Spring 2021 Spotlights
Several of our students have been accepted into programs or have won awards and grants during the spring. Here are a few highlights.
Math
Mathematics scholar Jordyn Helaire was accepted into the Single Subject Credential Program at CSULB and received the Mary Jane Patterson Teachers for Urban Schools Scholarship from the College of Education. Patterson Scholars are postbaccalaureate credential students who will receive a generous scholarship for up to four semesters while they earn their teaching credential. Jordyn is currently applying to be a counselor in the Bridges to Entering Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) summer programs. BEAM is a program based in New York that creates pathways for underserved students to become STEM professionals.
Mathematics scholar Cyna Nguyen was accepted into the 2021 PRiME (Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience) REU program, which is an 8-week program to conduct research in Algebraic Geometry & Number Theory. Cyna was also accepted into the 2021 Mathematics REU Program at Texas A&M, which is an 8-week program conducting research in Algebraic Geometry, Number Theory, and Probably and Algebra. Cyna will be finishing her honor's thesis in Mathematics and she will be applying for Ph.D. programs in Mathematics this summer.
Physics
Physics scholar Natalie Cannon was accepted into Georgia Tech's Ph.D. program in Nuclear Engineering, her dream school since her junior year of high school. Natalie is the CNSM student council president. She is planning and will be hosting a zoom webinar with a Nobel Laureate in April. This semester, she worked to help receive a $1000-grant for the Physics and Astronomy Department to start a Women in Physics club.
Physics scholar Maria Maalouf was accepted into the 2021 PRiME (Pomona Research in Mathematics Experience) REU program. This is an 8-week program to conduct research in Algebraic Geometry & Number Theory.
Physics scholar Jessica Rogado has accepted a summer internship position at Rivian which is an Electric Vehicle company based in Irvine, CA. She will be doing research in range efficiency and propulsion systems for electric outdoor vehicles. Jessica is currently part of an abroad club called GUSDES – Glasgow University Students for the Exploration and Development of Space in the United Kingdom, where she is the lead for the Energy and Materials Team. The team is compiling research to help further the idea of colonization of Mars. Jessica is also in the NASA L'Space proposal writing and evaluation experience workshop program. She and her team just submitted a proposal for a grant to conduct research at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
Geology
Geology scholar Daniella Balassa was accepted into the master's program in Paleontology at Cal Poly Pomona. This summer, she will spend four weeks doing summer field and research at The Natural History Museum of New York involving Pleistocene vertebrates. She has published the following papers:
- Balassa, Daniella & Prothero, Donald & Syverson, V.J.P.. (2021). How did the cougars and bobcats respond to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition? New Mexico of Natural History Bulletin 82: 1-7
- Prothero, D.R., De Anda, E.E., and Balassa, D., (2021). The post-cranial skeleton of Capromeryx minor, a dwarf pronghorn (Artiodactyla: Antilocapridae) from the Pleistocene of Rancho La Brea. New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin 82: 321-333.
- Prothero, D.R., Syverson, V.J.P., Hullbert, R.H., Jr., De Anda, E.E., and Balassa, D. (2021). Allometric trends in growth and dwarfing in the dwarf pronghorn Capromeryx: does dwarfing follow the same trends as growth? New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin 82:335-339.
