By Justin Nicholas

The Careers in Science program gives interns the opportunity to assist scientists in their research or animal husbandry at the Academy. In an unparalleled learning experience, interns dive into scientific careers and have the opportunity to directly support the Academy and its mission: explore, explain, and protect the natural world. I caught up with interns Leon Wang and Vanessa Cabrera to reflect on their contribution to the Academy’s mission.

Justin Nicholas: What were your specific duties in the Center for Comparative Genomics (CCG) lab? And what were the goals of the project?

Leon Wang: My specific duties were to aid Anna Sellas in the CCG with her work on spotted eagle rays. This included helping her with DNA extraction, PCR, and keeping the CCG lab well equipped. [We wanted] to study the distribution and genetic diversity of the spotted eagle ray population in the Gulf of Mexico. Studying them would provide important information that will be used to set up fishing and trawling laws in that region.

JN: How has it influenced your future goals?

LW: I learned a lot about what happens in a DNA Lab that I did not know before. All of the processes required to look at organisms at the microscopic level are vastly interesting.

Vanessa was very passionate about her experience working with Aquarium Biologist Erin Jessup in the rainforest exhibit.

JN: What were your specific duties in your husbandry position?

Vanessa Cabrera: I prepared food for the morning and afternoon feeding of song birds, counted all birds in the exhibit to make sure all birds were accounted for, and cleaned holding areas for rainforest animals. I enjoyed working closely to the animals because you begin to really care about them and want to start learning where they come from. I started to

learn that these animals’ habitats were being destroyed. I want to change that and be part of the movement to help conserve their environment.

JN: How has it influenced your future goals?

VC: I want to go back to El Salvador where there isn’t a huge focus on conversation because of politics and violence. I want to be a part of the effort to conserve all those animals there.

Both interns clearly had influential experiences in their research positions. These opportunities not only allowed them to contribute and learn skills to protect the natural world, but also influenced their future. When I asked Vanessa if she could see herself in this profession in the future, she responded with total cheer and excitement, “Yes!”

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 1

Destination Conservation

Careers in Sciencespotlight

In this Issue:• Interns Win a Grant• Spotlight! on the LUNAtics• Koshland Young Leaders• New Additions to CiS: Interns and Program Assistants• Alumni Update

Intern Vanessa Cabrera consults with her mentor, Aquatic Biologist Erin Jessup, during Vanessa’s weekly routine of inventorying the song birds of the rainforest exhibit.

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 2

Dear Readers,

I invite you to the winter 2012 edition of Spotlight! The past several months have been a time of change with new interns, the establishment of new Program Assistants, as well as our first astronomical project group, the “LUNAtics”. We are proud to announce that the LUNAtics placed fourth in the NASA Lunar and Planetary Institute’s high school research competition.

Also in this edition: a CiS project group was awarded funding from the Youth Empowerment Fund to improve sustainability in San Francisco high schools, Stacy Thomas and Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski are recognized as young leaders, and interns learn about the wonders of Africa!

timmy Yu

Editor-in-Chief

Email comments to cis@calacademy.org_____________________

Editor-in-ChiefTimmy Yu

ReportersJustin NicholasReina OtaFrancisco Juarez

Staff AdvisorsRoberta BrettRenn DarawaliMelissa Tang

By Timmy Yu

What would you do with thirty five hundred dollars? Interns Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski, Michael Galathe, Lille Crosby, and Maria Romero, answered the question when they applied for San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families’ Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) mini-grant. This project group was awarded money to develop a Youth Sustainability Seminar.

YEF mini-grants support small-scale projects that are initiated and led by youth to support youth leadership in addressing important community needs. The interns thought this would provide an opportunity for them to lead an influential project in their communities. This was the first time in CiS history that interns wrote a grant proposal and won money for a project. They proposed to lead a Youth Sustainability Seminar to address the need for sustainability at different public schools in San Francisco. The interns hope to empower youth leaders to make changes to “green” their schools.

The interns feel they have been affected by efforts to enforce sustainability at their schools. Intern Michael Galathe says, “We are told not to litter and to recycle, yet we don’t really receive an explanation for why these rules exist. The lack of authority and explanation for why sustainability is important makes achieving sustainability seem irrelevant.”

After surveying interns on sustainability efforts at their respective schools, Michael and his project group concluded that out of the 17 schools represented by CiS, at least eight did nothing more than advertise sustainability through posters. It simply is not stressed enough. In order to combat this challenge, the YEF Grant Writing project group plans to bring together two environmental club leaders and four student body members from targeted schools to develop solutions and a sustainability action plan. Interns hope this event can be the catalyst to create change at their schools and develop a community between public schools. Together, change can be made!

