2024 Galileo Scholarship Winners!
Rebeca Acevedo Barboza
Can you share a memorable experience from MCB?
All my BMCB classes have been so helpful, and I would definitely say that I can feel the care and support from the professors and department.
Who is your biggest source of inspiration?
I am very grateful to have many inspirations! Myself being one of them, even though it is hard to recognize ourselves as an inspiration! My lab mates and PI are also great supporters, always there to cheer me on and help each other out!
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan on going into industry.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
I plan to create a community where I can support people that have similar backgrounds to me.
I want to say thank you to all the donors that make the Galileo Circle Scholarship a possibility!
Lucas Harrell
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
I was happy to see the department supporting and believing in my research.
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
Going to the 2023 RNA Society Meeting in Singapore last year was a huge highlight for me as an MCB PhD student. Not only did I have the support of my PI Ross Buchan and the department, but it also allowed me to see the kind of science that I could do someday.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
The MCB community has been a huge source of inspiration/support for me. I have never worked in a department that is so collaborate, supportive, and helpful. Even more so, it is full of so many bright, like-minded individuals who want to understand molecular biology at a basic level.
What are your plans after graduation?
I'm planning on either starting a post-doc at a research institute or entering the biotech/biomedical industry.
How do you plan to utilize what you've learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
I plan to use my critical thinking skills and knowledge of basic molecular/cellular biology to pursue projects that will not only advance basic science and human health, but also allow me to be intellectually stimulated and creative in the research I pursue.
Caleb Konecek
Do you have another major or minor?
Majors: Biochemistry, Spanish.
Minors: Classics, Professional & Technical Writing
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
I was very excited and proud.
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
Working as an undergraduate in the Charest lab has been instrumental in my success as a scientist, and it was definitely the biggest influence in my receiving this reward.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
Isaiah Toth, my graduate mentor in my research lab, has been my biggest source of support during university. He is a brilliant, passionate scientist who has been immensely helpful in my own success and passion as a scientist.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be pursuing a master's degree abroad.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
I will use my undergraduate education to help drive a future in research and/or academia and I will continue to strengthen the connections that I have made in MCB to maintain a strong professional network in my future.
Lucas Marmorale 
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
I was honored and elated to learn I had earned the prestigious Galileo Circle Scholarship.
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
No single experience comes to mind, but all of the conferences, meetings, and other events in which I learn about neurodegenerative disease research are always inspiring. I enjoy learning, sharing, and discussing ALS and other neurodegenerative disease research with diverse scientists from around the world. It is inspiring to see all the progress in the field.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
Throughout my Ph.D., I have been lucky to have an extremely supportive cohort of graduate students in MCB along with supportive lab members who encourage and inspire me to do my best every day. My biggest source of support during my Ph.D. has been my mentor, Dr. Ross Buchan. Dr. Buchan is always there to support and mentor me when I am faced with great challenges. Most recently, he supported me through countless hours of writing an NIH graduate fellowship application. He helped me tremendously throughout that process, offering his office as a writing space, answering my emails after hours, and helping edit my documents. I am very excited about science and the research I do, and I am blessed with a supportive mentor and lab behind me.
What are your plans after graduation?
Research neuroscience until I become an astronaut.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
As a Ph.D. student, I am training for a career in science. Therefore, I will use what I learn here to continue to research neurodegenerative diseases and be the best scientist I can be.
Ethan McNew 
Do you have another major or minor?
Other major: Biochemistry; Minor: Spanish
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
I remember reading the notification email and being completely surprised; I had considered not applying for the award because I didn't think I would have a shot at winning. It was one of my friends who actually inspired me to give it a shot and fill out the application. Of course, now I'm extremely grateful to them for motivating me. After the initial surprise of winning, I felt so honored to have been chosen for this award, and I was given a sense of confidence that has pushed me to keep working hard.
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
I think my introduction to research had a profound effect on my identity as a student and how I felt about the whole process of pursuing a STEM degree. In my first semester as a researcher on campus, I learned what it means to understand something deeply. It is one thing to learn a subject in the context of a class, but to apply that knowledge in the lab setting is an entirely different experience with its own challenges. Being a researcher has fed my love for learning and my natural creativity. Research introduced me to an inventive and experimental side of science that I find inspiring, it has given me a perspective that has, in part, made me the student I am today.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
I've found an incredible support system in MCB that has been critical to my success thus far as a student. My peers inspire me to put my best foot forward every day, and as an out-of-state student, my close friends here have become some of my strongest supporters. I've had professors in MCB who've also been incredible mentors for me, who have shown me my capacity as a student and fostered my interest in MCB. In short, I think it's been the supportive MCB culture that's made me who I am and brought me where I am today.
What are your plans after graduation?
I am currently in the process of preparing for my MCAT and writing my medical school application essays. I plan on going to medical school after graduating, and as of now, I am most interested in becoming a reconstructive surgeon focusing on trauma reconstruction. Of course, I hope to stay connected with my foundation in molecular and cellular biology; I believe I can do that by being involved in research as a medical student.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors? \
I think being an MCB student has supported me very well in my journey to medicine; I am eager to translate the skills I've built as an undergrad into this next chapter of my life and to continue on my journey of lifelong learning.
Chance Parkinson
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
Very grateful and excited that someone thinks my research is as awesome as I do!
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
The first time I used the microscope in our lab was pivotal to me joining. Watching cells respond in real-time to various conditions was (and still is!) incredible.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
Oh, that is tough! I have so many people who are great sources of support. My fiancée is my biggest fan, my family and friends are always a joy to be around, my dog who makes me laugh, and of course everyone in my lab who makes everyday fun even when experiments don't go as planned.
What are your plans after graduation?
Get a postdoc position and continue on the track of becoming a professor.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
Within my own research lab when I become a professor!
Jake Shaw
Majors: MCB and Biochemistry
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
“Being selected for this award felt like an affirmation as a transfer student from Pima Community College of my ability to perform excellently in the world of science. Jake expressed gratitude for his partner for her constant support, as well as the encouragement and mentorship of his faculty. “They motivated me to push myself further and to explore my scientific interests through deeper investigation of current literature.”
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
The encouragement and mentorship that I have received from faculty including Dr. Tomat, Dr. Capaldi, and Dr. Hester has motivated me to push myself further and to explore my scientific interests through deeper investigation of current literature.
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
My loving partner has supported me constantly through my academic journey. Her understanding when my schedule is overwhelmed by coursework has helped me to keep my head up and eyes forward.
What are your plans after graduation?
I am currently looking into graduate programs. I intend to complete a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics to research proteins operative in human diseases.
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
I believe that the experiment-focused thought process introduced to me by MCB will serve as one of my most valuable skills in the future. As I proceed toward a career in research, the scientific method serves as my most familiar friend.
Yanghuan Yu 
What was your reaction when you learned you were the award winner?
Super excited! (but also feel like next year I should work harder!
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time at MCB that you believe influenced your journey to receiving this award?
Every PI in MCB are soooo supportive!
Who or what has been the biggest source of inspiration or support for you during your university journey?
Of course, my mentor Dr. Riedel-Kruse – he knows everything and he's so encouraging for my research.
What are your plans after graduation?
Do postdoc and try to be a PI (be a good one like MCB ones!)
How do you plan to utilize what you have learned at university and in MCB in your future endeavors?
Really hard to answer.... Everything is super helpful!
Additional Winners:
Jacquelyn Lo Bianco
Abigail LoCascio
Kenan Prince
Forrest Zepezauer