Riverside

“I am a PhD candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UCR. I work in a physics research lab studying positronium (the bound state of an electron and its antiparticle, the positron) in the hopes of forming and observing the first positronium Bose-Einstein Condensate. I am in full support of a union for Student Researchers because I believe all workers deserve the option of collective bargaining. Student Researchers are the foundation of the groundbreaking research that is done at Universities, and they should be treated as such.” – Melina Fuentes-Garcia

“I’m a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Chemical & Environmental Engineering at UCR and my current research focus is on the development of nanomaterials using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique for applications in heterogeneous catalysis to sustainably produce value-added chemicals from agricultural waste such as biofuels and biopesticides. I think it’s important to form a union because I have experienced first hand how the ‘Boss’ has enormous power over our lives, particularly as an international student. A union will help us to protect ourselves from bullying behavior and unrealistic expectations from our advisors & PIs.” – Somchate Wasantwisut

“I am an Entomology PhD Candidate and NICE (NRT Integrated Computational Entomology) Fellow. Student researchers are an integral part of the University of California, as we contribute substantially to the University’s research innovation, to training the next generation of researchers, and to sharing our collective knowledge with our communities. Forming a Student Researchers union will allow us to fight for the treatment and economic security we deserve as we carry out this important work.” – Mari West

“I’m in the Physics Department in the field of experimental biophysics focusing on genetic manipulation and fluorescence imaging. I support forming a Student Researcher union because research is seen as something you do because you are passionate about it and that makes it easy to take advantage of researchers.” – Jackson Kishbaugh-Maish

“My name is Tania Kurbessoian and I am a PhD candidate at UC Riverside studying black yeasts found in desert ecosystems, specifically features like biological soil crusts. I support this union as a means for Graduate Student Researchers to have our collective voices heard and succeed without being impeded by the unfair treatment some of us may receive whether it’s from our direct PI’s or from people with higher positions. Creating this union will help level the systemic issues that are direct reasons for many students to leave their respective programs.” – Tania Kurbessoian

“My name is Craig Sheldon and I am a first-year chemistry PhD Student. I work in the Davies lab studying aerosols. Student Researchers will benefit from forming a union because negotiating clear policies will allow researchers to reach out to someone if their PI is being unfair in any way. There are many stories of PI abusing their students and those students having no recourse. We are here to change that.” – Craig Sheldon

“I am a sixth year Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Sciences. I am also a mother to an infant son and a Latina. Both of these factors make me more likely to flow through what many in academia refer to as “the leaky pipeline.” However, this pipeline is not leaking. It’s unnecessary pressure in the form of racism, sexism, discriminatory practices, and economic uncertainty that force students of untraditional backgrounds out of academia at an alarming rate. Protections for Student Researchers like myself, in the form of a union, can help address systemic issues and provide agreement between the University and the researchers that provide invaluable resources to keep UC moving forward.” – Claudia Christine Avila

“I am a Graduate Student Researcher in the Physic and Astronomy Department interested in intergalactic medium and numerical cosmology. I am also interested in using machine learning to model quasars emissions, the lights from supermassive black holes. At this rapidly changing period due to COVID, unionization is the best way to protect ourselves.” – Ming-Feng Ho

“My name is Frantzeska Giginis and I’m a PhD student at UCR studying Third Hand Smoke. I support building a union because it can provide Graduate Student Researchers with the resources and security to allow us to focus on the research that we love. A union will also democratize the workplace allowing for all Graduate Student Researchers to have an input into the Graduate Experience at the UCs.” – Frantzeska Giginis