An the Award Goes to...

Spotlight is developed and produced by the Careers in Science interns as part of a multi-year, year-round youth development and science education program at the California Academy of Sciences. Careers in Science is generously supported by the GGS Foundation; Joseph R. McMicking Foundation; Kenneth Edward Olivier and Angela Nomellini; San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families; The Sato Foundation; Onnolee and Orlin Trapp; and Wells Fargo. For more information, contact Neal Ramus, Careers in Science Manager, at 415.379.5109.

Melissa Tang, CiS Assistant Manager, gives feedback to some of the Youth Empower-ment Fund Grant Writing project group about writing a grant proposal.

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 3

By Timmy Yu

“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.” Mufasa from The Lion King could not be more correct. The African landscape is teeming with life, engulfed in diversity, and humans should know its existence and significance. This past March, interns took part in a multi-week training in which they learned about the fabulous biodiversity in Africa – and the threat it faces. Animal populations throughout Africa are decreasing and becoming endangered while some are even going extinct.

Interns explored the natural world of Africa through captivating lectures and activities led by CiS Assistant Manager Melissa Tang, Senior Science Specialist Roberta Brett, former CiS Manager Eric Godoy, and former San Francisco State University graduate student Nic West. The African continent boasts astounding ecosystem diversity which includes physical landscapes, species diversity, which is the variation of species in the region; as well as genetic diversity, or the variation of genes within a species.

Furthermore, Africa is home to multiple keystone species, which have a critical role in the ecosystem. An ecological community would cease to exist if these species are removed. Examples of such species include the African elephant, the African hornbill, and the Nile crocodile, all of which are now endangered.

Biodiversity not only gives direct economic benefits to Africa, but also provides aesthetics to the land. It is a major problem that the biodiversity of Africa is being threatened.

The interns learned that many factors come together to threaten biodiversity.

The over-exploitation of

using animals for food and for financial profit (for instance, rhino horns being sold), combined with over logging which results in habitat loss and fragmentation, are among the leading factors for the reduction in species. Another factor influencing biodiversity is climate change. Increased pollution from humans, such as overuse of fossil fuels and failure to protect the natural world, have threatened biodiversity. The interns also learned the devastating effect of non-native species. These species take away valuable resources from native species whose numbers are already on the decline.

To further understand the global effects of biodiversity loss in Africa, the interns engaged in a role playing debate. They were assigned to step in the shoes of

various groups in Africa – ranging from black market salespeople to Girl Scouts representatives – all of whom may play an important role in the conservation of species. Intern Jordan Torres says, “I especially enjoyed the role playing activity we did, because the many viewpoints as to whether or not to protect biodiversity were discussed.”

During the debate, intern Michael Vicencio was assigned a role opposing the creation of a national park to protect mountain gorillas on the Virunga Mountains, but found himself passionately fighting to protect the mountain gorillas instead. He said, “The role I received was intended to justify extracting oils from mountain gorilla habitats, but my instincts could not get me to stop protecting them. These gorillas are fascinating creatures and they should be protected as much as possible.” As the interns learned, the rest of Africa lies in a delicate balance should remain untouched and preserved.

Tackling the Biodiversity of Africa

Interns debated conservation efforts for the Tsavo lion, which is rumored to be a man-eater, and mountain gorillas.

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 4

by Reina Ota

For the first time in the Careers in Science intern program’s history, we have a project group that is related to space science! Interns Maria Orellana, Rabiya Subedar, Joseph Wong and I, also known as the LUNAtics project group, committed a whole school year to enter a high school lunar research competition.

In April, we presented our Moon 101 presentation to the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. LPI is a science research institute that provides support to the planetary science community as well as NASA. LPI also conducts planetary research under the leadership of scientists and visiting researchers.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Benjamin Greenhagen, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the LUNAtics began their year-long journey towards making a professional research poster which would be entered in the nationwide high school lunar research competition.

After learning the basics of the moon we began the toughest process of all, deciding on a research topic

and question. Although we were all interested in the same topic, the volcanic formations of the moon, it was challenging to agree upon a single research question. Intern Joseph Wong explained the dilemma, “Since there were so many topics to choose from, it was really difficult to sort out all the ideas that provided us with sufficient amount of data and articles that are accessible. If we do not have enough data, it would be impossible to answer our question.”

Through all the discussions and arguments, and with the support of Dr. Benjamin Greenhagen and former CiS Manager Eric Godoy, we decided to compare lunar silicic volcanoes on the far side and the near side of the moon.

