SciCom Class of 2026
Cassidy Beach
B.S. (earth and environmental science, program in the environment; minor in oceanography) University of Michigan
B.S. (earth and environmental science, program in the environment; minor in oceanography) University of Michigan
With a name like Beach, maybe it was fate. I’ve always felt drawn to speak for the natural world, especially the coasts and the people who call them home. I grew up along the Great Lakes, where I spent my days sampling ponds, running through forests and snorkeling for treasures. At the University of Michigan, I chased every water-related research project I could.
Two years later, I was crisscrossing New England with owls and turtles in my backseat, teaching communities about wildlife conservation. That’s when it clicked: research is powerful, but without storytelling and impactful visuals (like live owls), it can’t always reach the hearts it needs to.
At UC Santa Cruz, I want to turn my curiosities into stories: ones that make science feel less like a mystery and more like something we all belong to.
Albert Chern
B.S. (chemical engineering, conc. biotechnology) University of California, Berkeley
The first time I met a park ranger, his white beard and rosy cheeks made me think he was
Santa. Tickled by my naiveté, that ranger, Frank Helling, a naturalist at Sequoia National Park,
used to lead guided hikes around Kings Canyon. From him I learned that the Mark Twain tree
was so giant it took 13 days to saw through, and that it was common practice for settlers to
shatter thousand year-old sequoias to make low-quality furniture, since their wood was so
brittle. Helling sparked my love for science. I studied chemical engineering to learn how everyday
objects are made, and worked in ecology to interact with little creatures and plants.
My experiences are idyllic. Most Americans don’t speak regularly with scientists, and many can’t
name a single living scientist. I aspire to build public confidence in science, so that people have
fewer things to fear.
Alonso Daboub
B.A. (Integrated Science, emphasis in neuroscience and psychology) University of British Columbia
I’m a writer and science communicator passionate about bringing people closer to their nature. After graduating from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and psychology, I joined the news team at El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico as an American Associate for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Fellow, where I reported on environment and urban ecology in Spanish.
I’m keen on using my work to shed light on the ways humans interact with the natural world and explore how our collective behavior impacts the plants and animals that call it home. I believe that we can design our cities and systems to better support those most vulnerable to climate change — and that science journalism is a vital part of getting there.
Daniella Garcia-Loos Almeida
B.A. (Physics and English), Cornell University
My shoelaces were never meant to survive my first visit out to the Cornell Teaching Barn. The lambs chewed them into bits of frayed cotton and left me with a desire to write about the animal research taking place a few steps from my dorm.
Holding onto my camera and a recorded voice note on my phone, I went home and wrote about my first experience in science communication. I spent the next four years writing about salamander migrations, quantum computing innovations, hummingbird iridescence, and the occasional ecomusicology piece.
When I’m not out at a state park or in a physics lab, you can find me at basement punk shows taking photos and screaming along.
Kaia Glickman
B.A (Astrophysics; concentration in science and technology studies) Williams College
When asked in my high school physics class to present on “the physics of anything,” I chose LB-1, a black hole that defied scientists’ models — it was simply way too big to exist. LB-1 forced scientists to re-examine their theories, proving that science is an active, dynamic entity that demands curiosity and requires an open mind.
I’ve always been fascinated by the utter vastness and complexity of our cosmic home and hope to instill the same awe in others. Sixteen years of playing a team sport, including in college, reinforced my belief that connection is crucial for communal progress. As a science communicator, I aim to shrink the gap between scientists and citizens by connecting people’s daily experiences to our shared environment.
Kari Goodbar
B.S. (Psychology; minors in Photography, Spanish) Georgia College & State University
Prior to this program, my resume was a bemusing assortment of jobs that featured animal training, coconut harvesting, biomechanics research, marine debris removal, and compost collection. These various roles, though seemingly unrelated, all point to key values: a deep fascination with the natural world and a desire to protect and share it with others.
As a science communicator, I now realize the chronic curiosity that led me to explore different paths is not a fault but a valuable asset. I recognize that the lifelong gravitational pulls towards writing and photography are not just hobbies but critical professional skills in an age of climate urgency and disconnect from science. I’m thrilled to start a comprehensive career where my love of learning and creative skills provide much needed support for scientists and their research.
Olivia Maule
B.A. (Biology), B.S. (Anthropology), University of Florida
My childhood room was covered in pink butterflies—a motif that followed me to the Ecuadorian Andes, where I conducted fieldwork on butterfly evolution.
The butterfly effect is what drew me into science communication: small questions unfolding into unexpected discoveries, including the realization that I was less interested in collecting data than in telling the story behind it.
The metamorphosis from researcher to communicator has brought me closer to the natural world, and more importantly, to people beyond the lab bench. I’ve worked in the rainforests of Puerto Rico and the Amazon, in both Spanish and English, to ensure that science knows no boundaries.
When language itself reaches its limits, multimedia allows me to communicate science in its most universal language—one that speaks across cultures without written words.
Stella Mayerhoff
B.A. (psychology and anthropology) University of Wisconsin–Madison;
M.A. (psychology; cognitive sciences concentration) Georgia State University
Growing up, I loved animals and hated science. It didn’t help that during a middle school frog dissection, I fainted and split my chin on the floor.
My view of science changed after watching documentaries about Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau. Suddenly, science meant studying wild, formaldehyde-free animals. For the first time, I wanted to become a scientist.
Like Goodall and Cousteau, I followed science around the world. I traveled from Puerto Rico to the Democratic Republic of Congo, studying how primates think and behave. I owe these formative experiences to the explorers and storytellers who shaped my view of science.
My passion now lies in sharing the adventure and real-world impact that science offers. As others did for me, I aim to communicate how science is innately present in the things we love.
Website: stellamayerhoff.com
Claudia Steiner
B.A. (international studies; minor in environmental science) American University
Growing up, I prided myself on my ability to wield the power of my pen. I felt alive when I was writing, firing off figurative language and whimsically wordsmithing my way through assigned essays, research papers, reviews, and personal correspondence. But I never fancied myself a writer, because I didn’t think I had anything important to say.
Along came climate change—or my introduction to it—and nothing was the same. I fed my curiosity about our changing climate’s impact on ecosystems in college classrooms. I analyzed evidence of local environmental contamination in the lab. I advocated for federal climate protections at a national non-profit organization. Nothing felt quite right—until I picked up my pen again.
The scientific community has something to say about our climate and the environment; I can be its conduit.
Pepper St. Clair
B.S. (molecular biology) California State University, Monterey Bay
My tendency towards creative communication, like my love for science, began early. The two first found themselves in harmony when I designed a star map for the night of prom as our prom poster.
Once I began my genetics research career, I was a figure fanatic, fixated on the broad legibility and beautification of the culmination of many arduous hours in the lab. I found a greater sense of enthusiasm and fulfillment in creating posters and presentations than I did in starting a new batch of experiments or loading more data in R.
What initially felt like a shortcoming of passion was actually a realization of my motivation and potential to welcome lay citizens to share in my enchantment with four microscopic nucleotides that create the blueprint for humankind and much of our magical world.