Morgan Downes
Major: Biopsychology
Minor: Professional Writing
Whenever someone asked me, “What do you want to do when you grow up?,” I always replied, “I want to save the world.” I understand that this is not something that I can do alone, which is why my secondary goal has become communicating the urgency of the environmental crisis with others and getting them to care about our home planet as much as I do. I hope do so by highlighting all of the wonderful parts of the world that are worth caring for and showing all of the opportunities we have to begin implementing solutions to our current crisis on multiple scales and fronts. Fighting this crisis is not going to be easy, and it will take a cooperative effort from a multitude of disciplines. This type of collaboration requires effective discourse, and I hope to use my science communication training to educate others and inspire them to work together so that we can all save the world.
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Anita Flores
Major: Biopsychology
Minor: Professional Writing
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Amelia Gilkey
Major: Biopsychology
Minor: Professional Writing
In my junior year of high school, I took AP Bio and AP Psych simultaneously and was immediately intrigued by the parallels between the classes. I knew that this connection was something I wanted to learn more about, but as I attempted a literature review, naive 16-year-old Amelia was immediately overwhelmed. I wanted the facts, not the news reports, but facts were presented in dense scientific papers, and I had no clue how to read them. Thus was born my college degree: B.S. in biopsychology with a minor in science communication, researching the brain and learning the skills to effectively communicate this information to the public and kids like my 16-year-old self.
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Bella Gragnani
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
People are like neurons. Especially in classrooms. The classroom itself would be the brain, housing the neurons that communicate with one another. But we don't communicate by building up a positive charge by intaking Na+ before we can send chemical messengers to one another. Instead, we speak or present writing to spread information.
This is exactly what happened in my second year of college during a class about the nervous system. My eyes sparkled with excitement at the information my professor presented. I was hooked. Axons, dendrites, neurotransmitters, the whole sha-bang. I wanted to know everything about our brain and how it worked. I wanted to share the amazing facts with everyone about what's going on right behind their eyes.
Two years later, I have developed an extensive project on the man who made this passion of mine possible: Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the "father of modern neuroscience". He harnessed his creative abilities in art to create a successful scientific career. I hope to use my creative abilities in writing to communicate complex scientific topics and spark the same passion that I found in the next person.
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Hailey Harkins
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
Science is the recipe for the Earth around us. Through my time at UC Santa Barbara studying the Biological Sciences, I have been able to take in my surroundings with a newfound understanding and depth of knowledge. Whether it be through coursework in cell and developmental biology, providing me insight into what occurs at the molecular level within my body, to undergraduate research in the plant genome, I have fallen in love with learning about what occurs at levels that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Writing allows me to share my perception with others who don’t know where to look. I am a science communicator because science shouldn’t just be for PhDs or lab rats, it should be used to help others see how awesome the world can be.
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Keyanna Kehle
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
I’ve always been someone who loves the environment passionately. Growing up, I strayed from the 4H path laid out for me due to the ongoing animal cruelty I witnessed in the program, which in turn led me to go vegan and focus on the environmental and scientific impact of what we consume.
Getting into science wasn’t something I thought I was destined for, but studying food, illness pertaining to consumption of certain ingredients in food products, and the ethical and environmental impacts of eating meat has brought me to a field I now love.
Science will always be something that follows me due to my goals of living a long healthy life–even if my family gets occasionally annoyed when I bring forth a new study I’d love for them to read.
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Liora Krantz
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
With a background in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, I am interested in using laboratory research to advance treatments for human diseases. I am passionate about bridging the gap between the public and the scientists conducting research behind the scenes. I believe that mistrust in science often stems from challenges in communicating complex ideas in ways that are both engaging and accessible.
Through this minor, I am hoping to strengthen my science communication skills across a variety of genres, including multimedia social media content, magazine articles, and infographics. I look forward to applying these skills in my future career as a researcher, specifically in the field of cancer research.
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Megan Kwong
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
I never thought I would find a space that blends opposite-sounding interests of biology and writing. This program taught me that that there always space for more creative expression, not only for technical science communication, but also in everyday language. Being in this minor empowers me to act as a steward to science, using language as a powerful tool for sharing ideas that interest me with others.