We decided to research more about the silicic volcano that exists only on the far side of the moon, the Compton-Belkovich, due to its enigmatic features that many lunar scientists have not yet discovered.

We wanted to research on how the Compton-Belkovich feauture is unique by comparing other silicic volcanoes that are located on the near side of the moon. To embark on our intense research project we needed a deep understanding of the moon starting with the basics.

Introducing the LUNAtics

The LUNAtics met their mentor, Dr. Benjamin Greenhagen, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during their SoCal College Tour.

The Compton-Belkovich elevation was one of the sites that the LUNAtics researched.

To do this, we developed a small introductory presentation called “Moon 101” to LPI in the beginning of the school year. In order to become familiar with the moon’s geology and its geography, we read pages and pages of professional lunar science articles every week.

The interns initially did not have any experience with moon research. But of course, this did not deter us. We

began to read more articles, making us work even harder in order to catch up with other high school teams that have had past experience with the lunar competition. By the end of October, we gave a PowerPoint presentation to LPI and to interns at Family Night. We presented our findings from our own research, such as types of craters and riles, geologic composition, and volcanic

formations.

Despite all the challenges and obstacles the LUNAtics had to overcome, we were able to thrive in our final presentation. In a brief ten minute period, we presented our final research poster and PowerPoint to the LPI staff online, which was challenging to do in such a limited time with so much information to cover. We came in 5th place out of 13 other high school contestants with a 0.5 point difference that could have led us to a four-way tie into second place.

On top of this experience, we also submitted our research poster to the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco. It was accepted and we were able to present to other professional scientists in the field. NASA representatives even stopped by to see our poster!

Every intern that participated in this project group gained knowledge about what it takes to be a lunar scientist, which I believe is a rewarding experience. After the project group ended, Intern Rabiya Subedar concluded, “I enjoyed learning about the moon and its formation; I thought that was very interesting. I enjoyed doing the research and teaching others what I accumulated.”

The project group provided many opportunities to present not only to our fellow interns, but to LPI staff and AGU scientists. Now that we are more familiar about the moon and its formation, we can help teach the next project group of brave interns the process of entering the research competition. We can’t wait to see another group of interns step up and take on the challenge of becoming the next LUNAtics!

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 5

The LUNAtics’ research poster.

The LUNAtics presenting their poster to AGU’s Director of Science, Billy Williams.

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by Francisco Juarez

Leadership is an honorable trait. Many leaders go unnoticed, so it is always rewarding to have leadership recognized. The Koshland Young Leader Award is a scholarship award created by Dr. Daniel Koshland Jr. to recognize San Francisco’s next generation of leaders. The award is given to San Francisco youth that have exemplified leadership by excelling in school and giving back to their communities in the face of economic or familial challenges. This award provides financial help in the form of $7,000 for two years to help pay for any education-related expenses.

This year, the Careers in Science program was fortunate enough to have two interns, Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski and Stacy Thomas, be a part of the ten winners of the Koshland Young Leader Award. Upon

winning the award Intern Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski “felt really honored and grateful that the Koshland family would set aside money for my college and my future.” To Intern Stacy Thomas this scholarship “means the world to [him] that not only [is he] able to see college as a goal but there

are actually people who are willing to support [him] in reaching that goal, and for that, [he is] grateful.” It is having opportunities like this that make students like him want to become better armed with the tools to not only be successful, but to then come back and help support the communities that they came from.

Both interns plan to use the money they have received to aid them in their educational journey by buying school supplies and to pay for some of their college tuition. This fall, both Mollie and Stacy plan on applying to some of the most prestigious universities in the U.S. Their college lists include: Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Southern California, and UC San Diego. So on behalf of the Careers in Science program, we would like to congratulate Mollie and Stacy on their achievement!

Young Leaders: Mollie and Stacy

by Justin Nicholas

Big changes are happening in Careers in Science! Now, when interns graduate from high school, they will also be graduating from the CiS program. Our multi-year, year-long program now supports interns as they go through high school, instead of supporting them until the age of 21. The graduates will move on and explore their options with the skills they acquired throughout the time they have been in the program. This does not mean, however, that seniors are leaving the CiS family. If undergraduate alumni want to continue to give back to the program, they can apply to become a Program Assistant!

This role provides them with an opportunity for them to learn a different set of new skills and contribute to the intern experience.

A Program Assistant’s job is to train and mentor interns and provide assistance with administrative projects to maintain the program. There are two positions during the school year; Program Assistant I and Program Assistant II. Program Assistant I main duties include training interns on the content knowledge of the stations that are presented on the public floor, while Program Assistant II main duties include training interns and assisting with administrative needs of the program.

