The event, hosted by San Diego State, is a pitch competition based on identifying a significant problem related to the impact of water on the region. Competitors then present an innovative solution to the problem.

CSUSM’s winning team included biotechnology master’s student Kanav Aggarwal and undergraduates Ashley Gamez (marketing) and Bella Bowman (digital art).  

Aggarwal is the inventor of ChloroBoost and presented the pitch during the competition. The team won $2,000 for the most innovative solution of the competition and second place overall. 

ChloroBoost focuses on conserving water in agriculture, an industry in which 40% of water usage occurs. ChloroBoost improves water retention in soil. Farmers put biofertilizer in their fields, let it dry and then can grow their crops like usual. Doing this can reduce wastewater by half, ultimately improving soil quality.

The CSUSM team was among nine teams from five Southern California colleges and universities that competed for a total of $40,000 in cash prizes. The team won a total of $9,500 for its presentation. 

The team ended its competition presentation by proposing a two-year plan, including testing and studies, that would end with a regional launch in December 2025. 

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Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

But working for Alcheme Bio in Cal State San Marcos’ Infinity Lab has exceeded all of Jha’s expectations. Not only has it provided hands-on learning opportunities, but Jha has been able to work closely with and learn from Vanessa Small, the founder, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of Alcheme Bio.

“I knew since it was a startup that I would get to do a lot more than if I was at a bigger company, but the experience has been amazing,” said Jha, who will graduate from CSUSM with a master’s in biotechnology in May. “Working with Vanessa has been especially helpful. She is a great mentor.”

CSUSM’s Infinity Lab is a state-of-the-art research facility that launched last spring to offer affordable bench space for bioentrepreneurs. Alcheme Bio is one of four bioscience entrepreneurs that are part of the lab along with Grann Pharmaceuticals, Indaptus Therapeutics and GSD Bio. The Infinity Lab’s convenient location in CSUSM’s Extended Learning building, ready availability of research equipment and instrumentation, and collaborative environment are key elements of the laboratory’s success.

Originally designed as a teaching space, the university pivoted because of the pandemic and reimagined the Infinity Lab as part of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Dr. Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Dr. Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program. They’ve received added assistance from Debora Galasso, a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who is a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program.

The lab has become the perfect place for students like Jha to gain real-world experience while learning from seasoned professionals like Small.

“Vanessa is very patient,” Jha said. “Even though she's the CEO, she is very much willing to teach me and to answer questions.”

Growing up in India, Jha was always interested in biology and initially considered pursuing a career as a doctor. But her interests shifted more to research and studying how things work and why they work in a particular manner.

Jha earned her bachelor’s in biotechnology from St. Xavier's College, Ranchi in India. She chose CSUSM for her master’s degree both because of its location in a hub for biotechnology and its strong program that combines science and management.

The master’s program requirements include completing a semester-in-residence project, and Jha learned about the Infinity Lab from Read, who recommended reaching out to Alcheme Bio. Jha’s lab work includes protein purification, extracting protein, and trying to grow it and scale it up. She said the experience has been invaluable as she works toward finding a job in industry after graduation in May.

“It has been so great, especially for me being an international student,” Jha said. “This opportunity was perfect for me, and I'm grateful to Alcheme Bio.”

Visit the Infinity Lab website to learn more about joining the lab.

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Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Temple toured private facilities in the region that failed to meet his expectations in myriad ways – whether the culprit was age, accumulated dust or debris. And for the privilege of occupying such a space, the going rate was a shocking $10,000 a month, or more.

What a pleasant change it was for Temple, then, when his nascent company’s head of business development told him about a new opportunity to rent room in Cal State San Marcos’ Extended Learning building. The bright and modern lab on the fourth floor marked such a sharp contrast to what he had been seeing that he accepted on the spot.

“It’s been wonderful,” Temple said. “This lab space is incredibly nice.”

