ECRA Researcher Spotlight

Expected Graduation: Spring 2022

Major: General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati

Grigor Tombulyan worked on the impacts the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill had in exposing the pelagic and coastal marine ecosystems to oil and its main toxic components, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). His project builds on earlier studies by investigating the cardiotoxicity of PAHs exposure in the seaside sparrow by conducting real-time PCR and measuring the expression of the jun gene in exposed and control birds.

Since joining the Bonisoli-Alquati lab in the summer of 2019, Grigor says that he has had nothing but great experiences. From the start, he was given many opportunities to help graduate students both in the lab and in the field. These early experiences allowed him to develop an understanding of what would be expected of him. With constant meetings and conversations with all of the members of the lab including undergraduates, graduate students, and his faculty mentor, Dr. Bonsioli-Alquati, he was able to be fully immersed into the lab. After presenting at RSCA, Grigor felt that he gained more confidence in himself as an undergraduate researcher because the conference allowed him to display his knowledge and communication skills to his fellow peers and other faculty on campus.

During his research experience, Grigor came across a few struggles that he believes were necessary for him to overcome in order to be successful in the lab. The first and main struggle he had was finding a way to balance his schoolwork and responsibilities in the lab. After a few months, Grigor was able to find a good method of prioritizing his schoolwork and not procrastinating so he could work on his project in the lab without sacrificing the quality of his education in the classroom. The second struggle he had was learning how to properly structure his project. When you are trying to do an experiment that no one has done before or has not done in the exact way you plan on doing, there are no step-by-step instructions on what you need to do. With the advice of all the students part of the lab and his faculty mentor, he was able to learn how to use the methods of other experiments which conducted certain steps or used the same equipment he was going use to make a reference on how he should set up his own protocol.

After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, Grigor plans on applying to medical school and then going on to obtain residency in ophthalmology. Although there are no clear connections between conducting research with birds and the medical field, it is the main reason he wanted to join the Bonisoli-Alquati lab. Grigor felt that joining this lab was a great opportunity to study a field he would not have been exposed to otherwise. He is grateful he made this decision because not only was he able to learn about the field of ecology, but he was also able to join a team that has improved his knowledge, skills, confidence, and has made his experience here at Cal Poly Pomona that much more memorable.

If Grigor could give some advice to aspiring undergraduate researchers, he would tell them to find a subject they are passionate or curious about. It is important that you enjoy the work you will be doing because it will take up a large part of your undergraduate career. Also, it is important to be a part of a lab you feel comfortable with and feel that you can truly make friends with your fellow lab members.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: General Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Thomas J. Osberger

Jeanney Munoz’s overall goal of her project is to find an antileishmanial drug that is both safe and effective within the human body. Jeanney explained that what the Osberger group is trying to do is evaluate and synthesize new and existing bisbenzylisoquinoline (BBIQ), which are natural products that provide a good starting point for antileishmanial drugs. She further explained that no systematic studies have been performed to determine how these molecules function as antileishmanial compounds. Jeanney said that the Osberger group plans to make that happen by using a double Pictet-Spengler reaction in order to provide the BBIQ core of the natural product Tetrandrine.

Jeanney’s research experience has been very interesting. This was her first time doing organic synthesis, so she is learning all kinds of new techniques and methods on approaching things. What Jeanney said she liked the most about her research is that not only is she using certain techniques and methods from her research lab, but she could now take these new things that she has learned and transfer them to her lab classes, feeling like an absolute genius while teaching others the way she was taught. From this research experience, she feels that as an individual, her confidence grew. Jeanney now goes to her faculty mentor's office without hesitation and emails him when she is stuck or lost on problems without feeling dumb. After presenting at the RSCA, Jeanney felt super proud of herself. Jeanney was beyond nervous about the questions that would be asked and about presenting as well, but at the end of the day it showed her that we all are simple human beings; mistakes will always be made and it all depends on how she bounces back. Presenting and being asked really interesting questions about her research made Jeanney extremely happy. In fact, it made Jeanney want to do more with her research and continue for as long as she can at Cal Poly Pomona.

