personal journeys of four Black STEM professionals who are making important contributions as faculty here at Skyline and as engineers and engineering executives in the industry. We will have four panelists, as follows:

Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne, PhD Dr Eyoum Tagne is a veteran tech leader with 15 years of experience in product management and innovation in consumer electronics. She is currently a Lead Product Manager at Roku.Inc. She received her Master’s and PhD in degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of California-Berkeley with research expertise on the advanced process engineering of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems). When she’s not being an engineering executive, she enjoys spending time with her husband and beautiful toddlers (Zoey, 4 and Ian, 2).

Elizabeth Turner-Grays Elizabeth Turner-Grays, who goes mostly by “Liz,” hails from the San Diego area. She has been a Test Engineer for almost 20 years. She has worked in various industries, although the majority of her experience has been in mobile. She is very excited to take part in this forum and looks forward to an illuminating discussion with all of the participants.

Kolo Wamba, PhD Having first come to Skyline College as an adjunct in the Spring of 2018, this Fall marks Kolo’s first semester as a full-time instructor of physics. Prior to this, he worked at various R&D jobs at different tech companies around California. He received his PhD in applied physics from Stanford University. When he’s not doing physics he enjoys spending time with his family.

Kenyatta Weathersby, MS Prof Weathersby received his Master’s degree in Statistics from CSU East Bay. He joined the Skyline College faculty as a full-time instructor of mathematics and statistics in the fall of 2017 and is currently part of an effort to create a Data Science program of study at Skyline. Prof Weathersby is an active participant in the Umoja-ASTEP and BAM groups.

**The panelists would like to respond to questions from the audience. Submit your questions (or vote for your favorite) by clicking on our Slido event link →

Trying to Understand our Universe - The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) in the Search of Dark Matter

October 13, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Meeting Link | YouTube

Mayra Lopez-Thibodeaux | Instructional Aide II - STEM Center

Mayra is an Instructional Aide at the STEM Center of Skyline College and holds a B.S. in Astrophysics from San Francisco State University. She is now working on her Aerospace Engineering master’s project at San Jose State University. Mayra moved to San Francisco as a young adult and studied English and her general education at Skyline College and College of San Mateo. Her professional background includes observational and particle Astrophysics research in dark matter detection and the application of Artificial Neural Networks on orbital astrodynamics at SJSU, SFSU, Berkeley Space Science Laboratory, and Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory.

During this presentation, Mayra will tell us about her experiences through school and research, and how she was able to stay on track despite the challenges she encountered. She will also give us a deeper description of her favorite research experience, participating in the integration of the General Antiparticle Spectrometer Prototype (GAPS), which led to the next step of her academic path.

My Journey to Environmental Engineering and the Use of Electrochemistry to Remediate Contaminated Groundwater

October 6, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |

Andrea Naranjo | UC Berkeley Master's Graduate

Andrea has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. Before moving to the United States, she lived in Colombia, where she saw many communities not having access to clean air and water, food, and sanitation. This experience motivated her to find ways to help low-resource communities have access to safe drinking water. Currently, she is part of Dr. Gadgil's lab, working on the scale-up of low-cost remediation technologies for contaminants present in groundwater.

After giving an introduction on her journey, Andrea will give a summary of some of the projects she has been working on in Dr. Gadgil's Lab. She will mainly present on her current project, which consists of the design and distribution of a procedure for making a disinfecting solution at a low-cost.

Wildfires: Can We Predict Their Destructiveness?

September 29, 2020 | *4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. |

Nery Barrera | UC Berkeley Master's Graduate (Skyline College Alumnus)

Nery Barrera is a senior research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Nery started his higher education in Skyline college. In Skyline, he collaborated as a peer tutor at the learning center and TRiO, besides volunteering at the MESA center. He then transferred to UC Berkeley in 2016, where he graduated with a BS in environmental engineering. He then obtained a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering in May of 2020, with a focus on fluid mechanics and water resources management, also at UC Berkeley.

Nery has participated in several research projects at UC Berkeley and the Berkeley National Lab. Today he will present his research about wildfires in California. This research aims to use weather data to calculate a weather index on the day that destructive wildfires occurred. We will explore his journey on data analysis, and get to know more about his research to determine if an occurring wildfire has the potential to become destructive.

*Today's event is meeting earlier to accommodate our speaker's schedule.

From Dirty (Log) Books to Finding Dirty Data: The Impact of Benford’s Law

September 22, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Bryan Swartout | Program Services Coordinator-STEM Center

Bryan Swartout is currently the Program Services Coordinator for Skyline College's The STEM Center. His higher education journey started at Lake Tahoe Community College before transferring to Occidental College where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 2013 (Mathematics Major/Computer Science Minor).

Bryan will present his former research project (from Occidental College) about Benford’s Law: a statistical phenomenon regarding numerical data pulled from real-world observations. We begin with the phenomenon’s discovery by Simon Newcomb in 1881, and follow its development until finally proven by Theodore Hill in 1995. It’s story sheds light to some of the best parts of math: taking what seems to be an innocuous observation and developing deep insight into a profound and effective tool to help navigate this current world dealing with fake news and fake data.

Aerospace Engineering

September 15, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |

Samneet Singh | Project Engineer, Jacobs Engineering Group

Samneet was born and raised in Punjab (India), moved to California during high school. He is a former community college student who transferred to San Jose State University and finished a Masters (2019) in Aerospace Engineering. His future plans include pursuing an MBA after gaining a few years of experience in the industry. During his Master’s career, he designed a two-seater electric aircraft that runs completely on the electric power. The research was selected and presented at the 4th Annual International Conference on Mechanical Engineering in Athens, Greece. Currently, he is working as a Project Engineer with Jacobs Engineering Group since 2017.

Spring 2020 Lecture Schedule

Opportunities in Education

May 12, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Raymond Hernandez | Dean of Science, Math and Technology at Skyline College

Science In Action looks to finish the semester in reflection and growth by hosting our very own dean Raymond Hernandez. Dean Hernandez started as a faculty member of the Respiratory Care Program in 1996 and is currently serving his final semester as Dean of the Science, Math, and Technology Division at Skyline College. For over 20 years, he has worked to bring academic and community resources together and provide effective leadership to a division serving diverse student populations. Please join for our final session this semester as Dean Hernandez shares his educational journey and insights.

Panel Discussion: Women in STEM

May 5, 2020 | 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | YouTube

Emilie Hein, Safiyyah Forbes, Elayne Rodriguez, Maryam Khan & Bela Singha

For its second iteration, Skyline College's Women In STEM discussion panel will take place virtually, organized in partnership between the STEM Center and the Library. Women in STEM will share experiences in their fields, lessons they have learned along the way, and what drives them to do the work they do.

Please submit questions you would like to pose to panelists by clicking here.

A Decade in Pursuit of a Microbiology Masters

April 28, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Emily Quach | Master's Candidate

Emily Quach is currently a third year master's student in Dr. Guiton's lab at California State University East Bay. She obtained her A.S. in Biology from the College of Alameda and her B.S in Biotechnology with a concentration in microbiology and fermentation from the University of California Davis. While at Davis she learned how to brew beer and grow wheat in a lab setting. In 2017, she started to work on an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. She is currently investigating how developmentally regulated metabolic enzymes contribute to stage conversion between bradyzoites and tachyzoites in Toxoplasma gondii. Emily is the lab manager for Guiton Lab. She enjoys mentoring undergraduate researchers.