Temple is the president and CEO of Grann Pharmaceuticals, a biotech that he formed with several classmates while they were still students at Whittier College. This spring, before they even had graduated, Grann moved into the Infinity Lab, a state-of-the-art research facility in the Extended Learning building. Just last week, Grann was joined in the lab by a second client: Alcheme Bio, a small startup founded by Vanessa Small, a member of the advisory council for CSUSM’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

The Infinity Lab was designed as a teaching space, but partly because of the pandemic, it hasn’t been used for that purpose since the building opened four years ago. In 2020, CSUSM initiated an experiment to reimagine the lab by leasing space to cancer diagnostics company Volition, which stayed for about a year before moving on.

Now, CSUSM is doubling down on the growth of its innovation ecosystem under the direction of Scott Gross, associate vice president of industry partnerships, and Betsy Read, the founder of the university’s biotechnology program, and with the added assistance of Debora Galasso. Galasso is a 25-year veteran of the biotech industry who became a lecturer in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s program in 2019 and this year was enlisted by Gross and Read to manage the expansion of the Infinity Lab.

Galasso said CSUSM is the only university in San Diego County that is dipping its toe into a venture that is typically the province of for-profit companies.

“Our goal is to demonstrate proof of concept,” Galasso said. “The space was sitting idle, so we wanted to see if we could create an environment that could benefit students. As education is our primary focus, we are not intending to make money, but to cover our costs while we develop an environment where students, faculty and staff can interact directly with entrepreneurs.”

The Infinity Lab is a molecular and cellular biology lab that features four benches (three are available to lease, one is reserved for CSUSM students and faculty), a tissue culture room for culturing cells and an impressive collection of the type of equipment any biotech startup would require. Space can be rented by the linear foot, with Grann taking up a whole bench (34 feet) and Alcheme only 7 feet. The lab can accommodate three to five companies at a time, and renewable leases are for six-month terms, as befits a place that considers itself a biotech incubator.

“The idea would be to not have companies in for over two years,” Galasso said. “By that time, they should have secured angel or venture capital funding, been purchased or their intellectual property been purchased. Within two years, you should be growing enough that you need to go somewhere else.”

Because of its university affiliation, a requirement of the Infinity Lab is that students benefit from any industry partnership. That can take multiple forms, from students being hired as interns, to companies hosting classes in the lab to tell their story, to biotech entrepreneurs speaking on campus in a casual, roundtable style.

Grann, for example, has brought aboard two CSUSM master’s students as interns for the upcoming school year, and the students will learn Grann’s process of re-expressing proteins using mRNA lipid nanoparticle technology.

Temple, a San Diego native who graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School, said the directive that Grann involve students in its operations is nothing but a win-win proposition. His company has added interns who might end up being future employees, while CSUSM students can not only tap into Grann’s collective brainpower, but also borrow expensive scientific instruments that not even the Infinity Lab possesses.

“Cal State San Marcos has been great,” Temple said. “This place couldn’t be any better.”

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Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The trip featured students in the class BIOT675: Bioscience Beyond the Borders, within the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Biotechnology program. It was led by Betsy Read, program director and a biological sciences professor; Debora Galasso, a biotechnology lecturer; and two professors from Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences (TUPLS): Kiriko Komura and Kazuya Watanabe.  

The connection between CSUSM and TUPLS was forged by Al Kern, an education consultant for Extended Learning who has a longstanding relationship with Komura, a visiting associate professor of life sciences for TUPLS Global Initiatives and the former director of the National Professional Science Master’s Association and PSM affiliation offices. Watanabe is a world-renowned microbiologist and professor at TUPLS. 

BIOT675 is an established course in the PSM, but Read suggested revamping it this year by making it an optional immersion experience for students. After working out the logistics, Read and Galasso finally saw their goal come to fruition. 

“I have learned and grown through the study-abroad course,” said Gilda Castellanos, an undergraduate biotechnology major. “The opportunity to make new friends, appreciate a new culture, tour multibillion-dollar businesses and gain insight into the biotechnology industries have made me even more excited about graduating and starting a career in the biotech field.” 

Galasso, Read and the 14 students were in Tokyo from Jan. 8-18. Students attended labs and lectures, visited various STEM industries, and were immersed in the Japanese culture.  