One of the main struggles Jeanney had while doing this research was time. She started in the middle of February and continued until beginning/mid-March. The reason she started so late is because she and her mentor were new to the campus. When fall semester started, her mentor set up the lab they'd be working in for the spring semester. With the spring semester in COVID-19 crisis, the campus was shut down. To overcome these struggles from throughout the school year, Jeanney read literature reviews on bisbenzylisoquinoline.

Jeanney is a general biology major at Cal Poly Pomona, so her intentions weren't to do organic research. However, in her first semester at Cal Poly Pomona, she took her first organic chemistry class and absolutely fell in love with the subject. Jeanney found herself studying more for that class and actually enjoying it more than any of her other subjects. Because of this, she asked her professor–now her mentor–if there was a way she could apply what she had done in class (chemical reaction wise) to real life events and that's when her mentor proposed a research project he wanted to start and introduced her to the ECRA program. Not only did she find out that she loves seeing reactions happen in real events, but when doing her research experience, Dr. Osberger told her there was a way in which she could incorporate her love for biology and chemistry together with the underlying syntheses of organic chemistry and obtain her PhD in chemical biology. The research experience wasn't foreseen when Jeanney had first started at Cal Poly. Jeanney was just trying to obtain her bachelor’s degree in general biology and do all the requirements for medical school. However, due to this research experience, she learned that she enjoyed it so much that even though time in the actual lab was very short, she was sure that this is what she could do for the rest of her life. Jeanney enjoyed the time she has spent with her group and the hard work they have put in thus far. Jeanney sees the work they are doing on right now connecting to her future.

One of the most important pieces of advice that Jeanney has received (and has yet to master) is to manage your time. She emphasized that students should not let their school work slip. Also, Jeanney mentioned that you should not be scared to ask your mentor "dumb" questions because it's those "dumb" questions that help you fully understand your research. She went on to say that everywhere you go, you will always feel like someone is smarter than you, and you're probably right; however, they might not have the drive and passion you do. Jeanney also said to keep in mind that it's your first time conducting research, so you will make mistakes and may feel miserable about it, but you have to remember we are all humans and that humans aren't perfect. If it were easy, everybody would do it and because it isn't, you were chosen not by mistake, but purposefully. At the end of the day, time will always move on and no matter how bad you think you did the previous day, you have to look at that as opportunities in which you could do better. Jeanney said that research isn't for everyone and you're only learning from experience, so this is the best way to make the mistakes and figure out if this is something you would want to continue in. She advised that there's nothing wrong in asking questions and getting answers. Cal Poly is a school taught with the slogan "Learning by Doing," so there's plenty of research opportunities available whether you're getting paid or volunteering. All you have to do is break out of that shy shell of yours and go for it; the worst you could get is rejected, and that's fine. She mentioned that not everyone gets approved the first time around, but it's better to be rejected by others–knowing you gave an effort–than to be rejected by yourself.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cord Brundage

Jennifer Flores tested the McMaster Fecal Egg Count method to determine its validity for use as an egg load burden test in an ongoing study at Cal Poly Pomona. The McMaster quantifies the egg load burden of the parasitic nematode, Haemonchus contortus, in sheep. She said that she can use this methodology to track the treatment progress of eradicating the worms with the plant, Cleome gynandra. Jennifer explained that the outcomes of this research will inform the value of Cleome gynandra as an alternative treatment of sheep.

Jennifer explained that her research project, while having a definite learning curve, was an experience that she would be remiss to have not had. Dr. Brundage acted as a valuable resource for information and created a space to brainstorm ideas without diminishing the independent nature of the program. Upon completion of the RSCA presentation, Jennifer felt that she had elevated her professionalism, having made tangible accomplishments in the direction of her chosen field.

Unavoidable animal mishaps aside, Jennifer’s biggest struggle was figuring out what questions she was supposed to be asking at the start. As a student with no prior research experience, the expectation of materializing a project for which you are solely responsible can be daunting, she explained. However, once Jennifer established a line of communication with her faculty advisers, she was able to confidently organize a successful experiment. Ultimately, Jennifer’s goal is to enter the world of academics as a professor in the biological sciences and, obviously, research and professorship are often closely intertwined. In the future, she hopes to not only teach in the classroom, but to use her experience in this program to more astutely guide students that are in a position similar to her own.