My Educational Journey - Skyline College to UCSF

April 21, 2020 | 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | YouTube

Jasmine To | Skyline College Alumni & IND Safety Coordinator/Senior Regulatory Specialist, UCSF

Jasmine To attended Washington High School in San Francisco, then Skyline College for three years with a one year scholarship. She then transferred to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and graduated in two years with a major in Animal Science and minor in Poultry Management. Right after graduation, Jasmine started working at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She started in animal procurement for drug safety in clinical trials. She will talk about her experience within UCSF and her experience as a Clinical Resource Coordinator, an entry level position. If you are interested in drug discovery, med school, or wondering what you can do with your degree after college, this is the place to be!

Skyline College's Respiratory Care Degree Program and COVID-19

April 14, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Brian Daniel | Director of Clinical Education, Skyline College Respiratory Care Program

Brian M. Daniel is a tenured professor and Director of Clinical Education for Skyline Colleges Respiratory Care Program. As practicing respiratory care practitioner for more than 30 years, Brian has split much of his career working between Skyline College and the University of California San Francisco Health. Working at the University of California San Francisco, Brian has been involved in clinical leadership and coordination for Respiratory Care Service and UCSF’s Cardiovascular Research Institute. Brian has co-authored many publications over the course of his in the pathogenesis and management of acute lung injury and mechanisms of airway clearance. Brian is committed to clinical quality and is part of several multi-disciplinary teams charged with insuring continuous quality improvement and evidence-based patient outcomes. In addition to his role at Skyline, Brian’s many educational roles with the University include medical house staff development, and selected educational topics as adjunct faculty for the University of California’s School of Nursing (advance practitioner courses).

My Educational Journey

April 7, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Adrian Barrera-Velasquez | Student, San Francisco State University

I work in Dr. Mark Chan's lab at SFSU studying nuclear positioning in budding yeast and how it relates to the site of budding. Budding yeast divide asymmetrically, as their name implies, through budding where the daughter cell begins to grow from the periphery of the mother and its contents are inherited through a small opening called the bud neck. The movement of organelles through this bud neck requires the cell to set up cytoskeletal elements to the bud site for transporting cargo and is a well researched field. Given this necessity for a transport architecture, I am interested to see how the initial positions of the organelles before budding vary so as to not disturb this network. In particular I am studying the nucleus' position using the cell center and bud site as landmarks to establish a frame of reference. I use focus stack fluorescence microscopy to obtain images of our fluorescently labeled yeast and I write image processing pipelines to annotate, analyze, and visualize organelle position in 3D space.

I originally graduated from College of San Mateo as a Computer Science major and transferred to UCSC as a Computer Engineer with emphasis on Robotics but ended up coming back to Skyline to change paths into Biology and transferred to SFSU where I will be completing my BS in Cell/Molecular Biology. I have worked at Skyline as a tutor at the MESA center as well as an IT Student Technician and Media Services Student Technician. I'm an athlete who loves bouldering, swimming, and running as well as other activities. When I'm indoors I love to play video games with friends, read books, watch anime, or just learn new skills. I might be addicted to Vietnamese food.

Bioinformatics and Sequence Company

March 17, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | YouTube

Cory Padilla

Achieving the Impossible

March 10, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Irene Yim and Susan Wu | R&D Culinary Supervisor and Stability Technician, Impossible Foods

Irene Yim is currently the R&D Culinary Supervisor at Impossible Foods, Inc. She prides herself as a non-traditional student, having completed her lower division coursework at Skyline College. She holds a BS and MS in Food Science with a focus in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis. Prior to Impossible Foods, Irene Yim worked as a chef and cheesemonger for 10+ years. Besides being an awesome and well-loved manager, Irene enjoys tacos, street art, used bookstores, obscure Chinese cookbooks and snuggling up with her dog, Tortilla.

Susan Wu currently works at impossible Foods, Inc. as a Stability Technician conducting shelf-life studies on various projects. She completed her lower division coursework at Skyline College and holds a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis. Prior to Impossible Foods, Susan worked at Skyline College, helping set up wet labs for the Biology department. To learn more about her educational journey, join Susan and Irene at Science in Action!

Changing the Face of STEM

March 3, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Tiffany Reardon | Engineering Student Services, UC Berkeley

For nearly twenty years Tiffany Reardon has been working to change the face of STEM. She began doing this at Skyline Community College where she worked as the Director of the Mathematics Engineering, Science Achievement Program from 2000 to 2008. After successfully establishing Skyline's MESA program she accepted a position as the Assistant Director of Programs for MESA Statewide at the University of California’s Office of the President working with nearly 70 community college and university MESA programs. In 2012, she joined UC's flagship campus by accepting a position at the UC Berkeley in the College of Engineering. In 2013, she established Berkeley’s Transfer Pre-Engineering Program (T-PREP) which serves engineering students that have transferred from community colleges. Aside from T-PREP, she also directs the Pre-Engineering Program (PREP) which serves freshman engineers. Both PREP and T-PREP support students throughout their time at Berkeley. Tiffany has helped hundreds of students successfully transfer to top-tier universities, prepare for graduate school, and gain prestigious research fellowships. In 2018, she launched REUFinder which is a blog aimed at exposing non-traditional students to paid research opportunities.

Biomedical Engineering

February 25, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Hania Osman & Subhraj Shinder | Graduate Students, San Jose State University

Graduate students Hania Osman and Shubhraj Bhinder will talk about their educational journey as well as invite Skyline Student to be a part of the 2020 Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference (April 2, 2020). This student-lead conference was developed by SJSU Biomedical Engineering students in order to introduce all students in the Bay Area to this exciting field that encompasses both Engineering and Biology. Come and see how you can get reduced/free admission to the conference and if there is enough want let’s see if we can get a Skyline Van to attend the meeting.

Hania Osman is a graduate biomedical engineering student at San Jose State University. She graduated with a bachelors in physics from William Jewell College in Kansas City, MO. She is currently doing research in one of her Professor’s cardiovascular lab and assisting a group of graduate students to characterize the flow and leaflet motion of a mechanical heart valve using particle image velocimetry. She is also the marketing lead for the 2020 Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference.

Shubhraj Bhinder received his B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Ca where he created a partial finger prosthetic for his senior project. Currently, he is in his 3rd year as a graduate student at San Jose State University enrolled in the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering program. He is also working full time as a Systems Test Engineer at Abbott Laboratories in Pleasanton, Ca. His graduate research involves the design of a realistic model of tissue perfusion to assess the effect of convective heat transfer on the effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation therapy.

STEM Education Support

February 18, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Nick Kapp, Bryan Swartout & Stephen Fredricks | Faculty and Staff, Skyline College

Across the board, regardless of educational attainment, U.S. STEM workers earn higher wages that their non-STEM peers and have a broad impact on the economy. STEM supports 69% of the U.S. GDP, 2 out of 3 workers, and 2.3 trillion in annual tax revenue. Come and discuss this with STEM faculty and staff, including Nick, Brian, Steve and others, and let us know how we can better support your STEM education.

Computer Science for Society and Human Rights

February 11, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Jenny Minh-Ai Phamhi | Student, Stanford University

Modern computer science gives us the ability to affect billions of people and learn from countless data points in the blink of an eye.

This talk will explore the brave new ways that people – students, researchers, educators, and activists – are using their technical and scientific knowledge to help make the world a better place, from protecting far-off archaeological sites to fighting human trafficking in our communities close to home.

We'll see that even a little bit of coding knowledge can go a long way, and we'll talk about how to get involved with research that ignites your passion for social good along your path from Skyline to four year universities and beyond.

enny Vo-Phamhi is a proud graduate of Skyline College where she pursued engineering studies and spent much of her time in the MESA Center as a tutor. She founded Skyline Women Engineering, helped found the Skyline College Science and Research Club, took part in the Engineering & Robotics Club and helped with the Solar Boat Team. Jenny is continuing her studies at Stanford University where she also actively conducts research. She is a 2020 candidate for a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Classics.