Highlights of the trip included visits to Takeda Global and Shonan Health Innovation Park southwest of Tokyo, where students learned the value of a patient-first mindset grounded in integrity and respect, in addition to the complexities of working in an international environment; Meiji Innovation Center, where they discussed the importance of food sciences in supporting the health of consumers; the TUPLS campus, where they toured several labs and learned to write their names in Kanji; and Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where they first explored Tokyo culture.  

“The trip was an eye-opening experience both professionally and personally. It was an incredible opportunity to visit multiple companies and innovation parks where we learned from the employees firsthand," said Bridget Hofsteadter, a PSM in Biotechnology major. 

Galasso and Read were overjoyed to finally give their students such an enlightening experience. The two had been working with TUPLS since 2019 to develop similar opportunities for both campuses to interact more, but because of COVID-19, many of their original intentions were stalled. 

Last fall, the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) hosted two students from TUPLS. After this experience, it was clear to Galasso and Read that their ongoing relationship with TUPLS and the uniqueness of Japanese culture made going to Japan a good choice for the program. 

In addition to the instructors, 11 students in the PSM in Biotechnology program, two senior undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's in biotechnology and one student pursuing a master's in biological sciences attended. 

Since the course is within the PSM in Biotechnology program, anyone in the existing cohort was eligible to attend. The three other attendees were selected as a way for Galasso and Read to pilot future attendance and to see if it would be worthwhile to expand the program. 

CSTEM hopes to expand such programs in the future, given financial feasibility, so that more students can experience different cultures while also learning more about their academic and professional goals.  

For more about the day-to-day activities and values of the trip, follow Galasso on LinkedIn, where she details many of the presenters, explorations and discussions.  

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Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of public affairs and operations
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

COMPASS, which stands for Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, works to prepare a diverse group of undergraduate students for careers in regenerative medicine by combining hands-on research opportunities with strategic and structured mentorship experiences. COMPASS at CSUSM is a comprehensive program that aims to recruit local high school students to the university and train them in stem cells and life sciences, culminating in summer capstone experiences on campus.  

The $2,877,200 grant will fund stem cell awareness at three North County high schools; support 30 students for two years of training; and provide diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for research mentors. 

The program will recruit first-year CSUSM biotechnology undergraduate students as well as students from High Tech High North County, Mission Hills High School and San Marcos High School. One of the first events under the grant, Stem Cell Awareness Day, will kick off Oct. 11 as CSUSM biology professor Bianca Romina Mothé, the director of the grant program, takes undergraduate students to the partner high schools to introduce the COMPASS program to high school seniors. 

“This new program highlights our growing commitment to creating a diverse workforce, one that taps into communities that have been historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences,” said Dr. Maria T. Millan, president and CEO of CIRM. “The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that the benefits of scientific discovery are not always accessible to communities that most need them. CIRM is committed to tackling these challenges by creating a diverse and dedicated workforce that can meet the technical demands of taking novel treatment ideas and making them a reality.” 

In addition to Mothé, other CSUSM professors participating in the program include economics professor Ranjeeta Basu, who will serve as the diversity and outreach coordinator; biology professor Mallory Rice, who will serve as mentoring coordinator; biology professor Sujal Phadke, who will help develop and deliver DEI programming and training; and biology professor Denise Baker, who will develop formal and informal mentoring plans for trainees. 

Additionally, sophomore biotechnology majors who are selected to the program will have the option to work in several different CSUSM laboratories on campus that focus on immunology, virology, stem cells and bioengineering. These include the labs of Mothé and fellow CSUSM biology professors Julie Jameson, James Jancovich, Jane Kim and Carlos Luna Lopez. 

As part of the mentoring program, CSUSM is partnering with La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery. The institutions will present tours and instruction on the different components of each organization’s research and development pipelines. 

Sanford Burnham Prebys will be a major training site for COMPASS trainees. The institute has a long history of commitment to training students in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, particularly those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. The institute has a CIRM-funded training program for Ph.D., post-doctoral and clinical fellows; a CIRM-funded program for mentoring high school students; and a longstanding partnership with CSUSM’s CIRM-funded Bridges program. Sanford Burnham Prebys has a unique graduate school that is ideally suited for the COMPASS program – highly individualized, tutorial-based learning with rapid immersion into bench research.

