This week my two new group members, De’Marcus Robinson (left) and David Yousavich (right), started at UCLA. DeMarcus is a graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, David is a graduate student in the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences.

De’Marcus received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) where he majored Environmental Science with a concentration in Toxicology/Risk Analysis. At his undergraduate university his research looked at creating a material that absorbs oil through organic chemistry and electrospinning. He also received internship investigating microbial lake productivity in the Sierra Nevada Watershed at University of Southern California (USC) through the C-DEBI (Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigation) course, and another internship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) investigating Turbinaria Ornata, an invasive macrogalge, in the coral reefs of Mo’orea.

David received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University (OH) where he majored in Chemistry and Zoology. There he did research in algal biofuels and cellulose degrading bacteria. After graduating, he worked as a research assistant on projects involving K-12 science education and molecular biology. He received his Master’s degree from Cal State LA in Geology and did research in the bioremediation of heavy metals in Los Angeles, specifically in analyzing processes governing the sequestration of copper, lead, and zinc in bioremediation media.

Both De’Marcus and David will be involved in studying bacterial sulfur and nitrogen cycling in aquatic environments in my group.

Welcome, De’Marcus and David, to UCLA!