2024 Mentoring Award Winners | Graduate Student Resource Center (GradPost)

2024 Carol Genetti Mentoring Award Winners

Guillem Belmar Viernes

Ph.D Student, Linguistics

Research Interests: My research interests are quite varied, but it all boils down to understanding the dynamics of linguistic minoritization and how different communities contest these. To that end, I am interested in the documentation of Indigenous and minoritized languages, Indigenous diaspora communities, language revitalization, language and media... and I'm particularly working with two languages of Mesoamerica: Mixtec and P'urhépecha.

Mentoring Experience: I've learned so much from all the students I have worked with! I have trained many students in different research projects with multilingual material, and it's been a pleasure to see them develop from simply following instructions to actively participating in the design of the analytical frameworks that we would use as a group. I am extremely proud of my RAs, and I hope to continue working with some of them in the future!

Meaning of the Award: I am so honored! This award acknowledged the hard work I put into creating a safe learning environment for my RAs in which we would also discuss professional and academic topics beyond our projects. This recognition means a lot to me, and I hope it inspires other graduate students to do the same. I didn't have any of this as an undergrad, I often felt lost and didn't really know what the next step was. And I feel like I owe it to my twenty-year-old self to offer other people the opportunity to ask and learn without being judged.

Jordan Douglas-Tavani

Ph.D Candidate, Linguistics

Research Interests: My research interests lie with documenting, describing, revitalizing, and honoring the indigenous languages of the Americas, in particular, those of the Pacific Northwest, from which I hail. I want to continue pushing the field of linguistics in the realm of story-based, archival language description and revitalization. I am also interested in morphosyntax, semantics (in particular, spatiotemporal semantics), language change (historical or via language contact), and construction grammar.

Mentoring Experience: My experience as a graduate student mentor has been incredibly rich and rewarding. I already had an inkling that I wanted to be a mentor from my experiences in my undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon -- however, coming to UCSB really solidified that for me. I realized just how much of a difference I was making in the lives of all of my mentees. It is truly something special, seeing them grow and develop as junior scholars and as people. I am so incredibly proud of my mentees, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for them!

Meaning of the Award: The Carol Genetti Graduate Mentoring award is incredibly meaningful to me. It brings with it a validation that my time and efforts have not been in vain. It tells me that my department, and the University as a whole, recognizes and honors my hard work and dedication. More than anything though, it serves a badge of honor and a reminder of the role that I wish to have for the rest of my life.

Kyungin Kim

Ph.D Student, Communications

Research Interests: My research centers on two main areas: first, identifying the stressors experienced by families and youths living in precarious states due to immigration and legality issues, and second, exploring how specific family communication practices can promote or impede their adjustment and well-being. Currently, my research investigates the impact of different kinds of parental Vocational Anticipatory Socialization messages on the career options and outlooks of undocumented students. My goal is to illuminate not only the existing support gaps but also the cultural and social capitals of, and pathways to empowerment for these communities.

Mentoring Experience: In my first two years at UCSB, I have had the privilege of working with 478 undergraduate students in Communication courses and 21 undergraduate research assistants from various departments. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to teach and learn from them.
While academia can often feel exclusive, my students helped me feel accepted and welcomed in every classroom and research meeting I walked into. I will always strive to foster the same inclusive environment for students from all walks of life – by listening to their stories and demystifying academic terms and research processes.

Meaning of the Award: This award is first a reminder to me of the exceptional mentorship I have received throughout my academic journey. I am grateful to the teachers in my life who have shown me first-hand what it means to be patient, empathetic, and supportive mentors. This award also signifies the trust my students have placed in me, and I am thankful to them for allowing me to be a part of their academic journeys and for believing in my commitment to their education. It is a great honor and joy to be recognized for doing what I am most passionate about.

Kylie Woodman

Ph.D Student, Communications

Research Interests: I am currently a researcher in the Media Neuroscience Lab within the communication department at UCSB. I love working in a cross-disciplinary field that blends neuroscience, computational methods, developmental psychology, and media research. My goal is to understand how adolescents and children develop in a media-saturated environment, particularly how it influences their cognition, attention, and behaviors. Ultimately, I hope my research can help individuals and parents optimize their relationship with technology, maximizing benefits and minimizing drawbacks.

Mentoring Experience: I am grateful for the opportunity to teach and guide students, helping them apply classroom skills like statistics, writing, and presentation to real-world research. Guiding students through research projects allows them to explore and develop their skills, discovering what they enjoy most. It's wonderful to see undergraduates experiment and find their passions, whether it's running an fMRI study, modeling brains for 3D printing, or presenting research at conferences. I'm thankful to be part of the many supportive graduates and faculty that encourage exploration and growth.

Meaning of Award: Being a mentor to undergraduate students has always been a goal of mine, inspired by the incredible mentor I had during my own undergraduate studies. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to mentor students at UCSB. I find their intelligence and drive inspiring and it encourages me to be a better mentor and researcher. Receiving this award is deeply meaningful as it highlights the university's commitment to hands-on learning and skill development. It encourages me to continue guiding students in their research and helping them develop practical skills for their futures.