The best advice Jennifer said that she can give is to apply to every opportunity and ask every question you have, no matter the triviality. Jennifer mentioned that one will likely face uncertainty and, if you're anything like her, maybe even 86 sheep. Jennifer also stated that students should prepare themselves to be malleable, and be confident in the resources that surround them. Jennifer lastly mentioned that there is support, if you only remember to ask.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: Philosophy – Law and Society

Faculty Mentor: Cory Aragon

Jeremy Manning’s research aims to create a descriptive account of social media, determine what things social media can be held accountable for, and explore what kinds of attitudes are appropriate for people to have regarding social media actions. He felt that his mentor was supportive, informed, and knowledgeable about the material. They spent their sessions discussing his research to narrow its scope and focus to make it a stronger project. By the time he presented at RSCA, he was able to discuss his topic with confidence. Most of his struggles came from the tediousness of philosophical research methods. Gathering all the literature is a long process, so he leaned on his mentor to guide him through what to look at and what to read. Jeremy would like to do more research into applied ethics. He enjoys looking at what makes people determine actions as right or wrong. He plans on applying his research methods to a career in federal law enforcement.

Jeremy’s advice to other undergraduates beginning research is to get all their literature together early and start determining what is most important to read and pull from. Stay close to your mentor and establish some kind of structure to get things done every week.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: Business Administration

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Seth Ketron

Prior research has found that consumers tend to prefer symmetrical products to asymmetrical products and that non-round (.97, .99, etc.) price endings tend to be seem as higher value than round (.00, .50, etc.) price endings. Using this, studies were done under the assumption that asymmetrical product shapes shift attention from price endings, seemingly diminishing the advantage of non-round price endings.

With her faculty mentor, Kelly was able to come up with a research project that seemed interesting to study and could have real-life applications within the marketing world. Dr. Ketron was always readily available for any questions she had and provided resources that she couldn't have found on her own. The experience she gained was used in coursework and projects as well. After presenting at the RSCA, she walked away with new ideas, thanks to those she was able to converse with.

One of the struggles Kelly came across was just having limited time in order to conduct researches. Though two were done, the results provided initial evidence for our hypothesis and with more studies, they could have been able to establish mediation, test additional product contexts, and discover moderators.

With the knowledge Kelly gained with this research, she plans to continue researching more with her faculty mentor and hopefully publish a journal so others can build upon the findings as well. Not only that, she plans on attending grad school and the research gave her experience that others may not have.

For those who are planning to participate in research for the first time, Kelly would say don't be afraid because you don't have experience. There were times where she felt like this was way too out of her league and outside her comfort zone, but that was just all in her head. Don't overthink it and utilize the resources around you. For Kelly, her faculty mentor was her biggest resource and she wouldn't have been able to have done it without him.

Expected Graduation: 2022

Major: English Literary Studies

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kate Ozment

Kelly Wong’s research was primarily focused on the meeting minutes of The Hroswitha Club, a women book collectors' organization which lasted from 1944 to 1999. Kelly recorded the data from the minutes and looked into who the members were and what they have done. She also tracked where their collections had gone and created records of what they have written or were mentioned in. Kelly said that she would describe her research experience and interactions with her faculty mentor as very enriching, because she has never done this before, and she has never worked so closely with a professor before. Kelly expressed that it was a novel experience, and one that she would gladly relive again and again. Kelly stated that she felt so proud and satisfied after presenting at the RSCA in front of the audience of peers and familiar faces, and with the questions that displayed vast knowledge. She also mentioned that she felt comfortable, supported, and that it was a good environment for her.

Kelly says that she finds herself wondering a lot about what "research" actually is, and how it applies to her discipline and what she is doing. Kelly says that it's hard to say, even now, what it is. When Kelly thinks about research, she thinks scientific method, labs, formulas, math–the type of research that is done typically in those types of fields. Even when she learned about research and research essays in her coursework, English research is based on similar scientific method methods. This problem plagued Kelly for a while, and she looked really hard for an answer. Kelly looked into books. There are books available explaining how to do research, but it is just techniques on brainstorming research questions and keeping track of sources, but not really any guidance on how to work with what Kelly is doing. She consulted her mentor, and Dr. Ozment told her about what was accepted, typically, for the discipline, and opened Kelly’s eyes to what other forms of research there are. Kelly sees research connecting with her plans for the future because of all the doors it would open up for her.