Challenges and Opportunities in Cancer Immunotherapy

February 4, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Dr. Cheng Liu | Founder and CEO, Eureka Theraputics

Dr. Cheng Liu is the founder and CEO of Eureka Theraputics. Prior to founding Eureka, Dr. Liu was a Principal Scientist in antibody drug discovery at Chiron (now Novartis), where he championed anti-CSF1 antibody program for treatment of bone metastasis to human clinical trials. He is the inventor of multiple issued US patents in drug discovery. In 2007, he was awarded Special US Congressional Recognition for his contributions to improving human health. Dr. Liu received his B.S. in Cell Biology and Genetics from Beijing University and a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Microbes Medicine and Money - Biomanufacturing in the 21st Century

January 28, 2020 | 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | STEM Center (Building 7, Room 7-307)

Jim Dekloe | Founder and Director, Industrial Biotechnology Program at Solano College

Fall 2019 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
August 27, 2019	Enrique Cuellar; Admin Services Administrator - SLAC National Laboratory; Stanford University CCI at SLAC Learn about how to find and apply for the Community College Internships at the Stanford SLAC National Laboratory.
September 3, 2019	Stephen Fredericks and Nick Kapp; Faculty - Skyline College
September 10, 2019	Robert Tristan Sillona III and Valentia Carreno; Alumni - Skyline College Want to know what a summer experience at MIT is like? Come hear about Robert Sillona and Valentina Carreno's internship with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Station One, a non-profit based in Boston. They will share out the research that was conducted, the companies they worked with, mentorships that were made as well as what a summer was like for two STEM-focused Skyline College students interning in Massachusetts.
September 17, 2019	Elaine Johnson; President - American Association of University Women Learn about how the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Supports Local STEM Projects. This is a great opportunity for women curious about STEM to network with others!
September 24, 2019	*Brandon Edgehill; PhD Candidate - University of California, San Diego* Brandon is a third year terminal master's student at University of California, San Diego pursuing his degree in Engineering Physics. He will be here to discuss his master's thesis on plasma mirrors. Plasma mirrors are devices that are used to improve the quality of laser pulses by only allowing the part of the laser pulse you want through. This is accomplished by acting as a high speed shutter that only reflects the laser at a certain point based on ionization and the accompanying electron density. This has been well studied in the femtosecond regime (10^-15 s) but not in the picosecond regime (10^-12 s). The focus of Brandon's work has been on characterizing the laser's focal spot in the 10s of picosecond regime after interacting with the plasma mirror for potential use and to lay the groundwork for use as a disposable focusing optic.
October 1, 2019	So-Yan Leung; Senior Technical Manager - Genentech So-Yan Leung graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering, and started working in the validation field of Biotech. She has worked with Genentech for almost 20 years. Her talk will be about validation in the pharmaceutical industry--what it is and how it is used to ensure the drugs we take are effective and safe.
October 8, 2019	Elena Georgieva; Lecturer - Stanford University Elena is a researcher and sound recording lecturer at Stanford CCRMA, where she completed her M.A. degree in 2019. She works on research projects related to music information retrieval, sound recording, and amateur vocal expression. Elena is a singer, vocal percussionist, and vocal producer, and enjoys experimenting with vocal sounds to create fun and engaging pieces of music. She will visit Skyline to talk about a research project she did called HitPredict: Using Spotify Data to Predict Billboard Hits, which used trends in pop music hits from the 80's til today to look at how computers can predict a song's success.
October 15, 2019	Bryan Swartout; Instructional Aide - Skyline College Bryan Swartout is currently an Instructional Aide II for Skyline College's STEM Center. His higher education journey started at Lake Tahoe Community College before transferring to Occidental College where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 2013 (Mathematics Major/Computer Science Minor). He started working as a Graduate Tutor at Skyline College in 2014, which fueled his passion for education. He is in the final stages of completing his Master’s Degree in Mathematics from SFSU. Bryan will present some of his former research projects about a logic puzzle/game called the Towers of Hanoi. All attendees will get a chance to play the game and gain some insight into Combinatorics and Graph Theory. Combinatorics, a branch of mathematics involved with counting, helps us understand the number of “moves” it requires to solve the puzzle. Graph Theory, a branch of mathematics involved with graphs/models, assists in visualizing the various strategies in solving the puzzle. Catch a glimpse into mathematical research where seemingly simple/innocuous questions lead to deep/insightful truths!
October 22, 2019	Kenyatta Weathersby, Emilie Hein, and Denise Hum; Faculty - Skyline College Want to find out more about the growing fields of data science and data analytics? Data Science has been named the Best Job in America by Glassdoor for four years in a row. Come hear Prof. Kenyatta Weathersby talk about all things data. Prof. Emilie Hein will talk about careers in data science and data analytics and how to get there. And Prof. Denise Hum will talk about the data science pathway we are working on here at Skyline.
October 29, 2019	Rod Regado, Jakarta Kumasi, Jonathan Kwong, and Jack Samman; Students - Skyline College The Skyline Astronomy Club brings the amazement and awe of astronomy to Science in Action. With the conclusion to the club’s very first observation at the Sierra Mountains, they’re excited to present their experience in an environment that offered a breathtaking night sky free from the obstruction of light-pollution. From fascinating photos of stars and planets to the pure camaraderie between club members, this presentation offers insight into astrophotography and really just the typical activities of the Skyline Astronomy Club.
November 5, 2019	Melisa Carpio; Global Technology Consultant for Cell Culture Technologies - Sartorius Stedim Biotech Learn about the various exciting careers and opportunities for engineers in the Bio-Tech Industry. Melisa is a Global Technology Consultant for the Cell Culture Technologies department at Sartorius Stedim Biotech. In this role, she focuses on the growth and development of single-use bioreactors, including the BIOSTAT RM and STR product lines. She works to continually investigate opportunities for new product enhancements, collaborations, and applications. Prior to Sartorius, Melisa spent nine years working in industry doing cell engineering and cell line development at Genitope, MedImmune, and Takeda. She holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
November 12, 2019	Wycliffe Aluga, Laleh Coté, Nicole-Marie Cotton, and Dan Zevin – UC Berkeley Affiliates What are your STEM career options after graduating? These UC Berkeley affiliates would like you to think beyond the usual tech suspects and recruitment pitches, and instead, follow your passions! Aluga is a recent chemical engineering graduate now working for Culture Biosciences in South San Francisco. Coté is a Ph.D. student whose research focuses on leveraging culture- and community-based knowledge to improve research experiences for STEM majors, with a special focus on community college, first-generation, and underrepresented students. She is also the Senior Internship Coordinator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Cotton is a New Pathways Associate for the UC Women in Technology Initiative, a UC Berkeley 2018 Mentored Research Award Fellow, a Bill & Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar, and a Ph.D. Student in the African Diaspora Studies Program currently running a new student course titled Inclusive Pathways into Tech and Entrepreneurship. Zevin has been in STEM and STEM education for over 30 years, and has been paid for all sorts of jobs, from birdwatching in Hawaii to getting people excited about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. As Co-Chair for UC Berkeley’s Coalition for Education and Outreach, he will moderate the panel.
November 19, 2019	Carson Alexander; Student - CSU Maritime One of the requirements to graduate CSU Maritime Academy with a BS in Mechanical Engineering is the senior design project. An option for the senior design project is to join one of the solar boat teams that compete in the annual SMUD Solar Regatta. Cal Maritime has two teams competing, each designing their own boat. Each member of the team focuses on a specific part of the solar boat, and works on that part throughout the conceptual, design, and construction phases of the solar boat project. Each member has the responsibility to optimize the components to meet the design constraints of the annual SMUD Solar Regatta. The drive train and electrical system needs to be able to operate from the solar panels or battery bank depending on the race. Certain safety requirements must also be met, and the solar boat must pass a safety inspection before competing in the regatta. The presentation will contain some of the benefits of studying engineering at Cal Maritime, as well as the aspects of the senior design project.
November 26, 2019	HoTing (Michael) Lam; Student - Skyline College A physicist and experimenter at heart, Michael will build and demonstrate how a Tesla coil works to learn about how and why Nikola Tesla was able to come up with such futuristic insights from 100+ years ago.
December 3, 2019	Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza; Vice President of Instruction - Skyline College Dr. Taylor-Mendoza will join us in the STEM Center to discuss the conception of the STEM Center, its various uses, and the innovative design that makes it a one-stop shop for all students interested in STEM careers, or simply taking a course in the STEM fields.

