In honor of German geographer, explorer, and naturalist Alexander von Humbolt, this fund provides annual fellowships to students conducting undergraduate research as participants in the Undergraduate Research Center’s Summer Research Program.
About the Roberts Summer Research Fellowship
This fellowship provided support for students to conduct faculty-mentored research through the URC Summer Research Program. It was specifically for those engaged in research associated with the Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences at the Moore Laboratory of Zoology and/or in the natural sciences.
Previous Recipients
2024
Jodhan Fine (Urban & Environmental Policy, '25) " The relative influence of habitat versus connectivity on understory and ground-dwelling birds in urban wildlife corridors" [mentor: Amanda Zellmer]
Mari Pokorny (Geology, '26) " Developing an Annually Resolved Record of Alpine Climate Change from Laminated Glacier Lake Sediments" [mentor: Darren Larsen]
Katie Vynhal (Biology, '25) " Rivals in the Riverbed: Comparing Water Efficiency of Invasive Arundo Reeds and Native California Flora in the Santa Clara River" [mentor: Alexandria Pivovaroff]
2023
Malena Laque (Biology, '24) " Divergence of Sharp-shinned Hawks across the Mesoamerican Highlands" [mentor: John McCormack]
Alyssa Player (Biology, '24) " The role of a novel artificial reef as refugia for sea star and urchin populations along the Palos Verdes Peninsula" [mentor: Dan Pondella]
2022
Zerlina Lai (Computer Science, '24) “Uncovering hidden divergence: Fine-scale genetic structure of slender salamanders in the Los Angeles metropolitan area” [mentor: Amanda Zellmer]
Xiaolu Wang (Geology, ‘23) “Reconstructing Holocene Hydrological Records of Summit Lake, Nevada” [mentor: Darren Larsen]
2021
Maeve Secor (Biology, ‘22) “Evolutionary divergence in Yellow Grosbeaks in the forests of Mexico” [mentor: John McCormack]
2019
Mia Forsline (Biology, ‘21) “Temperature Variation Within Urban Salamander Microhabitats” [mentor: Amanda Zellmer]
Ian Van Dusen (Geology, ‘20) “Pattern and Signature of Holocene Soil Erosion in the Icelandic Highlands as Recorded by Lake Sediments” [mentor: Darren Larsen]
2018
Brianna Baker (Biology, '19) “Impact of microenvironment water conditions on Coast Live Oak resistance to beetle vectors and affiliated fungal pathogen” [mentor: Beth Braker]
Aria Blumm (Geology '19) “Generating the Frequency of Past Earthquakes from Lake Sediment Cores in Grand Teton National Park, WY” [mentor: Darren Larsen]
Roshni Katrak-Adefowora (Biology '19) “Using biodiversity database to test habitat models of connectivity through a major urban wildlife corridor” [mentor: Amanda Zellmer]