UCI students recognized at national conference
October 29, 2009
by Rizza Barnes - UCI Graduate Division
Ph.D. candidates Carlos Solorzano and Jose Romero-Mariona delivered award-winning presentations at the 2009 SACNAS conference.
Two Ph.D. candidates received best oral presentation awards at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) annual meeting, held Oct. 15-18 in Dallas.
Jose Romero-Mariona, with the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, was recognized in the engineering/computer category, while Carlos Solorzano, with the School of Medicine, won best presentation in pharmacology/immunology.
“The conference gave me new insights into other scientific fields and possible applications of my work,” Romero-Mariona said. “In addition, representing UC Irvine during the student presentations was a great honor. Overall, I enjoyed meeting prospective grad students and discussing not only my work, but also the endless possibilities at UCI.”
Chemistry doctoral student Elizabeth Montalvo presented as well, as did 29 undergraduates from UCI’s California Alliance for Minority Participation program. CAMP students Maria Menchaca, Jonathan Ortiz, Julie Cojulun and Justin Joyce took home outstanding poster presentation awards.
“Attending this conference allows UCI to showcase our students — the university’s most effective ambassadors — on a national stage,” says Raslyn Rendon, director of outreach, recruitment and retention for UCI’s Graduate Division. “It was wonderful to see them present their work, receive recognition, and connect with their colleagues and with prospective applicants from across the country.”
Targeted to minority students, postdoctoral scholars, educators and researchers in all disciplines of science, math and engineering, the SACNAS conference drew more than 2,700 attendees who took part in training sessions, professional development workshops and networking. Next year’s annual meeting will take place in Anaheim.