Spring 2018 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
March 12, 2018	Jasmine To; former Skyline College student, IND Safety Coordinator/Senior Regulatory Specialist; UCSF Jasmine To attended Washington High School, then Skyline College for 3 years. She then went on to Cal Poly and graduated in 2 years. Her major was Animal Science, and she minored in Poultry Management. She has been at UCSF since 2015, first starting in animal procurement. She will talk about how UCSF creates and has new drug candidates screened by the FDA. She will also talk about the entry level position of Clinical Resource Coordinator. If you are interested in drug discovery, med school, or wondering what you can do with your degree after college, this is the place to be.
March 19, 2018	Rocky Ng; Biotechnology & Chemistry Instructor, South San Francisco High School "High School Science Teaching and Propionibacterium acnes Bacteriophages" Rocky Ng is a biotechnology and chemistry teacher at South San Francisco High School. He earned his B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014. In 2017, he obtained his secondary teaching credential in biology and chemistry from the California State University, Long Beach. During his undergraduate and post-baccalaureate studies, he researched on Trichomonas vaginalis pathogenesis and Propionibacterium acnes/Mycobacterium smegmatis bacteriophages. He was able to isolate a novel bacteriophage from his own face, sequenced, and annotated the genome. Rocky is interested in improving high school student learning through student-centered science curriculum while fulfilling his commitment towards educational equity. Currently, Rocky is developing a high school independent research biotechnology curriculum that involves in isolating a novel bacteriophage from environmental samples.
March 26, 2018	Spring Break Holiday - NO LECTURE
April 2, 2018	Obi Okafor, Pharm D.; Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSF - Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI) Title: Pharmacogenomics: Your DNA + Medications Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person's genetic makeup.
April 9, 2018	Edward Cox, MBA; Head of Partnering Quality at Genentech, a Member of the Roche Group Topic: Using a science degree in the commercialization of biotechnology-based products Skyline College alum (Life Sciences), UC Davis graduate (BS Biochemistry) and current Genentech employee Ed Cox will describe his career choices while working in departments that ultimately facilitated the commercial-scale distribution of medically important products. Beyond leveraging a degree in science, Ed will give his perspective on other skills required for a successful and meaningful career.
April 16, 2018	Arabella Young, PhD; Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSF Topic: Immunotherapy
April 23, 2018	Jose Ureta; QC Scientist, Genentech
April 30, 2018	Cory Padilla, Ph.D.; Metagenomic Scientist at Dovetail Genomics, LLC Cory Padilla recently finished his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Georgia Institute of Technology. His research employs a broad range of analytical techniques including isotopic chemistry, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics to explore the role microbes play in global chemical cycles and to describe the metabolic currencies that dive host-microbe interactions. Cory started his research as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz while getting a B.S. in Marine Biology geared towards microbial ecology and biogeochemistry. Following UCSC, Cory held specialist positions in geochemistry at MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. During his Ph.D. work at Georgia Tech, he assembled microbial genomes from various marine systems and discovered novel biochemical pathways mediating methane and nitrogen transformations. Cory recently started a job as a metagenomic scientist at Dovetail Genomics, LLC in Santa Cruz, Ca, to develop new ways to sequence and analyze microbial genomes.
May 7, 2018	Alexis Lainoff, Ph.D. Candidate; UCSF. Alexis is a Ph.D. candidate studying how heads and faces develop and evolve at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She attended Berkeley City College for two years before transferring to UC Berkeley where she completed a bachelor's degree in Integrative Biology. Alexis worked as a research tech at both UC Berkeley and UCSF for four years before starting a Ph.D. program in Oral and Craniofacial Science at UCSF's School of Dentistry in 2013. For her dissertation work, Alexis studies a disease called "holoprosencephaly," which in its mild forms results in mild midfacial narrowing and in severe forms causes cyclopia (a single eye) in humans. Previously, she studied the development and evolution of the dentition and face in reptiles, with a focus on how turtles lost their teeth evolutionarily.
May 14, 2018	FINAL MEETING OF SPRING 2018

Fall 2017 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
August 28, 2017	First Science in Action Meeting for Fall 2017
September 4, 2017	Labor Day Holiday, No Lecture
September 11, 2017	The Great American Eclipse 2017 On August 19 to 21, a group of 15 students accompanied by faculty and staff traveled to the Linn Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon to view the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017. Come hear about the adventure and the experiments that the students participated in. It was an amazing experience for all and they will share it with you! Light dinner will be provided. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/113813689330875/ to let us know you plan to be there!
September 18, 2017	Human Microbiota and our Growing Appreciation of its Impact on Health and Disease; Steven Weinstein, San Francisco State University You are encouraged to browse the three articles below, and bring electronic versions or paper copies to the seminar, for an interactive discussion. Article 1 , Article 2 , Article 3
September 25, 2017	The Path of a Biologic Drug: from research to manufacturing to trials to patients; Tim Tian, PhD - Biopharma Project Leader, Avantor/JT Baker, Inc. Tim Tian's graduate education was in molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley and his postdoctoral training was in immunology at UC San Francisco has been in the biotech industry for over 15 years, with recent 10+ years focused on bio-manufacturing as senior scientist, BD director & project manager. Currently he acts as a technical applications manager for Avantor, a cGMP material supplier for biomanufacturing.
October 2, 2017	Research Talks and Participating in SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science); Carlos Segura, Miriam Valenzuela, B.S. and Josue Ceron, Former Skyline and current SFSU students
October 9, 2017	Daniel Bravo; Genentech
October 16, 2017	Christina Chu; Proto Biospace wetware, hardware and co-working space in San Mateo Katie Charm; Hapax Science, A Co-working Community focused around Blockchain, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence. A new organization with a focus on technologies for the future.
October 23, 2017	Harnessing the genome's autocorrect system to cure blindness and other disease with CRISPR-Cas genome surgery; Kathleen Keough, PhD candidate at UCSF Kathleen is current a PhD candidate jointly advised by Prof. Katie Pollard and Prof. Bruce Conklin at UCSF and the Gladstone Institutes. Her research aims to better understand our genome, particularly the noncoding part, using bioinformatics and genome-editing tools including the CRISPR-Cas system. Prior to graduate school, Kathleen earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. During her undergraduate studies, she pursued research opportunities to develop mathematical models of microRNA expression as well as better understand platelet activation. After her undergraduate studies, she worked for two years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a public health associate, working to prevent hepatitis B and other vaccine-preventable diseases as well as to prevent outbreaks of other communicable diseases. Aside from research, she enjoys going to the beach with her dog, Frodo, rock climbing, mountain biking, reading, traveling, and trying to keep her plants alive.
October 30, 2017	Understanding tissue formation during embryo development; Akela Kuwahara, PhD Candidate at the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program UCSF Akela Kuwahara is a PhD student at UCSF in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program. She studies how tissues form during embryonic development using mouse models and embryonic stem cell culture systems. Prior to starting at UCSF, Akela did her undergraduate studies at Humboldt State University and majored in biology. She is passionate about increasing diversity in STEM and helping undergraduates to become familiar with the scientific thought process and explore their future career paths.
November 6, 2017	Defining the stromal contribution to the aging niche in the lung; Nabora Soledad Reyes De Mochel, Ph.D.; Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Medicine and the Cardiovascular Research Institute UCSF Soledad was born in Durango, Mexico and raised in California's central valley (Merced, CA). She completed her PhD from UC Irvine investigating the function of BMP signaling and dynamic transcription factor gene expression in preimplantation mouse development. Her free time is divided between climbing, dancing salsa, and spending quality time with friends and family.
November 13, 2017	Science in the Era of Big Data; Emilie Hein, PhD, High Energy Physics Emilie Hein is a Physics instructor here at Skyline College. She grew up in France and earned a MS in Physics from the Universite Joseph Fourier in Grenoble in 2003, and a PhD in High Energy Physics from the University of California, Irvine in 2009. Her thesis was on the study of matter and antimatter asymmetries in particle interactions using the BaBar detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. More recently, her interests have been in data mining and machine learning applied to business, science and technology. She will share her journey from struggling with Physics in high school to earning a PhD in the field, and how she applies today what she learned along the way.
November 20, 2017	Veronica Romo; Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student and member of the SJSU Biomedical Engineering Society, San Jose State University
November 27, 2017	Lisa Razon, B.S.; Former Skyline student, Vector Laboratories Inc.
December 4, 2017	Kirk Lombard; Author of “The Sea Foragers Guide to the Northern California Coast”
December 11, 2017	Final Science in Action Meeting for Fall 2017; Meet the Climate Corps Fellows working on the Skyline College Campus In response to the some of the most pressing problems society will face in the not-too-distant future, the world is on the verge of a major transition to a green economy. Not sure what that means? The final session of the Science in Action Fall 2017 lecture series will provide an overview of sustainability, actions Skyline is taking to advance it, and opportunities to get involved both on and off campus. Alex Fuentes and Mary Thomasmeyer are Climate Corps Fellows working on sustainability initiatives at Skyline. By engaging students, faculty, and staff, they hope to strengthen campus’s understanding of environmental issues and implement changes that will make campus more sustainable.