Sanford Burnham Prebys, by virtue of the fact that it is part of the broader La Jolla Mesa Training Network, will also enable trainees to participate in “patient-facing” and “clinical correlation” events, as well as exposure to opportunities in the private industrial sector. Because of the longstanding partnership between CSUSM and Sanford Burnham Prebys, the COMPASS program will seamlessly integrate into that infrastructure. 

At LJI, Drs. Mitchell Kronenberg and Sujan Shresta will serve as mentors for COMPASS trainees. Kronenberg is focused on learning more about immune cell roles in the airways, lungs and gut. He will also share his expertise in autoimmunity with COMPASS trainees. Shresta is dedicated to shedding light on how immune cells interact with viruses such as Zika, SARS-CoV-2 and dengue. Her lab also specializes in the development of cutting-edge mouse models for immune-system research. Through her work, trainees can learn how researchers can leverage their findings to fuel new studies into vaccines, therapies and more. 

“We’re thrilled to give COMPASS trainees a firsthand look at the challenges and opportunities in immunology,” Kronenberg said. “This is a fascinating field where students can follow their curiosity to pursue many different career opportunities and contribute to life-saving work.” 

Additional quotes related to the grant: 

“Here at High Tech High North County, we strongly believe in connecting our students with meaningful projects, learning experiences and opportunities that produce curious, creative, emerging adults and citizens of the world. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with Dr. Mothé and the CSUSM COMPASS program. Our students have a variety of lived experiences, and the access and opportunity this partnership offers will have significant impact, especially for our students with disadvantaged backgrounds. This program will contribute greatly to our students’ ability to successfully navigate the CSUSM application process while engaging in the exploration of biotechnology, life science and stem cell career path options. It will also connect HTHNC graduates majoring in biotechnology at CSUSM with potential opportunities to work in various CSUSM laboratories focused on immunology, virology, stem cells and bioengineering as they progress as an undergraduate. The COMPASS program will be instrumental to High Tech High North County and our ability to successfully bring the goals established in our shared vision to life as a school community." 

Joseph Davidson, director, High Tech High North County 

“We are excited to partner with CSUSM to provide our high school students with this introduction to life sciences. This work aligns perfectly with our vision to ensure all SMUSD students are ‘future ready’ by providing opportunities to explore future career fields." 

Andy Johnsen, Ed.D., superintendent, San Marcos Unified School District 

“Education and infrastructure are two funding pillars critical for creating the next generation of researchers and conducting stem-cell-based clinical trials. The importance of these programs was acknowledged in Proposition 14, and we expect that they will continue to be important components of CIRM’s programs and strategic direction in the years to come.” 

Jonathan Thomas, Ph.D., J.D., chair of the CIRM board 

Cano and Salazar are developing a Tijuana-based company, SinerLab, that will introduce an innovative online sharing platform for reagents, equipment and services to address the deficit of laboratory resources faced by many scientists in Mexico. This creative solution will both reduce costs and increase availability of the critical supplies needed for research and development.

“José and I talk about how we develop science in the United States and how there is a huge gap in research and development in Mexico,” Salazar said. “There are good institutions in Mexico, but they are lacking in technology.”

Cano and Salazar each launched their careers in Mexico after earning their undergraduate degrees — Cano in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry and Salazar in agricultural mechanical engineering. Their paths didn’t cross until after both had moved to the United States and enrolled in the Master of Biotechnology: A Professional Science Master’s Degree (MBt) at Cal State San Marcos.

For his capstone project, Cano was working on a nonprofit business plan to match San Diego biotech companies that could donate used equipment with researchers in Mexico who need access to equipment. Realizing ultimately that this plan was not viable — import/export procedures alone were prohibitive — he quickly pivoted to a for-profit model based in Mexico with a shared online network of resources that scientists could either offer or access.