Kelly said that she enjoyed the time she spent doing what she did, and putting in the work that she did, which makes her want to pursue even more research in the future. There is so much to learn and so much information to discover, Kelly said. Kelly said that she would advise other undergraduates to really learn more about their academic discipline. She continued and said that you need to put in the work yourself to learn about what is expected within your discipline, the norms, the style, and the conversations that go on within. Kelly explained that everything has preset rules and expectations, from the words you use to how it's arranged, all of those decisions require careful consideration because you're going to want to fit in. She also mentioned that students are going to want to put on the airs and seem like you know what you're talking about. Kelly stated that she would encourage that, would wholeheartedly advocate for others to reach for that standard. Kelly felt more confident, proud, and that it was a wonderful performance that would greatly help in her future academic pursuits.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2022

Major: Physics

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Krishna Sigdel

Marc’s research is in using Atomic Force Microscopy to study the dynamics and mechanics of DNA. His research experience and interactions with his faculty mentor has given him a feeling of belonging within his major. After presenting at the RSCA, he felt more confident when talking and writing about his research.

One of the struggles he came across during his research was finding time to balance the time commitment with his coursework. Fortunately, he was able to do his research work in the lab, which is both a quiet place and that gives him the motivation to carry on with his courses.

Throughout the research experience, Marc had been able to learn and gained technical ability on how to use the equipment required for his future career. Along with that, his faculty mentor and he hope to publish at least one research paper before graduating to prepare Marc for any future research related opportunities.

Marc recommends that if you are seeking research, he would definitely recommend doing research on new topics within your major. If you are preparing to participate in research for the first time, definitely stay organized and maintain a close connection with your faculty mentor.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Hao Ji

Maximum Wilder-Smith’s research project is aimed at creating a system that uses multiple cameras that receive depth and color data to capture real-time 3D photos of a target or scene. This 3D photo will be a textured, airtight 3D mesh that can be used in animation, game engine, and simulation programs.

This was his first independent research so there was lot he was unsure about going into the project. The whole project, especially having to present at RSCA, seemed like a massive undertaking that Maximum was not sure he was ready for at the beginning. However, his faculty mentor, Hao Ji, helped him through each stage or process and would often give him helpful long-term milestones for them to reach and focus on. For this project, Maximum had to use a lot of new applications and languages that all had steep learning curves. This often required him to spend more time than he had expected so he could properly learn the systems he was using. Balancing his coursework with the time he needed to put into the research project was difficult at times; however, if it ever got too stressful, he could always readjust his research timeline with his faculty mentor.

In the future, he hopes to work in the field of robotics, where computer vision applications and 3D reconstruction systems are incredibly useful for orienting a machine in its environment.

The advice that Maximum would give to other students preparing to participate in research is that research is an amazing experience, and it can really help students explore what specializations they are interested in. Being a part of an undergraduate research program and having a faculty advisor can really help to lessen the sense of "there's so much to do I don't know where to start." The programs offer tons of helpful workshops, from narrowing down a project to a specific goal, to preparing for your first conference. Then, between the advisers available at the programs and your faculty mentor, you always have someone to talk to when you have questions, whether they are about the research process or your project in particular.

Expected Graduation: Spring 2021

Major: Animal Science

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alex John

Nhan’s research is on synthesizing a molybdenum catalyst to study deoxydehydration reaction to reduce oxygen content of biomass to be able to produce alternative chemical resources to replace fossil resources.

Nhan’s faculty mentor was very helpful in guiding her through research. Nhan is transforming from a student who knew nothing about the chemistry of catalysts to understanding enough to be able to present the project at a conference. She described her experience presenting at RSCA as scary because it was her first time presenting a chemistry project. However, soon after that, she felt much more confident talking with other people about her project and now feels ready to continue to present at other conferences.

There was one time the NMR of the product that she made did not have the NMR peak at where she expected it to appear and she had no clue what happened. At the same time, her faculty mentor was sick and was not able to be there for a week. She stopped working on that molecule and tried to come up with different explanation for what happened. She sent the product for another lab test to see if the product she got was the product she expected.

Nhan is on her way to exploring whether she wants to do laboratory type of research or field work research. Doing this research project helped her determine her career in the field.