Spring 2017 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
February 6, 2017	Steve Weinstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director NIH Bridges Program; SFSU Topic: Undergraduate Research Programs and Summer Research Internships
February 13, 2017	Mayra Pastore, Ph.D., Stride Postdoctoral Fellow; UCSF Topic: Hormone Receptors' Role in the Development of non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
	Dr. Pastore was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador. She attended John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, CA and obtained her B.S. degree in Biochemistry from San Francisco State University. Dr. Pastore obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology. She is currently an IRACDA- Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Francisco where her research focuses on elucidating the development and progression of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is characterized by accumulation of excess fat. Due to the increasing obesity rate in the U.S. we have also observed increased NAFLD prevalence. NAFLD can progress to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis or hepatocellularcarcinoma, which has a high mortality rate. The incidence of NAFLD in women after menopause increases from ~40% to ~60% of all diagnosed patients, suggesting that estrogen plays a role in protecting women from developing NALFD. Dr. Pastore is an avid gardener and long-distance runner, having completed several full and half-marathons in the last few years.
February 20, 2017	HOLIDAY - No Lecture
February 27, 2017	Nate Perry, B.S., former Skyline student and current SFSU MS applicant Topic: From Vegetables to Vectors: A journey from Horticulture to Plant Biology
	Nate Perry’s life has been full of transitions. Starting with a bachelor’s degree in English, he spent ten years in the music industry, taught horticulture at a San Francisco non-profit, and is now making the leap to an advanced science degree. He attended Skyline College from 2015-2016, and has worked in labs at UCSF and SFSU. He will discuss the importance of networking, how to land a lab internship, and his current research with Dr. Zheng-Hui He (SFSU), in which he studies the role of UVB signaling and vitamin B6 in plant development.
March 6, 2017	Michelle Azurin, MPH, Diversity Outreach Coordinator; Diversity Respect Equity Action Multiculturalism Office UC Berkeley School of Public Health
	Are you committed to addressing the health needs of your community? Learn about the ‘best kept secret’ in the health field – an area that encompasses science, culture, research, policy, advocacy, education, social media and much more – all with the overarching goal of helping people lead healthier lives! Also interested in medicine, nursing, dentistry or another health field? Learn about how getting an MPH will provide you with additional skills to be the best health professional you can be. Students with any undergraduate degree can be competitive applicants to graduate programs in public health; so all students are encouraged to attend. Come learn more about this amazing field at this special presentation by the D.R.E.A.M. Office from UC Berkeley's School of Public Health.
March 13, 2017	Egle Cekanaviciute, Ph.D., Stride Postdoctoral Fellow; UCSF Topic: The connection between the microbiome and the development of autoimmune neurological disorders
March 20, 2017	Jasmine To, former Skyline student, IND Safety Coordinator/Senior Regulatory Specialist; UCSF
	Jasmine To attended Washington High School, then Skyline College for 3 years. She then went on to Cal Poly and graduated in 2 years. Her major was Animal Science, and she minored in Poultry Management. She has been at UCSF since 2015, first starting in animal procurement. She will talk about how UCSF creates and has new drug candidates screened by the FDA. She will also talk about the entry level position of Clinical Resource Coordinator. If you are interested in drug discovery, med school, or wondering what you can do with your degree after college, this is the place to be.
March 27, 2017	Hector Gomez, B.S., Former Canada College student and UCSD Graduate; Current Research Assistant at Sandler Neurosciences Center; UCSF Topic: Building the Brain, One Gene at a Time
	Hector Gomez attended Canada College and CSM. He got his first taste of research (in summer 2014) as a participant in the Bridges Program, doing an internship in neurobiology at a UCSF lab. He subsequently transferred to UCSD and gained further research experience in neuroscience as part of the McNairs Scholars Program. Upon graduating from UCSD with a BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology this winter, he has returned to the Bay Area to become a research assistant at his original UCSF lab, while he prepares for applying to medical school.
April 3, 2017	HOLIDAY - No Lecture
April 10, 2017	Lecture Cancelled
April 17, 2017	Camilla Sloan, B.S., Former Canada College Student and RPI Graduate; Current Technical Sales Specialist, St. Jude Medical Topic: Engineering the Future: Biomedical Technology is right for you.
	Camilla Sloan is on a journey from community college to fulfilling her dream of making a real difference in the world of healthcare. After high school, Camilla attended CSM and Canada College before transferring to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State. There, she graduated in 2.5 years with a degree in biomedical engineering with a concentration in biomechanics. Since graduating this past winter, she has started working for Abbott, a llarge medical products company, as a Technical Sales Specialist. At the same time, she is in the process of founding her own medical device company.
April 24, 2017	Lecture TBD
May 1, 2017	Corin White, Ph.D., Stride Postdoctoral Fellow; UCSF Topic: Two Universities and Two Host-Pathogen Peculiarities: My Journey in Science
	Corin is an IRACDA (Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award) postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Joseph DeRisi's lab at the University of California, San Francisco. The DeRisi lab employs a number of omic and bioinformatic approaches to understand and determine the causal agent of various diseases. Corin has a general interest in host-pathogen interactions and is most intrigued by the following question: What genes are required on either side of a biological interaction in order for that symbiotic relationship to occur? Her current project involves work with the protist pathogen, Balamuthia mandrillaris, a free-living amoeba that causes a deadly central nervous system disease. Other projects involve using gene expression to determine a host signature for bacterial or viral infection and to characterize the viruses in patients with various respiratory complications. Corin is originally from Santa Clara, California and loves traveling, hiking, trying new things and Reebok Spartan races. In addition to biomedical research, she also has a passion for science outreach, mentoring and teaching and is enjoying the exploration of these career paths.
May 8, 2017	FINAL SPRING 2017 LECTURE Cancelled - Have a wonderful Summer; we'll be back in the Fall!