“The purpose is to connect researchers within Mexico to help them make better use of the resources that are already in the country,” Cano said. “That will facilitate research and make it less expensive.”

Cano’s capstone presentation caught the attention of many in the room.

“José is committed to doing the right thing and serving people in need,” said Betsy Read, a founder of the MBt program and CSUSM professor of biological sciences. “One of his committee members, the CEO of a large organization in San Diego, was so impressed with what José was proposing that he asked if José was planning to move it forward.”

That’s where Salazar came in. José recruited Salazar, who was in the cohort just behind him, and Salazar developed the new business plan for the online sharing company as his capstone project. The model, SinerLab, is going into pilot testing by the two graduates, who are now business partners. Both also hold full-time jobs — Salazar as a process development engineer for Illumina and Cano as a stem cell researcher for Fate Therapeutics.

To move their business idea from page to lab, Cano and Salazar are working with The Founder Institute, a Silicon Valley startup accelerator that helps entrepreneurs through the early phases of their business creation.

“José and Edgar are driven to help bring more science capability to Mexico and developing countries to improve the health and welfare of the people there,” said Al Kern, an MBt program founder and adviser for the SinerLab project.

“When I talked to Edgar about working on the project as part of the master’s program, I told him I didn’t want it to stop there,” Cano said. “I think this is a really good idea and I want to make it real because I think we can make science more affordable and help a lot of researchers get faster results.” 

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Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

One of those challenges was trying to explain to her family why she is pursuing her Ph.D. after she graduates from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor’s in biotechnology next May.

“It’s hard because I have to explain it in Vietnamese and I don't know any of the words for things like ‘grad school’ or ‘neuroscience research,’ those type of things,” said Nguyen, whose family immigrated from Vietnam in the 1980s. “No one ever says those things.”

Nguyen overcame that particular obstacle with some help from Google Translate. She has become adept at overcoming obstacles since graduating from high school seven years ago, when she had to juggle school and three jobs to help her ailing mother.

Nguyen is being recognized this week for her accomplishments with the 2020 Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the California State University’s highest recognition of student accomplishment. Students are selected for demonstrating superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need.

The CSU recognizes 23 students every year – one from each CSU campus – with the Trustees’ Award, which includes a donor-funded scholarship ranging from $6,000 to $15,000. Nguyen received a scholarship of $9,000 for being named a Hampton Scholar, bestowed upon the Trustee scholar who scored the third highest among all applicants.

Nguyen and other awardees will be recognized during a ceremony as part of the CSU Board of Trustees virtual meeting on Sept. 22.

“In my 17 years of mentoring students in my lab, Kayla is one of the most positive and hard-working students I have had the pleasure to mentor,” said biology professor Bianca Mothé. “She is always bringing new energy and ideas.”

Nguyen was inspired to pursue scientific research to help families like hers that are affected by uncurable diseases and disorders. Her mother, Kimlien, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis soon after Nguyen graduated from Mira Mesa High School in 2013. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the lining of a person’s joints, causing painful swelling that can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. In severe cases, it can affect a person’s internal organs.

Kimlien’s symptoms started with pain in her hands. She assumed it was the more common osteoarthritis, which is caused by mechanical wear and tear on the joints. But the family realized it was something more serious when it progressed from hand pain to Kimlien falling down stairs.

Although there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, medication can help manage the pain and inflammation. But Kimlien’s medication wasn’t covered by her health insurance, leading Nguyen to work three jobs and take a break from Miramar College to focus on her mom’s health and help with the $1,000 monthly medication costs.

When Nguyen returned to Miramar, a chemistry professor encouraged her to apply for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program, a year-long internship based at CSUSM in partnership with Miramar and MiraCosta colleges.

It wasn’t just Nguyen’s work in the program that stood out, but also her compassion for her colleagues.

“While she was a CIRM Bridges intern, their cohort experienced a traumatic event,” said Mothé, the program director. “Kayla was the first one to emerge with support for her fellow interns.

“Since being in my lab, she has developed her own project on a topic related to my specific expertise. She researched, thought through and brought the project to me. This is quite unique for an undergraduate. Kayla is the type of curious, motivated team player who brings me so much joy.”