Doing research with mosquitoes here has taught me firsthand the importance of effective communication. Scientific discovery only goes as far as it can be introduced to people in the real world, and research only works if it's brought out of the theoretical realm. Through working in a field intertwined with public health, I understand the importance of relaying information in an efficient way, to combat misinformation threats and communication barriers. In the future, I strive to provide that bridge for everyday people to understand science, to advocate for it, and continue making more space for science in society.
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Briana Lee
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
I gazed out at the ocean as I walked along the beach. The waves clutched my ankles as I stepped into the water. The distant waves glistened under the sun and moved as they always have. Seabirds glided through the sky in search of their next meal. I wanted to protect this serene view for others to enjoy, and I would do so as a marine biologist.
I eventually learned I wanted to be more than just a researcher. Wearing green gloves, I grabbed armfuls of slimy green kelp from a wheelbarrow and threw it into tanks with cool, flowing seawater. Each tank held a prized seafood delicacy: abalone. These large marine snails quickly crawled towards the kelp that I fed them. Seeing their little beady eyes and their small mouths take bites out of the kelp was adorable. After interning at an abalone farm, I realized my passion for aquaculture.
I may not be your typical marine biologist, and I may think about seafood more than the average person. There's more to the ocean than nature and breathtaking views; it’s also a source of cultural and economic opportunities that may not be apparent to most. And with that, I want to share my lens of the aquatic world with others through writing.
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Michelle McConnell
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
I've been interested in science ever since I was younger. I loved that every part of biology told a different story. However, I've also always hated math. The solution for a lifelong reader and lover of storytelling? Writing and literature with a minor in science communication.
I hope to one day help in making science more accessible to the public, without fear of scientific jargon, numbers, or the belief that science is an exclusive discipline.
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Nicolette Reese
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
Growing up in coastal California, I’ve always had a love for the ocean and a strong desire to protect the environment. My academic pursuits have been focused on wildlife conservation, and I’ve had the opportunity to conduct field research with two species of sea turtles at different life stages, nesting olive ridleys and leatherback hatchlings. While research may be our most necessary tool in conserving biodiversity, it’s meaningless without effective and impactful communication. Without public awareness, conservation efforts face significant barriers. Jane Goodall said it best: “Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, we shall be saved.”
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Eliana Shandalov
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
I frequently am engulfed by a flame of scientific inquiry, one spark of curiosity electrifying my network of axons. The zealous fire of passion is likely releasing particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons along its way. All of which are responsible for contributing to health issues. Science holds secrets about exposures to chemicals and heavy metals, and science communication mends the burned bridges between complexity and lay terms.
Struck by an epiphany the size of a lightning bolt in my environmental health class, it occurred to me how odd it was that I would never have known this information without taking this class by chance. I got lucky. The public has the right to knowledge about health risks. To instigate change, first the public must understand what needs to change.
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Alicia Siebers
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
When it comes to TSA or the SAT, having two middle names — one Chinese and the other Hawaiian — has typically felt more like a curse than a blessing. I raise eyebrows at security and rush to fill in the tiny bubbles for each letter on a Scantron. How do I bubble in a hyphen? What about a space to separate two different names? But in the eyes of community and culture, my names remind me of the great gift they embody: an abundance of stories to share and perspectives to bring into the environmental fold.
As a science communicator rooted in environmental justice education and community engagement, I aim to diversify the realm of science through impactful and accessible writing. I write because who you are impacts how you view and interact with the environment, and we all deserve to see ourselves — our identities, backgrounds, communities — reflected in those spaces, conversations, and decisions. I write to connect people not just with each other, but with the physical world all around us. I write because representation and inclusion are crucial in scientific landscapes — no matter how many bubbles your name fills.
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Anniysh Sivakumar
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
As a dancer, I naturally searched for rhythm, movement, and expression in everything around me. When I discovered the medical humanities and its integration of medicine with the arts, I was sold. It felt as though my personal passions and professional aspirations had beautifully converged.