Fall 2016 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
December 5, 2016	Robert Rustia, Biology Faculty Topic: TBD
November 28, 2016	Xiaorong Zhang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at School of Engineering and the Director of the Intelligent Computing and Embedded Systems Laboratory; SFSU Topic: Toward the Next Generation Neural Controlled Artificial Limbs
	Dr. Xiaorong Zhang has broad research experience in human-machine interfaces, neural-controlled artificial limbs, embedded systems, and wearable devices. She is a member of IEEE and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She has served in the professional societies in various capacities including Associate Editor of the IEEE Inside Signal Processing E-Newsletter, Co-Chair of the Doctoral Consortium at 2014 IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence, Faculty Advisor of the SWE SFSU chapter, and Program Committee Member of various international conferences. She received her bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China in 2006, and her master's and Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI in 2009 and 2013.
November 21, 2016	Miguel Angel Mata, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow; Stanford University Topic: TBD
November 14, 2016	Yazmin Carrasco, Ph.D., IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow; Department of Cellular Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF Topic: From Mexico to the sec61 translocon
	Yazmin: I’m a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF. My research interests focus on understanding the molecular mechanism for co-translation translocation of secretory and membrane proteins using small molecule inhibitors. Secretory and transmembrane proteins are critical for cell-to-cell communication and have been associated to numerous human pathologies such as inflammation, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. I did my Ph.D. at UT Southwestern in the field of natural products chemistry.
November 7, 2016	Liliana Cerna, Former Skyline College and current San Francisco State student Topic: OspC: A key virulent factor of Lyme Disease
	Liliana, who hails from a small town in Calavares County, CA, began at Skyline College in 2013. She got her start in research by participating in the Bridges to Baccalauereate program for two summers. She enjoyed the experience and has continued in research after transferring to San Francisco State University. She is now funded by the NIH-RISE program and works in a disease ecology lab, studying Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a vector-borne enzootic disease transmitted and maintained by ticks and vertebrate hosts. Of particular interest is the highly polymorphic outer surface protein C (ospC) of the pathogenic spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. Her work aims to characterize the frequency and distribution of ospC genotypes in ticks and better understand potential host-genotype interactions in important mammal reservoirs
October 31, 2016	Rahwa Neguse, MS, MPA, Program Analyst, UC Global Health Institute; UCSF Title: TBD
	Rahwa Neguse has a unique blend of skills and experience in the areas of health promotion and administration, nonprofit leadership, international service work, youth development, and college/career advising. Rahwa is interested in global health and plans to pursue and DrPH-Doctorate in Public Health with a focus on global maternal/child health research. She is also interested in researching the intersection of poverty and health outcomes. Ultimately, Rahwa plans to establish and manage health centers that provide high-quality healthcare services to women and children in marginalized communities worldwide.
October 24, 2016	Steven Weinstein, Associate Professor; SFSU Activity: Reading and Discussion regarding Cancer Immunotherapy; Two related documents: Scientific Paper and New York Times Article
October 17, 2016	Justin D. Mclaurin, M.S., PhD student; UCSF Title: How Signaling Circuits Generate Complex Cellular Behaviors such as Cell Polarity, Motility, Growth, and Differentiation.
October 10, 2016	Dr. Nick Kapp and Guests, Biology and Biotechnology Professor; Skyline College
October 3, 2016	Marco Mravic, M.S. and Elena Caceres, M.S., Ph.D. Students in Computational Biology; UCSF Topic: Mravic - Engineering Biomolecule Technologies from scratch; from Laptop to Benchtop
	Marco Mravic is from the Greater Los Angeles (626), graduated from UCLA ’14, and does biomolecular physics & engineering work for his PhD at UCSF. At UCLA, Marco changed majors 5 times: from Math to Physics to Chemistry, (which were all too easy), then to Electrical Engineering (which was too hard), and ended up graduating with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He paid for college through doing laboratory research concurrently, from purifying stem cells from liposuction for bone reconstruction to measuring the toxic mechanisms of truck exhaust. Now in his PhD, Marco writes software to design non-natural protein molecules atom by atom, which he then synthesizes and tests in the lab. He aims to use molecular engineering both to shake down controversial theories in biology & physics and to develop new biotechnologies addressing unmet clinical & industrial needs.
September 26, 2016	Lillian Kenner, MS, Third Year PhD Student, Biophysics; UCSF Topic: Redefining a Path to PhD: From High School Dropout to PhD
	In 2005 I earned my high school diploma after attending a continuation school to earn credits for the classes I failed, including Biology. From there I went to community college in Santa Cruz at Cabrillo College. It was there where my passion for the life sciences was realized with the help of teachers with a passion for the subject. After graduating with my BS from UCSC, I began working as a research assistant in the lab of James Fraser at UCSF. In the 3 years I worked in the Fraser lab I published papers, wrote opinion pieces on other's work, gave lab meetings, and learned to grow and shoot protein crystals at synchrotrons to determine their atomic structures. From there I joined the UCSF Biophysics program as a PhD student. Currently, I am in my third year studying protein complexes in the highly competitive and flourishing field of Cryo-Electron Microscopy, which was named the Method of the Year by the journal "Nature" in 2015.
September 19, 2016	David Piech, 2nd Year PhD Student, Bioengineering Graduate Program; UCB-UCSF Topic: Brain-Machine Interfacing: Using neurobiology, engineering, and programming to create a new way to communicate with the world around us
	David’s research activities focus on neural interface devices and brain-machine interface systems, with the goal of enabling wider adoption of these technologies through vastly reduced-risk in-situ neural recording and stimulation modalities. Previously, he was a research engineer at a private invention lab and tech incubator where he contributed to research in metamaterials-based antennas (spun out as Echodyne, Inc). In addition, he led and worked on projects in close collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, including a microfluidic tool to aid in malaria control, a solar-thermal system to improve developing world vaccine accessibility, and emergency infection barrier improvements during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He graduated with the B.S. degree from Duke University in 2012, studying Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. His research included work on a new microfluidic cell poration technique, a minimally invasive laparoscope, and a robotic bird to study the neurobiology of animal communication.
September 12, 2016	Melissa Clendenny; SFSU, Josue Ceron, and Roberto Carlos Segura; Skyline College Topics: M. Clendenny; An Anti-16A Fab Binds to an Intracellular Domain of TMEM16A J. Ceron; Evaluating Synthetic Promoters for Regulating Gene Expression in Model Bacteria R. Segura; Defining the Relationship Between Vacuole Size and pH
August 29, 2016	Dr. Abdalla Darwish, Presidential Professor of Physics; Dillard University (View Full Bio ) Topic: Polymer-inorganic nano-composite thin film for bio, chem, and light emitter sensors
	The objective of this talk is to showcase the-state-of-the-art-laser educational and research facility in the physics department at Dillard University and tell the journey of building the department to be one of the top physics departments in the country producing more than 55% of African American in physics for the last 15 years. In addition, to facilitate research projects to Skyline students who might be interest in summer internship and help to understand the various types of multidisciplinary research equipment and projects on the laser labs in the physics department...(View full description )