Nguyen continued to gain research experience through internships in the academic lab of Lawrence S.B. Goldstein at UC San Diego last year and over the summer at Johnson & Johnson.

Throughout each internship, Nguyen’s peers and mentors stressed the importance of pursuing a graduate degree.

“I kept hearing that and I was like, ‘Yeah, but I need to work now. I need to make money now because it's not OK the way that we're living,’ ” Nguyen said. “And they said, ‘Yeah, but in the long run, you don't want to be someplace and hit a ceiling because don't have the degree.’ ”

Nguyen took the advice to heart and started exploring what it would mean to attend graduate school. In the process, she learned about CSUSM’s TRIO McNair Scholars Program, which prepares low-income, first-generation undergraduates and undergraduates from underrepresented groups for graduate school.

McNair Scholars are expected to have a commitment to pursuing a graduate degree, something Nguyen still wasn’t completely sold on when she began the application process. But the McNair team – including director Denise Garcia, assistant director Ray Malfavon-Borja and adviser Vicky Yan – explained that the program’s research opportunities would help Nguyen become more confident in her abilities while simultaneously lessening her financial burden through a program stipend.

“It ended up really changing my life and changing my perspective,” she said. “Being around all these other phenomenal students who work really, really hard and are in similar situations as I am – also first-generation college students – I realized, ‘OK, I'm not alone.’ They really inspired me and helped me realize that if they can do it, I can do it.”

As part of the McNair program, Nguyen will apply to at least 10 graduate programs. She is hoping to stay local – the Scripps Research Institute is among her top choices – to remain close to her mother and grandmother. But a university in Oregon, where her father, sister, brother-in-law and nephew live, is another possibility.

Regardless of where she lands, Nguyen now has the confidence to take that next step.

“I'm really grateful for all these experiences that really shaped my perspective of life,” she said. “And I feel really grateful that I'm on a path where I'm passionate about all the things that I do. I feel like that's really a blessing for me.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Idaho State University, Dawson saw the Master of Biotechnology: PSM at CSUSM as a solid next step that would offer a number of career choices when she graduated. As it turns out, she only needed one.

Stacking up

Key to the MBt program is a semester-in-residence in which students work on a research project with a sponsoring organization. Dawson teamed up with Local Urban Vegetables (LUV), an automated vertical farming start-up based in Whittier.

With the world’s population expected to increase from 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050, experts project that food production needs will stress global resources such as arable land and agricultural water used in traditional farming. By contrast, vertical farming is a sustainable, climate-controlled method that produces crops indoors in vertically stacked layers with no soil. Aeroponic technology, or misting the roots of plants, uses 95 to 99 percent less water than conventional agriculture.

Because vertical farming is expensive, however, innovation is needed to either reduce costs or increase revenue, Dawson says. That’s where her research comes in. Dawson’s project at LUV Produce was to test ways to treat spinach seeds — known for slow growth and long germination—to speed up their growth cycle.

“If you can make the plants grow faster, you can reduce your costs for growing the plants and you can get more crops over the course of a year,” Dawson said.

Good seed

Using a method called priming the seeds, Dawson applied treatments to the spinach seeds before they were planted. While some researchers use one or two priming methods, Dawson tested and layered four priming methods as she studied varied concentrations and treatment times.

“The final treatment integrated all four priming methods into just two steps and reduced the time to germinate for spinach from 10 days to three days and produced a larger and more even harvest,” she told an audience of scientists during a presentation at the annual meeting of the National Professional Science Master’s Association. “When we stacked the priming methods on top of each other, they weren’t just additive, they were synergistic.”

The staff at LUV Produce was impressed with Dawson’s results and wanted to expand the research, so she received an immediate job offer as a research associate.

“The biggest thing I am working on right now is to find something like vinegar or a weak acid to break down the seed coat so it won’t be difficult for a farmer or farm technician to implement,” Dawson said.

