The Road to Securing the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Winning a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) award is a major achievement for aspiring scientists and researchers. Beyond the financial support it offers (which, let's be real, is fantastic!), the GRFP presents amazing personal and professional growth opportunities. In this blog post, l explore the journey of applying for, winning, and thriving in the aftermath of the GRFP.

Congratulations to Iván Olaya!

Iván Olaya, a UC Davis alumnus and PREP@UCD scholar from our founding cohort, has received an IRACDA postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA! 

The UCLA IRACDA program awards postdoctoral fellowships to scholars who have demonstrated interest in academic careers and promoting DEI in STEM disciplines. In addition to mentored research, the program supports its fellows with training in pedagogy and a faculty-mentored teaching experience at partner institution CSULA.

PREP Scholars Visit Redwoods

 

The PREP scholars decided to explore a bit further past Davis and headed to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz county! 

To explore the multitude of hiking opportunities in NorCal, we explored one of the 49 redwood state parks California has to offer. Not sure if we'll hit the other 48 anytime soon, but it's good to know they're there. 

We had a few goals when going into this hike: 

NIH PREP sites still recruiting

As of 9 April, the sites linked below still are accepting applications. For some, the website says that the deadline has passed. The directors say to apply anyway. Others close in mid or late April. Either way, do not procrastinate.

2023 Retreat at Fallen Leaf Lake

Every year for the past 20-ish years, the T32 Training Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology hosts an annual retreat at Fallen Leaf Lake to foster cohesiveness and community.  In October 2023, we joined the UC Davis T32 graduate students and faculty on their retreat.  

A brisk 3.5-hour drive to Fallen Leaf Lake, a smallish lake near Lake Tahoe, took us to a cabin-style conference center (and resort where Stanford alumni spend their summers) that has stood for more than a century. Over this retreat weekend, I took in the wooded scenery and intriguing science.