Spring 2016 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
May 9, 2016	SFSU Build Program Scholars Topic: Four Build Program Scholars discuss their program
	SFSU undergraduates in a joint program with UCSF Cynthia Perez (SF BUILD Scholar undergrad), Juan Castillo (SF BUILD Scholar undergrad), Edgar Velazquez (SF BUILD PostBac) and Saba Sohail (SF BUILD PostBac) are all members of the Health Equity Research (HER) lab. The goal of the HER lab is to link basic science to community health. Each of them is working on a different project in which they investigate how health disparities experienced by our communities affect our biology.
May 2, 2016	Karma McKelvey, PhD Topic: TBA
	Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, UCSF
April 25, 2016	Amanda Woerman, PhD Topic: Neurodegeneration: When good proteins go bad
	Postdoctoral Fellow, Prusiner Lab, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, UCSF
April 18, 2016	Kamalini Ranasinghe, MD PhD Topic: Alzheimer's Disease: A Network Disconnection Syndrome
	Postdoctoral fellow; Memory and Aging Center; Department of Neurology, UCSF Dr. Kamalini Ranasinghe received her medical degree from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and completed her internship training in general medicine and general surgery. She earned her PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience from University of Texas at Dallas, under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Kilgard. Dr. Ranasinghe is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the research group of Dr. Keith Vossel at UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Her research centers on the network dysfunction of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Much of her work has been devoted to identifying the spatial and temporal characteristics of network dysfunction using MEG-imaging of the brain.
April 4, 2016	Yalda Shahriari, PhD Topic: Brain-Computer Interface for Assistive Technology
	Postdoctoral Scholar; Department of Physiological Nursing; UCSF Yalda Shahriari is originally from Iran, where she got her early science training, earning a bachelors degree in electrical engineering. For her masters degree work, she shifted her focus to biomedical engineering and bioelectrics. She moved to Old dominion University of Virginia in 2012 for her PhD training in biomedical engineering. Since 2015, she has been at UCSF where she is focusing on brain signals recorded from behaviorally non-responsive patients, as well as animal models of psychiatric disorder.
March 21, 2016	Joyce Cueto Barroso Topic: TBD
	TBD
March 14, 2016	Kartika Palar, Ph.D. Topic: Outside In: How Social Inequality Gets Under the Skin and Makes us Sick
	Assistant Professor, Division of HIV, ID and Global Medicine; UCSF Kartika Palar, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). As a public health scientist, she uses both qualitative and statistical methods to understand social and economic barriers to health, and to help develop and evaluate programs and policies to address these barriers. Her primary focus over the last several years has been on intersecting issues of food insecurity, economic vulnerability and health, including HIV, diabetes, and mental health. Her current research program addresses the interplay of chronic disease, HIV and social determinants of health, and is funded by NIH, Kaiser and UCSF. The following articles are relevant to Dr. Palar's research and will prepare you for her talk. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Better-food-seen-as-key-in-AIDS-treatment-3805672.php (actual research our group works on) http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-22/news/40709969_1_hallam-hurt-so-called-crack-babies-funded-study (interesting article highlighting importance of social determinants of health)
February 29, 2016	Melanie P. Matheu, PhD Topic: When cells have a mind of their own: How cell movement supports immune responses
	Postdoctoral Fellow; Diabetes Center; UCSF Melanie Matheu is a San Francisco Bay Area native with a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine. Melanie is an expert in two-photon imaging of immune responses both in the lymph node and peripheral tissues such as lung, skin, and spinal cord. Melanie is currently a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF in the Diabetes Center, studying the movement of regulatory T cells and will be moving shortly to an Associate Director position at Adheren Immune.
February 22, 2016	Irene Acerbi, PhD Topic: Using bioengineering tools to study how tumors and surrounding healthy tissue interact
	Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration; UCSF Irene Acerbi, Ph.D. is a biomedical engineer by training. After receving her B.sc. at the Polytechnic of Milano, Italy, she started her graduate training at Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering (UBB) at the University of Barcelona, Spain, where she learned the nanotechniques of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Subsequently, Dr. Acerbi became a joint doctoral student with the UBB of the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona and the Bioengineering Department at the Polytechnic University of Milano. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Bioengineering, she joined the Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration at University of California, San Francisco as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2010, and successfully applied the AFM technique on human breast tissue from prophylaxis mastectomy, pre-cancerous lesions, and invasive tumors. Dr. Acerbi's current research project is to identify high-risk populations for developing malignancy so that individuals can benefit from improved monitoring and treatment, sponsored by a three-year Post Doctoral Fellowship by Susan G. Komen Foundation. Dr. Acerbi recently published a research paper in the journal Integrative Biology and an image from her studies was used on the cover of the issue.
February 8, 2016	Jose Ureta, BS Topic: Luck Favors the Prepared
	Senior QC Associate, Genentech Jose Ureta is a Senior Quality Control Associate at Genentech and has been working in biotech for nearly 15 years. Jose is a local guy, who went to CCSF, then SFSU. Due to personal reasons, Jose left SFSU in 2001 just a few courses short of completing his degree. Recently, he completed the remaining coursework to obtain his BS degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. Thus, he's the epitome of perseverance in terms of never giving up on his goal of earning a BS degree, even after leaving full-time school more than 10 years ago.
February 1, 2016	Bridgette Clarkston, Ph.D. Topic: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs)
	California State University, Monterey Bay Curriculum Associate, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center; Coordinator, Research Experience for Undergraduates program
January 25, 2016	Rebecca Belloso Topic: Community College to UC Davis: My Educational Journey and Master’s Thesis
	UC Davis Environmental Toxicology, Former Skyline College student Rebecca attended both City College of San Francisco and Skyline College before transferring to UC Davis as an Environmental Toxicology major. While at Skyline College, she was actively involved with Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) and Society Advancing Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). After transferring, she joined the McNair Scholars Program at UC Davis, which assists underrepresented students pursue a graduate degree. Throughout her undergraduate career, she has participated in research at Skyline College, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University and UC Davis. Rebecca recently completed her Master of Public Health degree from UC Davis. For her master’s thesis, she worked with the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to evaluate the California Medical Supervision Program. This Program requires that California medical physicians follow specific guidelines to ensure that pesticide handlers are being appropriately monitored to avoid harmful pesticide exposure levels. As a result, Rebecca traveled throughout California to interview medical physicians regarding their practices and assessed the Program’s effectiveness. Results found could lead to potential changes in the Program.

