Grad Slam Finalists 2023
2023 Winners
Champion, Winning $3000
Christa Seidl
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ph.D., 5th year
Silence in Paradise: Fighting Extinction and Infectious Disease in Hawaiian Birds
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
What excites you most about your research? Making a tangible impact on managing an infectious disease threatening animals, ecosystems, and cultures.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? I knew UCSC would provide the opportunity to conduct high-quality and impactful research in ecology and evolutionary biology with a respected professor and in a beautiful place.
Tell us a bit more about yourself. I was once trapped in a tree by a troupe of lemurs in Madagascar.
Runner-Up, Winning $1500
Meloddy Gao
Social Documentation, M.F.A., 1st year
Swimming Lessons: Observing Grief Across Oceans
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
What excites you most about your research? Working with Asian American communities at the crossroads of social advocacy and art. While my film is personal, the themes of intergenerational communication, identity, and grief are experiences many people connect with.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? To learn documentary filmmaking as an act of social justice.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I was a big fan of The Magic School Bus. I channel Ms. Frizzle with bright colors in my wardrobe, embroidery, and mural paintings.
People’s Choice, Winning $750
César Rojas-Bravo
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Ph.D., 6th year
Measuring Exploding Stars to Understand Dark Energy, the Universe’s Biggest Mystery
Hometown: Alajuela, Costa Rica
What excites you most about your research? Continuing the legacy of thousands of astonomers in history.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? To be part of the world-acclaimed Astronomy Department, not just for its superb research, bu also for its faculty’s strong advocacy for diversity and underrepresented groups in astronomy. Professor Enrico Ramírez-Ruiz strongly influenced my decision. He showed me Latin Americans can be world scientific leaders.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! My mom, sister, and I got matching crescent moon tattoos after our wonderful trip to Turkey last summer!
Other Finalists
Dana-Lis Bittner
Cognitive Psychology, Ph.D., 3rd year
Internet-Use-Induced Forgetting: Looking for More Information Online Can Make You Forget What You Already Know
Hometown: Vienna, Austria
What excites you most about your research? Researching a quickly evolving field. Tech advances present many questions about how memory and metacognition function with them.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? UCSC’s social justice focus and the Psychology Department’s strong and rigorous program of research made me confident that this was a place where I could thrive.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I speak German, English, and French, am learning Spanish and Japanese, and can read Latin.
Xian Hui Chang
Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics, Ph.D., 6th year
Reducing Bias in Genomics with Pangenomes
Hometown: Bethesda, MD
What excites you most about your research? Working on a project using my background in biology and computer science to solve interesting and fun problems that have an impact on ameliorating genomic biases.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? UCSC has always been at the forefront of genomics, and I wanted to be a part of the amazing research that goes on here.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I’m no longer allergic to nuts, so I’m trying all types. The rankings are: 1: pistachios, 2: cashews, 3: almonds.
Mitra Elena Ghaffari
Social Documentation, M.F.A., 2nd year
Ciclovía Documenatary & Bike Collective
Hometown: Boulder, CO
What excites you most about your research? All the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with along the way!
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? To create media rooted in social advocacy, grow as an educator, and learn in community.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I recently learned that cows moo with regional accents!
Samir Ghosh
Computational Media, Ph.D., 1st year
Wildfires in Virtual Reality
Hometown: Los Altos, CA
What excites you most about your research? Working in virtual reality development, because it’s very polymathic.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? Our computational media program is unique because it’s an engineering discipline that has us critically study the humanities and practice the arts. Many mentors and peers pointed me to UCSC.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I’m an open water swimmer! I’ve been swimming from Alcatraz to shore yearly since I was 11.
Simeiyun Liu
Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Ph.D., 5th year
Epigentics: How Your Diet Today Can Affect Your Children Tomorrow
Hometown: Xinjiang, China
What excites you most about your research? Making new discoveries and contributing to my field drives me, especially the possibility of developing a new method or theory with significant impact on the field.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? UCSC’s natural beauty and supportive community. I believed UCSC would provide me with what I need to succeed in my field.
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I have lucid dreams almost every night and remember what happens in my dreams. I am living another life in my dreams while sleeping!
Vanessa Yadira Oviedo
Psychology, Ph.D., 4th year
The Liking Gap in Online Communication
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
What excites you most about your research? Uncovering new knowledge and learning how human behavior changes in a digital setting.
Why did you choose to attend UC Santa Cruz for graduate study? I loved the research being done in my adviser’s lab, plus the location is beautiful!
Tell us a bit more about yourself! I enjoy going to live concerts, indoor rock climbing, and spending time with my cat, Luci. I also frequently travel to Guanajuato, Mexico, where my family is from.