These changes also make room in the application process to involve more youth that are enthusiastic about working with science. The intern program is now extending the application to rising 9th graders if they were involved in the Academy’s Science Action Club (SAC). SAC is an after-school youth science

program for middle school students of San Francisco. In order to keep them involved with science and the Academy, SAC youth can apply to be a CiS intern as soon as they graduate from SAC. This is part of an initiative to increase the number of opportunities for youth like us to continue our interest in science at the Academy. Now this is change we can believe in!

Change We Can Believe In

The 2012-2013 batch of Program As-sistants are excited to be back at the Academy.

Koshland Young Leader Award recipi-ents Mollie Cueva-Dabkowski and Stacy Thomas.

by Francisco Juarez

Summertime means time for new interns! The Careers in Science intern program hired a new set of interns this summer. After having to overcome a challenging application process, 13 new interns were welcomed to the CiS family: Jamarc Allen-Henderson, Jacqueline Barrera, Maggie Beruk, Tiffany Cheng, Sarah Chou, Judy Hua, Siyu Huang, Mariah Jenkins, Jonathan Li, Tyler Ling, Evan Luu, Franklin Medina-O’Connell, and Ashley Ramirez.

The new interns were welcomed with a week-long orientation to show what being an intern is all about: learning, teaching and conducting science. New interns learned science from lectures conducted by Academy scientists. They also conducted science by collecting Pacific mole crabs on Ocean Beach and then dissecting them to look for parasites. They also received a brief introduction to the demonstration stations that interns teach on the floor. Interns participated in lots of

team building activities, such as the tarp flip, in which new interns stood on a tarp and tried to flip it to the other side without stepping off the tarp. Intern Evan Luu said, “It felt really good to bond and spend time with each other because it helped us become one big family.”

Following the new intern orientation, interns continued to bond as a group during the retreat to the Pepperwood Nature Preserve. One way was by playing team building games such as shark island. This game requires interns to work together in order to achieve a goal. In this case, the goal was to grab everybody’s water bottle without entering the shark infested waters around their “island”.

During the last day of the retreat, interns faced the ultimate test of their strength as a team: the ropes course. Interns put their faith in

each other and climbed 70 feet up a tree, entrusting their life to their fellow interns. The new interns really enjoyed the ropes course. Intern Ashley Ramirez was ecstatic about it. She exclaimed, “It pushed me to go out of my comfort zone and made me feel closer to the rest of the interns.”

Now that the new interns have braved through their orientation and the Pepperwood retreat, they are taking on their duties as interns and teaching on the public floor of the museum, while still continuing to learn the ropes of being a Careers in Science Intern. New interns like Franklin Medina-O’Connell are excited to “move up in the program, in order to participate in the annual Trinity Alps field studies trip and to get more involved in the program.”

Once again we would like to welcome the new interns as a part of our intern family and as an intern alum once said to them, “Welcome to science, you’re going to like it here.”

Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 7

First Leap into Science

Interns, new and old, work together on “shark island”.

California Academy of Sciences55 Music Concourse DriveGolden Gate ParkSan Francisco, California 94118

By Renn Darawali

The Careers in Science Intern Program is now 16 years old and has over 150 alumni living around the world. Let’s see what they’ve been up to.

Maya Walton (hired 2001)

Maya is a graduate student pursuing a MS in the Zoology department at the University of Hawaii Manoa. Over the summer, she worked as a scientific SCUBA diver on a NOAA research cruise to the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument in the North Western Hawaiian Islands.

Chris Fischer (hired 2005)

Chris just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara this year. He is a quality assurance intern at a local software

company and tests software for bugs and suggest improvements to facilitate a better user experience.

Grace Gornall (hired 2006)

Grace continues to work in informal science education at the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Southern California, a hands-on museum

aimed at teaching children about the natural world. She plans to set sail as a youth activities leader aboard a cruise to the Bahamas in January.

Benjamin Henriquez (hired 2004)

Ben now resides at Slide Ranch in Marin, where he also works as a teacher. The ranch is an educational farm to teach youth about a sustainable lifestyle and raise environmental awareness.

Ashley Conrad-Saydah (CiSM from 2001-2006)

Ashley is on the forefront in the battle against climate change and is now Assistant Secretary for Climate Policy at the California Environmental Protection Agency.

We would love to hear from alumni. If you have an update to add, email mtang@calacademy.org

Alumni News Feed

Chris Fischer returns to share his jour-ney to college with the interns.