June 18, 2003

Media Contact: Michael Dabney, (858) 822-3432

Monica M. Lozano, a chemical engineering major at the University of California, San Diego and resident of Spring Valley, was recently awarded first-place honors at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Student Western Regional Conference Poster Competition held at UC Riverside.

Lozano, a participant in UCSD’s Academic Enrichment Programs (AEP), a unit under Student Affairs that encourages and supports undergraduates toward graduate school and research careers, was awarded for her research poster presentation titled Fluorescent in situ Hybridization – Flow Cytometry: A Method for Analyzing Gene Expression. The poster represents research she has been conducting since 2001 through AEP under her UCSD faculty mentor Professor Pao C. Chau, Ph.D., of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department on how fluorescent illumination of cellular activity may allow for better study of genetic expression.

Lozano, a senior, has participated in AEP’s California Alliance for Minority Participation in Science, Engineering and Mathematics (CAMP) program, as well as AEP’s Faculty Mentor Program, the UC LEADS (University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees) Program, and UCSD’s Coalition for Excellence and Diversity in Mathematics, Science and Engineering initiative. She will attend graduate school later this year at UC Davis where she plans to obtain a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

“Monica’s award and her participation in respected student research conferences such as the AIChE forum exemplify AEP’s mission to expose our undergraduates to challenging research experiences with faculty outside the classroom,” says David Artis, Ph.D., director of AEP. “I believe scholarly conferences are an excellent way for undergraduates from all academic majors to present their research findings before peers, faculty and established scientists. Such forums provide an intellectually stimulating environment and also allow students to cultivate important professional skills needed for graduate school.”

Lozano was selected for her first-place honor from among more than 50 other undergraduates from across the western region of the United States who presented at the conference.

Each year more than 1,200 UCSD undergraduates participate in AEP’s wide range of academic, motivational and supportive programs and activities for graduate and professional school preparation.