Vivian Vallin, 05/26/07
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'ACE' Scholar Wins Prestigious Award
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Biology major Vivian Vallin says the opportunities she found through the Academic Community of Excellence (ACE) have played a major role in her academic success.
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“Last summer we worked mostly on genetics,” says Vallin, who had been awarded an ACE Summer Research Grant to study the creatures with Professor Martin Ramirez, the William Francis McLaughlin Chair in Biology. “Also … looking at genetic variability and how that affects their performance” she explains. “Like, if they’re a certain genotype, that’s going to affect their size and how many babies they have.”
The mission of the ACE program is to assist historically underrepresented students in reaching their academic and professional goals. The program links young scholars like Vallin with faculty in their fields of interest, giving students a chance to get involved with research projects early on. Vallin, who just finished her sophomore year, first presented her work at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring of her freshman year.
“That is very unusual because most of the students [who present at conferences] are juniors or seniors,” she says. “That’s one of the great things about ACE -- you can get involved in research very early. It gives you a leg up when you’re applying to grad school because you have more experience.”
A “leg up” isn’t all Vallin has gained as a result of being an ACE participant. Her excellent academic record and research have earned her a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.
The honor, awarded by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, is granted to outstanding students in math, science and engineering in each state. LMU has had only one other Goldwater recipient back in 1991. Vallin is the only recipient for her home state of Nevada.
“When I found out [I received the scholarship], I could not stop smiling; I was so excited,” Vallin says. “I know this is a great accomplishment for the science and engineering department. It shows LMU has a strong program and we can be competitive against the UC schools.
“I am very proud to represent LMU and hope to have started a trend.”
A biology major with minors in chemistry and English, Vallin plans to pursue a veterinary degree upon completing her undergraduate studies.
“[A veterinarian] is something I’ve wanted to be since I was very young. I’ve always had a deep compassion for animals and I want to care for them,” she says.
Vallin has had practice for her future career through volunteer work at a local animal hospital and at the Los Angeles Zoo. This summer, she’ll expand her veterinary knowledge while conducting biomedical research at the University of Pennsylvania.
Between studies, research and volunteering, Vallin serves as co-president of Chicanos for Creative Medicine, vice-president of the Pre-Veterinarian Club, and a member and tutor with the Chemistry Society. This month, she was inducted into the Sigma Xi honor society – a result, she says, of the research opportunity ACE helped her find.
“ACE has played a major role in many of my successes this year, including the scholarship,” Vallin says. “The connections they—helped me make, the research experience they funded, and the letter of recommendation Steven [Neal, ACE director] wrote were all a major part of my application and its success.”