Food for thought

Dawson’s interest in science follows a family tradition, with her dad an electrical engineer in atmospheric research and a brother who works in science at Lockheed Martin. A perpetual family garden introduced Dawson at an early age to plants and the idea of food security. With family conversations often revolving around topics like climate change, plastic pollution, nature, wildlife and stars, Dawson inevitably developed an understanding of and a love for science.

As she moved deeper into her education, Dawson found her connection with the science world through biology, and more recently, through her research in vertical farming.

“Something that’s always driven me toward biology is contributing to human knowledge and also being able to make a difference in the world and in people’s lives,” she said. “This research is an excellent way to make a difference on a very fundamental level and it actually kicked off a career for me. I see myself staying in it for the long run.

“In today’s world, where we have all of this technology, people shouldn’t have to worry about having access to nutritious food. Ideally, my impact will be to help make food available to everybody as a human right.”

For more information about CSUSM’s Master of Biotechnology: PSM, please visit csusm.edu/el/biotech

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

As part of that vow, Nadia attended meetings for the Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES), which helps students’ career development in biomedical sciences and related disciplines.

Juniors and seniors at the OTRES meetings were encouraged to seek work in a campus laboratory. Nadia was just a freshman at the time, but figured she might as well give it a shot, too. She had no idea how unique it was for a first-year undergraduate to seek a lab position.

“I was just jumping into any opportunity I could find,” Nadia said.

It didn’t take her long to secure a position in the lab of biology professor Julie Jameson.

“She immediately impressed me with her ambition,” Jameson said. “I took a risk on this young, aspiring scientist, and it was one of the best decisions I have made.

“Nadia is a bright, ambitious young woman who has a wonderful knack for science and will go on to do great things in her future career.”

Nadia will be the first in her family to earn a degree when she graduates in May with a bachelor’s in biotechnology. While her family is eager to celebrate the accomplishment, Nadia simply sees it as another step on her path to earning a Ph.D. and pursuing a career in cancer immunotherapy.

As a teenager growing up in San Francisco, Nadia knew she wanted to pursue a science education. But she had no idea where to start. A high school chemistry teacher encouraged her to research biotechnology programs, which is how she discovered CSUSM.

While a 500-mile in-state move might not seem like a big deal, it proved challenging for someone from a tight-knit family with limited financial means. Nadia still remembers her first trip to San Marcos and seeing the intersection at Twin Oaks Valley Road and Barham Drive for the first time.

“San Francisco is a city where everything’s cramped, so when I saw the block on Barham, I had never seen an intersection so wide,” she said.

Despite the challenges of being away from home, Nadia wasted little time taking full advantage of the opportunities at CSUSM.

She joined the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program, which works to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups graduating from a STEM discipline. She is also part of the first cohort of TRIO McNair Scholars Program, which assists students with research opportunities and dedicated mentoring, with a goal of helping them succeed in graduate school.

In Jameson’s lab, one of Nadia’s early projects was determining whether T cell populations that have become reduced in the intestinal epithelium – the tissue that lines internal surfaces – of obese and diabetic mice can be restored with diet-induced weight loss. Nadia was accepted into CSUSM’s Summer Scholars Program and spent the summer working on the project. At the end of the program, she presented her work on campus and at multiple conferences, including the annual meeting of the CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology, or CSUPERB.

“These experiences have strengthened Nadia’s ability to communicate within the field,” Jameson said. “During these presentations, fellow scientists are often surprised to find that Nadia is an undergraduate and not a graduate student.”

Nadia will continue her education in the fall when she begins a doctoral program. She is leaning toward attending UC Merced, about a two-hour drive from her family. While her goal is to work on cancer immunotherapies, she also wants to help students with backgrounds similar to her own pursue a STEM education. She is already a role model for her younger brother and sister, and she hopes to serve a similar role for others.

“For my Ph.D., I want to have an undergrad, someone that I can mentor because that’s how I got where I am now, and I want to give other students opportunities to conduct undergraduate research,” she said. “And when I work in industry, I want to make a program especially for high school students because that’s where I really started to see what I wanted to do in college. I want to make a program that helps college students and high school students figure out if STEM is right for them.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314