Charlotte Reed, a student in the division's Environmental Studies department, received a Chancellor's Award for Undergraduate Research for her paper, "Water Relations and Photosynthesis for Artemisia Tridentata across a Great Basin Desert-Sierra Nevada Elevation Gradient in the Historic Drought Year of 2014."
Congratulations Charlotte!
Department: Environmental Studies
What Award/Scholarship did you receive? Both a Dean’s and a Chancellor’s Award
What year are you (1st year, 3rd year)? 4th year
College: College Eight
Where do you call home?
Originally, Seattle, WA, but I have lived in California for the past 6 years.
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out?
When I came to UCSC as a junior transfer student, I had been living in Sequoia National Park for the past two years. I wanted a school that was within a day’s drive of the park, had a well-developed environmental studies program, and was in a beautiful location. UC Santa Cruz fit all of those requirements.
What is your field of focus?
Environmental Studies
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz?
Post-graduation, I will be moving to western Montana for work, and eventually to pursue a graduate degree in the natural sciences. I will actually be spending the first half of my summer working in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, and the second half of my summer working in the Bitterroot Mountains of western Montana. I will be working as a field technician on both projects, studying first, wetland soils, and second, whitebark pine ecology.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here?
My most memorable moment, or series of moments, was the time I spent last summer out in the Mammoth Lakes area working on my senior thesis. I feel that the experience I gained through the process of executing my research was especially valuable to my success as a student, and my success post-graduation.
What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz?
I would recommend taking part in as many internship opportunities as possible. This is a great way to determine post-graduation ambitions and make valuable connections. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to professors whose research or career path is of interest. At the least they will likely have helpful coursework advice, and at the most, they might take you on as a research assistant. This, in my opinion, is the best way to learn.
How will this scholarship impact your academic life/research?
As I will be graduating this quarter, this award will be helpful in obtaining research gear necessary for each of my jobs this summer; gear that will likely also be useful as I pursue my own graduate research a few years down the road.