2024 Fiona and Michael Goodchild Award Winners

Caitlin Nordheim

Ph.D Student, Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology

Research Interests: I am broadly interested in wildlife disease ecology and am studying how the environment interacts with a fungus responsible for a catastrophic amphibian disease (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). To understand disease transmission, it is important to identify how this disease-causing fungus persists in the ecosystem and how extreme climate events may affect the disease dynamics. I am investigating potential amphibian disease reservoirs (aquatic bugs and soil) in frog ponds and how extreme weather events, like extreme drought and rain events, may alter disease risk in amphibians in California.

Mentoring Experiences: Introducing students to ecological research is incredibly rewarding and fun. I have prioritized incorporating research opportunities for mentees throughout each aspect of my work. My research includes fieldwork, such as environmental surveys and catching and sampling frogs and bugs, and lab work, such as DNA extraction and quantification. This variety allows me to train researchers in many techniques and provides mentees with hands-on experiences in different aspects of ecological research, which allows them to learn what aspects of research they are most passionate about. I also encourage and support my mentees in developing their own independent research projects. Through these experiences, I have learned alongside them about environmental DNA methodology, fluorescent microscopy, aquatic macroinvertebrate anatomy, and more. Assisting students through the research process, from developing a hypothesis to data collection, synthesis, and presentation, is one of my greatest joys. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with passionate and hard-working undergraduates at UCSB as a graduate student mentor.

Meaning of the Awards: This award is deeply meaningful to me as it acknowledges the dedication and passion I have invested in mentoring undergraduate researchers. My own journey as an undergraduate researcher was transformative, helping me build confidence and a sense of belonging in the scientific community. I aim to emulate my previous mentors and foster a similar environment and opportunities for my mentees as a graduate student at UCSB. I look forward to continuing to mentor students throughout my career and seeing all of the extraordinary accomplishments of my mentees as they move forward in their careers.

Leo Jimenez Chavez

Ph.D Candidate, Psychology

Research Interests: With my research, I aim to better understand the psychiatric implications of alcohol addiction. I investigate sex differences in alcohol addiction and how adolescent use differs from adult use. This includes investigating the underlying neurobiological mechanisms and behavioral consequences associated with a history of alcohol abuse.

Mentoring Experiences: Being a graduate student mentor has been a very rewarding experience. Knowledge and support from others were really important in my own academic journey, so it's been very fulfilling to switch roles and offer this same support to other students. And it has been very rewarding to see students develop over time both as students and as scientists.

Meaning of the Award: Mentoring has always been a passion of mine. Receiving this mentorship award is significant because it means that the time I've spent helping others navigate their academic journeys has been appreciated and is making a difference. This award gives me even more motivation to continue mentoring students in the future.

Gabriela Villalpando Torres

Ph.D Candidate, Mechanical Engineering

Research Interests: My research interest lies within the field of mechanobiology, particularly in exploring how manipulating the mechanical environment of cells can influence their fate. Currently, I am focusing on understanding how heart muscle cells adapt to disease-induced changes in their mechanics. To explore this, I use a stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte model, which holds significant potential for understanding and treating various heart conditions. I believe that looking at the mechanics that tamper with these systems could be key to solving issues within the cardiovascular field, and it is very exciting that I get to contribute to such meaningful research.

Mentoring Experiences: I made a conscious decision not to take on any undergraduate mentees until I reached a point in my PhD program where I had completed my coursework and I felt knowledgeable enough in my project to teach others. Even then, interacting with my mentees has prompted me to revisit and reinforce my knowledge base, as their challenging questions often highlight gaps in my knowledge, making me a more well-rounded researcher. I was also initially hesitant to mentor because I feared I wouldn't know how to lead effectively, but this experience has given me confidence in my ability to manage and collaborate. Seeing my mentees apply the skills I taught them to pursue their own research questions has been so cool and rewarding!

Meaning of the Award: I am extremely humbled and honored to be chosen as one of the recipients of the Fiona and Michael Goodchild Graduate Mentoring Award. As a first-generation student, I attribute much of my success to the incredible mentors who guided me and inspired my own commitment to mentoring. Since applying to grad school, I have aimed to provide the same high-caliber mentorship to undergraduates, helping them achieve significant milestones such as presenting at a research conference. This recognition motivates me to continue to create a research environment that offers opportunities to a diverse set of scientists and helps them pave their way to success, just as I was given the opportunity to do.

Justine Albers

Ph.D Student, Marine Science

Research Interests: My research focuses on bacteria involved in the marine nitrogen cycle. I combine genomics, laboratory experiments, and measurements made at sea to understand how these microbes adapt to environmental stressors like nutrient limitation and low oxygen.

Mentoring Experience: It has been a joy applying the skills I've developed in my graduate program to advise several undergraduates working on a project about microbial bioplastic degradation in the ocean. Mentoring has given me a sense for what it is like to manage a research group and reinforced my passion for teaching others. Mentorship quality can deeply impact student outcomes, so I strive to educate myself on mentorship best practices, encourage mentees to develop independence and enthusiasm for science, and facilitate achievement of their professional goals beyond our time together in the lab. One of my favorite parts of being a mentor is getting to see all the amazing things that my mentees go on to achieve!

Meaning of the Award: I am humbled and honored to be recognized! I am so thankful for the thoughtful guidance of my own mentors and am proud to pay that forward by mentoring undergraduates at UCSB. My relationships with my mentees are among the most rewarding I have built so far in graduate school and have affirmed that mentoring students is something I will continue to prioritize going forward in my career.