As an aspiring physician-writer, I hope to empower individuals to stay actively engaged in their health and pursuit of wellness. As a science communicator, I also want to continue exploring neurodegenerative diseases, identifying limitations in current treatments, and helping to bridge gaps in our understanding of effective rehabilitative interventions. Building on this work, I hope to create writing that allows patients to understand these interventions and advocate for themselves throughout their care. Ultimately, my goal is to improve health literacy across diverse populations, with particular emphasis on raising awareness in communities with limited access to healthcare resources.
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Evelyn Souza
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
After being given a mini encyclopedia for my 8th birthday, I read it so much that I ended up reaching the last word on the page— Zoology. Just like that, I knew my whole life was going to revolve around that little word. My newfound love also meant bringing all kinds of life from my yard to my mom’s kitchen, causing me to find my next passion: making everyone care for these animals as much as me.
I plan on utilizing generation specific mediums of communication to spread my message; animals deserve to be respected, but also lived with and understood. The challenge won’t be writing, illustrating, and speaking to the an unknowing public over science, but sparking their curiosity to learn. Considering how information of all kinds is so accessible, we need a bridge between information and importance with empathy being the route I'm choosing to take to get there.
I am beyond excited to begin my translator journey from the lab to the public’s hands via meeting the public where they are.
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Chase Stevens-Scanlan
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
In the least kitschy way I can express, when I read The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee I got chills. Who better to write something so devastatingly beautiful about a topic than someone who understands it down to its molecular core? And yet, thousands of oncologists and cancer biologists don’t possess the tools or interest in communicating their profound knowledge to the public.
Over the course of my four years as a Cell and Developmental Biology major I’ve fallen in love with research. Simultaneously, I found myself exasperated with the inaccessibility of breakthrough science. The science being done in university labs, in teaching hospitals, in biotech and pharmaceutical startups seems to be often misunderstood or undiscovered by the very people it’s meant to serve.
Before I ever loved science I loved people, and what is the point of being an expert in something if you can’t share that with the people you love? More than anything, I’m passionate about research for the purpose of sharing it with those it can be meaningful for. To do that, I must be fluent not only in the art of research but also the art of writing and communication.
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Maris Susas
Major: Biology
Minor: Professional Writing
Growing up, I do not think anyone would call me a writer. I did not particularly read outside of books for school and most of my writing pieces were only made to follow the rubric to a T.
Then during the spring break of my freshman year in college, I traveled alone for the first time. I went to volunteer with local health professionals in Tamarindo, Costa Rica to widen their outreach on mobile medical clinics. On this trip, I wrote in my journal keeping track of everything I learned and for the first time I could not stop writing. Writing about the prevalence of poor dentition because of the lack of nutritional education. Writing about the women who were having unsafe sex due to the stigma against open discussions toward sexuality. Before, I did not realize how influential the barriers to education could have on someone’s health and found writing to be the best way to advocate for change back at home.
Now I have used my writing through research to look at how science communication techniques can influence health behaviors. I hope to utilize the skills I learn in the professional writing minor in order to make health information more accessible and digestible for the general public.
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Nicholas Tait
Major: Communication
Minor: Professional Writing
I have always enjoyed the great outdoors and encouraged others to experience them with me. More recently, I have developed a stronger interest in learning the details of environmental work and communicating those ideas to the public.
After joining Channel Islands Restoration as a Marketing Intern, I now have the opportunity to help the organization share its mission and expand its message to a wider audience.
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Renda Wakeman
Major: Communication
Minors: Professional Writing and Earth Science
Growing up by the beach inspired my love of nature from a young age. From surf camps at the age of 10, to surfing at my college campus, my passion for the environment has never faded. With my Communication Major, and Minors in Earth Science and Professional Writing for Science Communication, I've been able to build a strong foundation in both environmental science and effective communication, with a focus on making complex topics more accessible to the public. I'm excited to use my skills in environmental communication to bridge the gap between science and the public, creating greater awareness, public understanding, and informed environmental decision-making.
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