Students Present Research to Prestigious Biology Organization

FEBRUARY 6, 2024-- Two Allan Hancock College students were invited to present their research project to a prestigious body of scientists and scholars in Seattle, Washington.  

Hancock students Brianna Munoz Gonzalez and Katherine Goldstein traveled to Seattle Washington, where the duo presented their research on native plant and bee populations to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) during the organization’s annual meeting in January 2024.  

“Being asked to present in front of a body of other researchers was a humbling and empowering experience,” said Goldstein, who received Hancock’s prestigious Marian Scholarship in 2023. “Every single researcher we spoke to was interested in what we were doing, took us seriously, and saw the importance and the value of what we were working to accomplish.”  

The SICB is one of the largest and most prestigious professional associations of its kind, with an international membership consisting of scientists, researchers, and scholars across nearly all disciplines of biology. Gonzalez and Goldstein presented the findings of their research project, which is part of an ongoing multi-college campus study surveying native bee populations and their host plants. Nine students, including Gonzalez and Goldstein, were involved in the project, which started under a National Science Foundation incubator grant. 

In addition to presenting their research, both students were also able to meet and speak with a wide array of professional scientists and researchers in their fields of study, offering them the opportunity to make valuable connections and get a first-hand look at potential careers. 

“It was really helpful to be able to talk with these amazing researchers from all these different branches of biology and to see all the possibilities that are out there,” said Gonzalez. “I was able to talk to a lot of people who had a lot of great ideas and advice.” 

Hancock offers a robust support system for students in its MESA/STEM programs of study, including specialized tutoring and academic counseling, scholarship and research opportunities, and even a dedicated MESA/STEM student center on the college’s Santa Maria campus. The college is also a member of the C6 consortium, an alliance of eight California Community Colleges that work to use a national grant to support STEM students from underrepresented populations. 

To learn more about MESA/STEM programs and opportunities at Hancock, visit https://www.hancockcollege.edu/mesa.