Her advice is to keep a research folder and try to keep it organized. Organize your time well. Apply for the lab key. Be careful and cautious with everything you do because sometimes you may be working with hazardous chemicals.

Expected Graduation: 2021

Major: Political Science

Faculty Mentor: Robert Nyenhuis

Randell Monzon’s research project explores how poor urban voters in Africa are influenced through populist discourse during elections by evaluating presidential speeches through a holistic scoring technique.

He feels that his research experience went well and that all the extra work he did for his project was worth it. Usually, he would visit his mentor biweekly so they could discuss the progress of their project. Randell’s team consisted of diverse majors, which he felt was helpful in terms of having different mindsets and perspectives on the topic. He and his teammates believed that they had not presented well at RSCA, so they were surprised and excited to learn that they had been selected to represent Cal Poly Pomona at the CSU Student Research Competition. Randell believes that what helped them throughout the competition was that they were passionate about their work.

A challenge that he faced during the timeframe of his research project was time management. During his first semester, he was very involved in campus activities, so it became difficult to juggle his events, meetings, and clubs. As a political science major, he plans to pursue a career as a campaign manager or a city council member in order to work with and for the community. He feels that learning and expanding on the effects of populism can help him better analyze how political figures in his city influence voters during elections.

Randell’s first piece of advice for students who are freshmen, sophomores, or juniors would be: “Give it a try! If there is a research topic that suits your major, interest, or curiosity, you should definitely explore it.” While he was not interested in international politics, he wanted to challenge himself by doing something outside of his comfort zone. Therefore, he became involved in a research project that analyzed the politics in another country. In doing so, he was able to acquire knowledge and information that can assist him in the future works of politics. Secondly, use your time wisely. Make sure you manage your time and divide the course of workload provided by your faculty mentor and team. While participating in a research project, one must remember the expectations and amount of commitment it requires. Lastly, make sure to stay consistent with your faculty mentor and visit their office hours for any questions or comments you may have.

Expected Graduation: Summer 2020

Major: Early Childhood Studies

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Giselle Navarro-Cruz

Valerie De La Rosa’s research was about looking at teacher self-efficacy in teaching dual language learners in different early childhood settings. She was able to interview and perform a survey with different educators about how their work and education experiences influenced them, and also observe how they apply different strategies when working with dual language learners.

Valerie said that her research experience was amazing. It was a great learning opportunity for her because she was able to apply what she had learned in her ECS courses that dealt with working with multilingual children and see it in action. Being able to look at different settings from family daycare, head start, mainstream kindergarten, dual-immersion kinder, and center-based care helped her view things from different perspectives. Dr. Navarro-Cruz guided her through the whole process, and she always gave her constructive feedback. Valerie felt prepared because she had Dr. Navarro-Cruz for a course about this topic before, so she felt comfortable asking her questions and communicating with her. Valerie felt a lot more confidence in herself and in her research after presenting at RSCA. The experience helped her with her public speaking skills. It also helped her think about what information she should talk less about or elaborate more on.

Valerie remembers reading another student's bio regarding doing research, and the student had said that it was very time consuming. Valerie said to herself, "It can't be that bad!" However, research was really like adding three times the work of another course load. It was difficult for her to find certain participants because working with children comes with many safety and confidentiality guidelines. This is when networking comes in handy. Professors helped connect her to people, and she was able to ask past teachers she knew for help. Valerie believes the most important thing is to not be afraid of putting yourself out there. Also, working around the teachers' schedules was difficult, so she had to manager her time wisely.

Valerie would like to be an early childhood teacher working primarily in a Spanish dual immersion classroom. She felt that this was the perfect research opportunity for her to look at how other teachers work with dual language learners. It helped her look at areas teachers felt they struggled with and what type of support they wanted in order to be able to work with these multilingual kids. Even though she wants to work with young children, this experience also sparked some interest in public policy in early childhood. There are many policies dealing with dual language learners in upper grades, but so many for ages 0-5.

If you are interested in doing research don't be afraid to ask for guidance. Take the time to ask your professors on their interest areas, or read up on their bios, because that's where you can get the first stepping stone. Think about networking; it can make a really huge difference! Also, take it easy! Don't put too much stress on yourself. Ask for help, there are a lot of people who can help you. Take advantage of the workshops so that you can feel prepared, instead of overwhelming yourself.