Fall 2015 Lecture Schedule

DATE	TOPIC & LECTURER
December 7, 2015	Benjamin Borgo, Ph.D. Topic: Design of a biomolecular tool-kit for high-throughput protein sequencing
	Global Product Manager, Agilent Technologies Ben currently works in the biotechnology industry at Agilent Technologies, managing the development of new synthetic biology products. Prior to joining Agilent, he co-founded a start-up company focused on developing molecular diagnostics using nanopore-based technology. Ben attended Skyline College before earning a BS in applied mathematics from San Francisco State University, after which he moved to Washington University in St. Louis. At Wash U he received his Ph.D. studying protein engineering and design. Ben also earned an M.B.A. from Washington University’s Olin Business school.
November 30, 2015	Pamela Rios, BS Topic: TBD
	Former Skyline College student and current UC-Berkeley lab technician
November 23, 2015	Rene Mercado, BS Topic: TBD
	Former Skyline College student and current Ph.D. student, Department of Chemistry, UC Santa Cruz
October 26, 2015	Samuel Sakhai, Ph.D. “Biological Embedding of Early Life Experience in the Rat”
	Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Neurology, UCSF Dr. Sakhai received his PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014. His dissertation focused on how early environmental variables, such as parental care or enriched housing environments, are capable of influencing brain and behavior in the rat. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, San Francisco investigating how alcohol, by altering signaling factors involved in neuroadaptations, is capable of underlying the transition from moderate to excessive drinking. After completing his post-doc, Dr. Sakhai hopes to continue research and apply his work to inform public policy.
October 19, 2015	Allison Callow “Climate Change and Policy: An Interdisciplinary Education ”
	Current Climate Corps Bay Area Fellow and Sustainability Coordinator at Skyline College; B.A. International Relations with a minor in Environmental Policy from UC Davis Allison Callow is Skyline College’s current Climate Corps Bay Area Fellow and Sustainability Coordinator and an emerging professional in the field of climate change and sustainability. She discovered her passion for climate change solutions through the lens of environmental justice at UC Davis and has since studied the relationship between community development, public policy, and science. Come discuss the relationship between science and policy and how we can act on climate change and hear about Allison’s experience at UC Davis and beyond.
October 12, 2015	Roberto Barrozo, Ph.D. “Academia to Industry: Utilizing Science Outside the Lab”
	Program Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Genentech Dr. Roberto (Rob) Barrozo is a San Bruno native who started at Skyline College and transferred to SFSU. His initial goal was to go to medical school, but realized very quickly that this was not the right path. He returned to SFSU to work on his masters degree then to UC Davis for a PhD. After 10 years of research he decided to change fields slightly and is now working at Genentech as a Program Manager in Regulatory Affairs.
October 5, 2015	Andrea Burbank, MD “Why Research is Like Fighting Forest Fires”
	Postdoctoral Fellow; Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education Department of Medicine UCSF Dr. Drea Burbank had a 9-year career fighting forest fires prior to attending medical school in an innovative rural-and-remote sattelite program in Northern Canada. Her first research experience was with rehabilitated street children in Kampala, Uganda. Come find out how why this background was perfect for her last project, an analysis of digital consultations on electronic cigarettes for clues to inform public policy. Dr. Burbank is a postdoctoral fellow with the UCSF Centre for Tobacco Research and Education.
September 28, 2015	Aaron Hardin, Ph.D. "Understanding the effects of variation in regulatory DNA sequences"
	Postdoctoral Scholar; Dept. of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences UCSF Dr. Hardin started at Ohlone CC in Fremont, transferred to SJSU and that launched him into grad school at UC Berkeley. He had no idea what he wanted to do his first semester at Ohlone, but got hooked on computer science because it helped him solve complex problems. While at SJSU, he switched his major to bio and ended up minoring in CS. His current research is mainly in evolution and development with a heavy dose of computational biology.
September 21, 2015	Gabriela Monsalve, Ph.D. “From Venezuela to California – How I Ended Up Working on Steroids”
	Postdoctoral Fellow; Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF Dr. Monsalve studies how glucocorticoids, naturally occurring steroid hormones, work to kill certain tumor cells. Aggressive blood cancers like lymphomas and leukemias are commonly treated with chemotherapy drugs, which includes glucocorticoids. Unfortunately, some patients do not respond to these steroids, which usually indicates a poor likelihood of survival. To improve the treatment of patients with steroid-resistant cancers, Dr. Monsalve studies how and where steroids are absorbed in the body. Examining how these hormones get into cells will both illuminate how they destroy tumor cells, and support the future development of treatment options for patients with hormone-resistant cancers.
September 14, 2015	Jonathan Z. Butler, PhD MDiv "Triumph in the Face of Adversity: Reflections of an African American Male PhD."
	Postdoctoral Scholar; Center for the Study of Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease (NURTURE) University of California, San Francisco Dr. Butler is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco with expertise on the social determinants of health. His research focuses on the ways in which religion, chronic stress, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity can affect one's health. He earned his Master's in Divinity with a concentration in Health and his PhD in Sociology with concentrations in Medical Sociology and Social Inequality at Howard University located in Washington D.C.

Spring 2015

Date	Lecturer	Bio	Topic
May 11	Jorge Felipe Ortiz-Carpena	PhD Student; Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, UCSF	*U Can Stay Forever, Chapter 1: The Adventures (and Struggles) of a Grad Student in San Francisco*
Apr. 27	Roman Camarda	Graduate Student; Andrei Goga Lab, Biomedical Sciences Program, UCSF: Roman Camarda is a second year PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSF. Through the study of metabolism, he hopes to develop new strategies to treat cancer. Roman grew up in Seattle, and is the first member of his family to pursue graduate school in the sciences.	*Cancer and Metabolism and Icebergs*
Apr. 20	Kaitlyn Lucy, PhD	Division of Gastroenterology, UCSF	Metabolism in Microorganisms
Apr. 13	Rene Mercado	Former Skyline student and current UCSF student
Apr. 6	Natalie Petek	Former community college student and current 6th year graduate student, UCSF	Bacterial actin-like proteins:purification and characterization of self-assembly properties. http://mullinslab.ucsf.edu/research/
Mar. 30 (5:30 pm)	Rhea Kimpo, PhD	Basic Life Science Research Associate; Dept of Neurobiology, Stanford University	Neuroscience:Optogenetic dissection of the contribution of an error signal in the cerebellar circuit to oculomotor learning
Mar. 23	Flora Rutaganira	Graduate Student; Kevin Shokat Lab, Biomedical Sciences Program, UCSF
Mar. 16	Miquella "Kelly" Chavez, PhD	Postdoctoral fellow; Klein Lab, Department of Orofacial Sciences, UCSF
Mar. 9	Jing Folsom	Assistant Professor; Biology, Skyline College	Coordinated expression ofbHLH25 and bHLH27 transcription factor genes contributes to Arabidopsis susceptibility to the cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii
Mar. 2	Steve Weinstein, PhD	Associate Professor, SFSU
Feb. 23	Vanessa Cota and David Ruvalcaba	Vanessa holds a bachelors degree in theater. However, she decided her true interests were in the sciences. Consequently, Vanessa returned to CCSF to take basic science coursework. While there, she did a research internship with the Bridges Program. She is currently engaged in research in a Masters program at SFSU and plans to pursue a Ph.D. David is currently a CCSF student who is nearing transfer to a UC school. He has done research in the Bridges Program for 2 years at SFSU and this past fall, he presented his work at the SACNAS research conference in Los Angeles.	Vanessa: C. Elegans Sperm Proteins That May Play a Role In Fertility David: The role of motor proteins, Dynein and Kinesin-14, in Endoplasmic Reticulum reorganization during mitosis
Feb. 9	Justin Chen, PhD	Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University	*The Genetics of Splicing in Cancer*

Spring 2014

Date	Lecturer	Bio	Topic
May 5	Rahwa Neguse	MS in Global Health, UCSF	Create Your Path
April 28	Patty Garcia	PhD; Postdoctoral Scholar Radiation Oncology Department; Stanford University
April 21	Luke Lightning	PhD, Native American Scientist Entrepreneur	Perspectives on Life in the Tech and Biotech Industries after Academia
April 14	Aaron Mendez	PhD student, UCSF	Using Chemical Tools to Dissect a Cellular Stress Pathway
April 7	Larry Wigman	PhD; Senior Scientific Manager of the Small Molecule Analytical Chemistry and Quality Control Group; Genentech	Protecting Patients from Genotoxic Impurities
March 24	Sky Feuer	Third-year PhD student, UCSF	Sex and the Business of baby-Making: Long-term effects of in vitro fertilization on the offspring
March 17	Charles Morgan	PhD student, Chemistry and Chemical Biology program, UCSF	Everyone is a Scientist: A journey on becoming a professional scientist and educator
March 10	Deborah Van Olst, Moon Choi and Brad Jacobson	M.P.H. Epidemiologists San Mateo County Health System	Why Epidemiology "Counts"
March 3	Jordan Berry, Adriana Garcia and Shawntel Okonkwo	Former community college students and current SFSU undergrad researchers	From Community College to Undergraduate Researchers and Beyond: Our Stories
February 24	Linh-Dang Vu-Phan	Gaensler Lab, Div of Hematology/Oncology, Dept of Medicine, UCSF	Stem Cells as the Cause of and Solution to (Some of) Our Problems
February 10	Melissa Quino McCreery	Second year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Science at UCSF
February 3	Naomi Kort	Ph.D. Graduate Program in Bioengineering at UCSF / UC, Berkeley
January 27	Saida Gracia Perez	Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco