1. By Justin Nicholas
The Careers in Science program gives
interns the opportunity to assist
scientists in their research or animal
husbandry at the Academy. In an
unparalleled learning experience,
interns dive into scientific careers
and have the opportunity to
directly support the Academy and
its mission: explore, explain, and
protect the natural world. I caught
up with interns Leon Wang and
Vanessa Cabrera to reflect on their
contribution to the Academy’s
mission.
Justin Nicholas: What were your specific
duties in the Center for Comparative
Genomics (CCG) lab? And what were
the goals of the project?
Leon Wang: My specific duties were
to aid Anna Sellas in the CCG with
her work on spotted eagle rays.
This included helping her with DNA
extraction, PCR, and keeping the CCG
lab well equipped. [We wanted] to
study the distribution and genetic
diversity of the spotted eagle ray
population in the Gulf of Mexico.
Studying them would provide important
information that will be used to set up
fishing and trawling laws in that region.
JN: How has it influenced your future
goals?
LW: I learned a lot about what happens
in a DNA Lab that I did not know before.
All of the processes required to look at
organisms at the microscopic level are
vastly interesting.
Vanessa was very passionate
about her experience working with
Aquarium Biologist Erin Jessup in the
rainforest exhibit.
JN: What were your specific duties in
your husbandry position?
Vanessa Cabrera: I prepared food for the
morning and afternoon feeding of song
birds, counted all birds in the exhibit to
make sure all birds were accounted for,
and cleaned holding areas for rainforest
animals. I enjoyed working closely to the
animals because you begin to really care
about them and want to start learning
where they come from. I started to
learn that these animals’ habitats were
being destroyed. I want to change that
and be part of the movement to help
conserve their environment.
JN: How has it influenced your future
goals?
VC: I want to go back to El Salvador
where there isn’t a huge focus on
conversation because of politics and
violence. I want to be a part of the
effort to conserve all those animals
there.
Both interns clearly had influential
experiences in their research
positions. These opportunities not
only allowed them to contribute and
learn skills to protect the natural
world, but also influenced their
future. When I asked Vanessa if she
could see herself in this profession in
the future, she responded with total
cheer and excitement, “Yes!”
Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 1
Destination Conservation
Careers in Science
spotlight
In this Issue:
• Interns Win a Grant
• Spotlight! on the LUNAtics
• Koshland Young Leaders
• New Additions to CiS: Interns
and Program Assistants
• Alumni Update
Intern Vanessa Cabrera consults with her mentor, Aquatic Biologist Erin Jessup, during
Vanessa’s weekly routine of inventorying the song birds of the rainforest exhibit.

2. Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 2
Dear Readers,
I invite you to the winter
2012 edition of Spotlight!
The past several months
have been a time of
change with new interns,
the establishment of
new Program Assistants,
as well as our first
astronomical project
group, the “LUNAtics”.
We are proud to announce
that the LUNAtics placed
fourth in the NASA Lunar
and Planetary Institute’s
high school research
competition.
Also in this edition: a CiS
project group was awarded
funding from the Youth
Empowerment Fund to
improve sustainability
in San Francisco high
schools, Stacy Thomas and
Mollie Cueva-Dabkoski
are recognized as young
leaders, and interns learn
about the wonders of
Africa!
Timmy Yu
Editor-in-Chief
Email comments to
cis@calacademy.org
_____________________
Editor-in-Chief
Timmy Yu
Reporters
Justin Nicholas
Reina Ota
Francisco Juarez
Staff Advisors
Roberta Brett
Renn Darawali
Melissa Tang
By Timmy Yu
What would you do with thirty five
hundred dollars? Interns Mollie
Cueva-Dabkoski, Michael Galathe,
Lille Crosby, and Maria Romero,
answered the question when
they applied for San Francisco’s
Department of Children, Youth, and
Their Families’ Youth Empowerment
Fund (YEF) mini-grant. This
project group was awarded money
to develop a Youth Sustainability
Seminar.
YEF mini-grants support small-scale
projects that are initiated and led by
youth to support youth leadership
in addressing important community
needs. The interns thought this
would provide an opportunity for
them to lead an influential project in
their communities. This was the first
time in CiS history that interns wrote
a grant proposal and won money
for a project. They proposed to lead
a Youth Sustainability Seminar to
address the need for sustainability
at different public schools in San
Francisco. The interns hope to
empower youth leaders to make
changes to “green” their schools.
The interns feel they have been
affected by efforts to enforce
sustainability at their schools. Intern
Michael Galathe says, “We are told
not to litter and to recycle, yet we
don’t really receive an explanation
for why these rules exist. The lack
of authority and explanation for
why sustainability is important
makes achieving sustainability seem
irrelevant.”
After surveying interns on
sustainability efforts at their
respective schools, Michael and his
project group concluded that out of
the 17 schools represented by CiS,
at least eight did nothing more than
advertise sustainability through
posters. It simply is not stressed
enough. In order to combat this
challenge, the YEF Grant Writing
project group plans to bring together
two environmental club leaders
and four student body members
from targeted schools to develop
solutions and a sustainability action
plan. Interns hope this event can be
the catalyst to create change at their
schools and develop a community
between public schools. Together,
change can be made!
An the Award Goes to...
Spotlight is developed and produced by the Careers in Science interns as part of a multi-year,
year-round youth development and science education program at the California Academy
of Sciences. Careers in Science is generously supported by the GGS Foundation; Joseph
R. McMicking Foundation; Kenneth Edward Olivier and Angela Nomellini; San Francisco
Department of Children, Youth and Their Families; The Sato Foundation; Onnolee and Orlin
Trapp; and Wells Fargo. For more information, contact Neal Ramus, Careers in Science
Manager, at 415.379.5109.
Melissa Tang, CiS Assistant Manager, gives feedback to some of the Youth Empower-
ment Fund Grant Writing project group about writing a grant proposal.

3. Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 3
By Timmy Yu
“Everything you see exists together
in a delicate balance.” Mufasa from
The Lion King could not be more
correct. The African landscape
is teeming with life, engulfed in
diversity, and humans should know
its existence and significance.
This past March, interns took part
in a multi-week training in which
they learned about the fabulous
biodiversity in Africa – and the
threat it faces. Animal populations
throughout Africa are decreasing and
becoming endangered while some
are even going extinct.
Interns explored the natural world of
Africa through captivating lectures
and activities led by CiS Assistant
Manager Melissa Tang, Senior
Science Specialist Roberta Brett,
former CiS Manager Eric Godoy,
and former San Francisco State
University graduate student Nic
West. The African continent boasts
astounding ecosystem diversity
which includes physical landscapes,
species diversity, which is the
variation of species in the region;
as well as genetic diversity, or the
variation of genes within a species.
Furthermore, Africa is home to
multiple keystone species, which
have a critical role in the ecosystem.
An ecological community would
cease to exist if these species are
removed. Examples of such species
include the African elephant,
the African hornbill, and the Nile
crocodile, all of which are now
endangered.
Biodiversity not only gives direct
economic benefits to Africa, but also
provides aesthetics to the land. It is a
major problem that the biodiversity
of Africa is being threatened.
The interns learned that many
factors come together to threaten
biodiversity.
The over-exploitation of
using animals for food
and for financial profit
(for instance, rhino horns
being sold), combined
with over logging which
results in habitat loss and
fragmentation, are among
the leading factors for the
reduction in species.
Another factor influencing
biodiversity is climate change.
Increased pollution from humans,
such as overuse of fossil fuels and
failure to protect the natural world,
have threatened biodiversity. The
interns also learned the devastating
effect of non-native species. These
species take away valuable resources
from native species whose numbers
are already on the decline.
To further understand the global
effects of biodiversity loss in
Africa, the interns engaged in a
role playing debate. They were
assigned to step in the shoes of
various groups in Africa – ranging
from black market salespeople to
Girl Scouts representatives – all of
whom may play an important role in
the conservation of species. Intern
Jordan Torres says, “I especially
enjoyed the role playing activity we
did, because the many viewpoints
as to whether or not to protect
biodiversity were discussed.”
During the debate, intern Michael
Vicencio was assigned a role
opposing the creation of a national
park to protect mountain gorillas on
the Virunga Mountains, but found
himself passionately fighting to
protect the mountain gorillas instead.
He said, “The role I received was
intended to justify extracting oils
from mountain gorilla habitats, but
my instincts could not get me to
stop protecting them. These gorillas
are fascinating creatures and they
should be protected as much as
possible.” As the interns learned,
the rest of Africa lies in a delicate
balance should remain untouched
and preserved.
Tackling the Biodiversity of Africa
Interns debated conservation efforts for the Tsavo lion, which is rumored to be a man-
eater, and mountain gorillas.

4. Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 4
by Reina Ota
For the first time in the Careers
in Science intern program’s
history, we have a project group
that is related to space science!
Interns Maria Orellana, Rabiya
Subedar, Joseph Wong and I,
also known as the LUNAtics
project group, committed a
whole school year to enter
a high school lunar research
competition.
In April, we presented our
Moon 101 presentation to the
Lunar and Planetary Institute
(LPI) and NASA’s Johnson
Space Center. LPI is a science
research institute that provides
support to the planetary science
community as well as NASA.
LPI also conducts planetary
research under the leadership
of scientists and visiting
researchers.
Under the mentorship of Dr.
Benjamin Greenhagen, a planetary
geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL), the LUNAtics began
their year-long journey towards
making a professional research
poster which would be entered in
the nationwide high school lunar
research competition.
After learning the basics of the moon
we began the toughest process of
all, deciding on a research topic
and question. Although we were
all interested in the same topic, the
volcanic formations of the moon,
it was challenging to agree upon
a single research question. Intern
Joseph Wong explained the dilemma,
“Since there were so many topics to
choose from, it was really difficult to
sort out all the ideas that provided us
with sufficient amount of data and
articles that are accessible. If we do
not have enough data, it would be
impossible to answer our question.”
Through all the discussions and
arguments, and with the support of
Dr. Benjamin Greenhagen and former
CiS Manager Eric Godoy, we decided
to compare lunar silicic volcanoes on
the far side and the near side of the
moon.
We decided to research
more about the silicic
volcano that exists only on
the far side of the moon,
the Compton-Belkovich,
due to its enigmatic
features that many lunar
scientists have not yet
discovered.
We wanted to research on how
the Compton-Belkovich feauture is
unique by comparing other silicic
volcanoes that are located on the
near side of the moon. To embark
on our intense research project we
needed a deep understanding of
the moon starting with the basics.
Introducing the LUNAtics
The LUNAtics met their mentor, Dr. Benjamin Greenhagen, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during
their SoCal College Tour.
The Compton-Belkovich elevation was one of the sites that the LUNAtics researched.

5. To do this, we developed a small
introductory presentation called
“Moon 101” to LPI in the beginning of
the school year. In order to become
familiar with the moon’s geology and
its geography, we read pages and
pages of professional lunar science
articles every week.
The interns initially did not have any
experience with moon research. But
of course, this did not deter us. We
began to read more articles, making
us work even harder in order to catch
up with other high school teams
that have had past experience with
the lunar competition. By the end
of October, we gave a PowerPoint
presentation to LPI and to interns
at Family Night. We presented our
findings from our own research,
such as types of craters and riles,
geologic composition, and volcanic
formations.
Despite all the challenges and
obstacles the LUNAtics had to
overcome, we were able to thrive
in our final presentation. In a brief
ten minute period, we presented our
final research poster and PowerPoint
to the LPI staff online, which was
challenging to do in such a limited
time with so much information to
cover. We came in 5th place out of 13
other high school contestants with a
0.5 point difference that could have
led us to a four-way tie into second
place.
On top of this experience, we also
submitted our research poster to the
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
conference in San Francisco. It was
accepted and we were able to present
to other professional scientists in the
field. NASA representatives even
stopped by to see our poster!
Every intern that participated in this
project group gained knowledge
about what it takes to be a lunar
scientist, which I believe is a
rewarding experience. After the
project group ended, Intern Rabiya
Subedar concluded, “I enjoyed
learning about the moon and its
formation; I thought that was very
interesting. I enjoyed doing the
research and teaching others what I
accumulated.”
The project group provided many
opportunities to present not only to
our fellow interns, but to LPI staff
and AGU scientists. Now that we are
more familiar about the moon and
its formation, we can help teach the
next project group of brave interns
the process of entering the research
competition. We can’t wait to see
another group of interns step up and
take on the challenge of becoming
the next LUNAtics!
Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 5
The LUNAtics’ research poster.
The LUNAtics presenting their poster to AGU’s Director of Science, Billy Williams.

6. Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 6
by Francisco Juarez
Leadership is an honorable trait.
Many leaders go unnoticed, so it is
always rewarding to have leadership
recognized. The Koshland Young
Leader Award is a scholarship award
created by Dr. Daniel Koshland Jr.
to recognize San Francisco’s next
generation of leaders. The award is
given to San Francisco youth that
have exemplified leadership by
excelling in school and giving back
to their communities in the face of
economic or familial challenges.
This award provides financial help in
the form of $7,000 for two years to
help pay for any education-related
expenses.
This year, the Careers in Science
program was fortunate enough to
have two interns, Mollie Cueva-
Dabkoski and Stacy Thomas, be
a part of the ten winners of the
Koshland Young Leader Award. Upon
winning the award Intern Mollie
Cueva-Dabkoski “felt really honored
and grateful that the Koshland family
would set aside money for my college
and my future.” To Intern Stacy
Thomas this scholarship “means the
world to [him] that not only [is he]
able to see college as a goal but there
are actually people who are willing
to support [him] in reaching that
goal, and for that, [he is] grateful.”
It is having opportunities like this
that make students like him want to
become better armed with the tools
to not only be successful, but to then
come back and help support the
communities that they came from.
Both interns plan to use the money
they have received to aid them in
their educational journey by buying
school supplies and to pay for some
of their college tuition. This fall, both
Mollie and Stacy plan on applying
to some of the most prestigious
universities in the U.S. Their college
lists include: Harvard University,
Columbia University, University of
Southern California, and UC San
Diego. So on behalf of the Careers
in Science program, we would like
to congratulate Mollie and Stacy on
their achievement!
Young Leaders: Mollie and Stacy
by Justin Nicholas
Big changes are happening in Careers
in Science! Now, when interns
graduate from high school, they
will also be graduating from the CiS
program. Our multi-year, year-long
program now supports interns as
they go through high school, instead
of supporting them until the age
of 21. The graduates will move on
and explore their options with the
skills they acquired throughout the
time they have been in the program.
This does not mean, however, that
seniors are leaving the CiS family.
If undergraduate alumni want to
continue to give back to the program,
they can apply to become a Program
Assistant!
This role provides them with an
opportunity for them to learn a
different set of new skills and
contribute to the intern experience.
A Program Assistant’s job is to train
and mentor interns and provide
assistance with administrative
projects to maintain the program.
There are two positions during the
school year; Program Assistant I
and Program Assistant II. Program
Assistant I main duties include
training interns on the content
knowledge of the stations that are
presented on the public floor, while
Program Assistant II main duties
include training interns and assisting
with administrative needs of the
program.
These changes also make room in
the application process to involve
more youth that are enthusiastic
about working with science. The
intern program is now extending the
application to rising 9th graders if
they were involved in the Academy’s
Science Action Club (SAC). SAC
is an after-school youth science
program for middle school students
of San Francisco. In order to keep
them involved with science and the
Academy, SAC youth can apply
to be a CiS intern as soon as they
graduate from SAC. This is part of
an initiative to increase the number
of opportunities for youth like us to
continue our interest in science at the
Academy. Now this is change we can
believe in!
Change We Can Believe In
The 2012-2013 batch of Program As-
sistants are excited to be back at the
Academy.
Koshland Young Leader Award recipi-
ents Mollie Cueva-Dabkowski and Stacy
Thomas.

