Alonso Delgado

Ph.D. Candidate in Evolutionary Biology at Ohio State University

Alonso is an evolutionary marine biologist. He is from Los Angeles, California, and is a First-Generation American & student. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Ohio State University in the EEOB department. His research focus is studying venom evolution in Cnidarians. Particularly he studies how evolutionary relationships and interactions shape trait evolution. For his Ph.D. dissertation, Alonso researches how venom evolves in the sea anemone family Aiptasiidae and how symbiotic relationships change venom composition. To do this work, Alonso conducts fieldwork to collect biological samples. As of now, those locations have been NYC, the coast of Florida, Los Angels, San Francisco Bay, and Southern France. In 2023, Alonso will conduct two fieldwork expeditions in Spain & Portugal and Croatia and Italy. Besides his work in science, Alonso is very active in working to make STEM more accessible to students who have been historically marginalized in STEM. He is and or was involved in the following initiatives: LSAMP, McNair Scholars, NIH Build EXITO, Latinx in Marine SCI, The Society of Systematic Biologists Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC), POSEA conference, STEM 2030 and NSF Venom CO Lab

Erin Santos

Student in Neuroscience Graduate Program at Oregon Health & Science University

Erin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience from Colgate University before embarking on a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where she investigated the effects of neuronal activity on central nervous system myelination. Erin is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at OHSU, where she plans to continue to explore the role of glial cells in brain development, homeostasis, and plasticity.

Monica Zapata

 Masters student in Environmental Science & Management at Portland State University

Monica Zapata is currently a grad student at Portland State University. She graduated as a Chemical Engineer back home in Colombia. In 2019 she moved to the states to improve her English skills and to get familiar with the academic environment in the United States. In 2021 she applied to PSU to get her master degree in Environmental Science and Management. Currently, she works as a Teacher Assistant. As part of the snow lab her research focuses on the evaluation of Black carbon and dust in snowpack from burned forest and potential impacts on water availability. She loves dancing, exercising, and exploring the city anytime she gets a chance.  

Ariadna Covarrubias Ornelas

Ph.D. Student in Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University

Ariadna began their post-secondary education at Portland Community College and then transferred to Portland State University (PSU) where in 2017 they completed their Bachelor's degree of Science in Biochemistry. After an internship in biogeochemistry they decided to switch their focus away from biochemistry. In 2019, they applied and were accepted into PSU's Master's program in Geotechnical Engineering as part of the Civil and Environmental Department. After completing their Master's research into diatomaceous soils they remained at PSU to work in the PSU LSAMP program as the Community College Liaison for about a year. 

Currently, Ariadna is a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University where they will continue to study diatomaceous soils as well as venture into electroosmotic soil remediation. To relax, Ariadna picks up a paint brush, a pencil, or a needle to make visual art, or a pen to write.

Edgar Alejandro Verdin Aguilar

Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation

I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco MX and immigrated to the US at the age of 4.  Grew up in Tillamook, OR where I worked on farms and mechanic shops through college. Upon graduating high school, I came to PSU where I obtained a degree in Civil Engineering with an Environmental focus.  I'm a first generation college graduate, English is my second language, and I have DACA.  My first out of college job was an Civil Engineer EIT in AECOM's Water department.  I then worked in Social Work before jumping into Project Engineering roles which have led to my role at Nike as the Senior Facility Project Manager.  My passions include cars, latin dancing, traveling, soccer, and most recently learning about finances.

Melissa Preciado

GRI Engineering

Melissa was born in Colombia and came to the U.S. at 11 years old. She attended Portland Community College before transferring to Portland State University to pursue a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Melissa has been working in the civil engineering industry as a professional since 2020, after graduating from PSU with a Master's in geotechnical engineering. Her graduate research focused on the liquefaction susceptibility of Pacific Northwest soils, especially soils near critical infrastructure. Her research has expanded her knowledge of local soils, and their potential behavior during a Cascadia Subduction Zone large-magnitude earthquake. 

Melissa volunteers with nonprofit organizations such as Adelante Chicas and helps develop STEM summer camp workshops taught by PSU’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) students. Since studying civil engineering at PSU,  Melissa has been committed to community outreach and earthquake preparedness. When not thinking about earthquakes, Melissa likes to garden, travel, and rockhound.

Julian Preciado (Ph.D). 

Scientist I. Nanostring

I was born in Colombia and moved to Portland Metro Area at the age of 10. I started college at the community college level at PCC and finished undergraduate studies at Oregon State University with a B.S. in Bioengineering. I wanted to be involved in Biomedical research and development so I went for a PhD at the University of Minnesota. My PhD work focused on developing cell encapsulation models to isolate and study cancer cells responsible for relapse. After receiving my Ph.D, I looked to return to the PNW and found Nanostring, a mid-size biotech company in Seattle, WA specializing in Spatial Genomics. At Nanostring, I work in the Product Development Department, where I focus on advancing our recently launched Spatial Sequencing instrument that allows subcellular localization of RNA and protein. 

Danna Guzman Gonzalez

PSU LSAMP Student

Danna Guzman is a Chemistry major on the pre-medicine track with a minor in Biology. She is currently a senior in the Honors College. She is interested in medical research which includes Fluorescent probes for medical applications and Immunology research. As a first generation women in STEM, Danna has firsthand seen medical inequities and disparities faced by minority communities. Because of this, she believes that diversity in higher education and in research in general is important. She is very passionate about advocating for all students and being a resource on campus for anyone who wants to learn more about research, different STEM courses, and overall navigating higher education. She does this by speaking about her experience through being an Ignite mentor, being the chair for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in the STEM fields programs Advisory Council, and also by being the chair for the Cultural Resource Centers Advisory Council on campus. Her plan is to begin pursuing her MD/Ph.D. after graduating in the Spring of 2023 in order to ultimately become a doctor who can work with patients and also help contribute to the medical research being studied at the time.

Jorge Miranda

City of Beaverton

Jorge Miranda is BS, MS in Civil Engineering. During his free time Jorge enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, dancing, and playing the guitar. Jorge is a OSU Alumni, while at OSU Jorge was involved with LSAMP, and SHPE. Jorge currently works as a project engineer with over 5 years of industry experience. Currently Jorge works for the city of Beaverton. Jorge has gone through the steps to become a PE.