7. by Francisco Juarez
Summertime means time for new
interns! The Careers in Science
intern program hired a new set of
interns this summer. After having to
overcome a challenging application
process, 13 new interns were
welcomed to the CiS family: Jamarc
Allen-Henderson, Jacqueline Barrera,
Maggie Beruk, Tiffany Cheng, Sarah
Chou, Judy Hua, Siyu Huang, Mariah
Jenkins, Jonathan Li, Tyler Ling, Evan
Luu, Franklin Medina-O’Connell, and
Ashley Ramirez.
The new interns were welcomed
with a week-long orientation to show
what being an intern is all about:
learning, teaching and conducting
science. New interns learned
science from lectures conducted
by Academy scientists. They also
conducted science by collecting
Pacific mole crabs on Ocean Beach
and then dissecting them to look for
parasites. They also received a brief
introduction to the demonstration
stations that interns teach on the
floor. Interns participated in lots of
team building activities, such as the
tarp flip, in which new interns stood
on a tarp and tried to flip it to the
other side without stepping off the
tarp. Intern Evan Luu said, “It felt
really good to bond and spend time
with each other because it helped us
become one big family.”
Following the new intern orientation,
interns continued to bond as a group
during the retreat to the Pepperwood
Nature Preserve. One way was by
playing team building games such
as shark island. This game requires
interns to work together in order to
achieve a goal. In this case, the goal
was to grab everybody’s water bottle
without entering the shark infested
waters around their “island”.
During the last day of the retreat,
interns faced the ultimate test of
their strength as a team: the ropes
course. Interns put their faith in
each other and climbed 70 feet up
a tree, entrusting their life to their
fellow interns. The new interns really
enjoyed the ropes course. Intern
Ashley Ramirez was ecstatic about
it. She exclaimed, “It pushed me
to go out of my comfort zone and
made me feel closer to the rest of the
interns.”
Now that the new interns have
braved through their orientation and
the Pepperwood retreat, they are
taking on their duties as interns and
teaching on the public floor of the
museum, while still continuing to
learn the ropes of being a Careers
in Science Intern. New interns like
Franklin Medina-O’Connell are
excited to “move up in the program,
in order to participate in the annual
Trinity Alps field studies trip and to
get more involved in the program.”
Once again we would like to welcome
the new interns as a part of our intern
family and as an intern alum once
said to them, “Welcome to science,
you’re going to like it here.”
Winter 2012 Careers in Science Page 7
First Leap into Science
Interns, new and old, work together on “shark island”.

8. California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California 94118
By Renn Darawali
The Careers in Science Intern
Program is now 16 years old and has
over 150 alumni living around the
world. Let’s see what they’ve been
up to.
Maya Walton (hired 2001)
Maya is a graduate student pursuing
a MS in the Zoology department
at the University of Hawaii Manoa.
Over the summer, she worked
as a scientific SCUBA diver on
a NOAA research cruise to the
Papahanaumokuakea National
Marine Monument in the North
Western Hawaiian Islands.
Chris Fischer (hired 2005)
Chris just graduated with a Bachelor
of Arts in Sociology from UC Santa
Barbara this year. He is a quality
assurance intern at a local software
company and tests software for
bugs and suggest improvements to
facilitate a better user experience.
Grace Gornall (hired 2006)
Grace continues to work in informal
science education at the Kidspace
Children’s Museum in Southern
California, a hands-on museum
aimed at teaching children about the
natural world. She plans to set sail
as a youth activities leader aboard a
cruise to the Bahamas in January.
Benjamin Henriquez (hired 2004)
Ben now resides at Slide Ranch
in Marin, where he also works
as a teacher. The ranch is an
educational farm to teach youth
about a sustainable lifestyle and raise
environmental awareness.
Ashley Conrad-Saydah (CiSM from
2001-2006)
Ashley is on the forefront in the
battle against climate change and is
now Assistant Secretary for Climate
Policy at the California Environmental
Protection Agency.
We would love to hear from alumni.
If you have an update to add, email
mtang@calacademy.org
Alumni News Feed
Chris Fischer returns to share his jour-
ney to college with the interns.