appearing in

The Graduate

Zia Isola is Director of Diversity Programs at the UCSC Genomics Institute, and also serves as the advisor for Women in Science and Engineering. Zia and Abigail both attended UC Santa Barbara, Zia completing her PhD in English Literature and Writing. Zia is a lecturer in the UCSC Department of Biomolecular Engineering, teaching senior thesis seminars for STEM majors. Zia, Marcella, and Abigail have many opportunities to work together within Baskin Engineering. Along with Yulianna Ortega, their efforts can be broadened to support STEM students, faculty, and staff across the campus. 

Chris Johnson trained for a career in digital arts, but has always been attracted to media that “he could actually shape with his hands.” In the mid-eighties, Chris began exploring various studio arts and took up metal smithing for a few years. Then, in 1998, he was introduced to glassblowing and now works out of his studio, Chris Johnson Glass, in Davenport, CA, where he also offers classes, workshops, and corporate team building activities. 

Elise Knittle, professor of earth and planetary sciences at UCSC, uses ultrahigh pressure and temperature experiments to simulate the conditions in the Earth’s interior. She went to Smith College in her home state of Massachusetts as an undergraduate, then to UC Berkeley for her PhD. Abigail first met Elise when she was brought in to help a struggling department at the Baskin School of Engineering, her uncommon patience and ironic sense of humor allowing her to shepherd departmental faculty much in need of shepherding. Much to Abigail’s delight, she was later brought back to oversee another struggling department. (It’s not that Abigail wants the departments to struggle; she just wants to hang out with Elise.)

Quentin Williams, professor of earth and planetary sciences at UCSC, went to Princeton, then to UC Berkeley for his PhD. We mention his alma maters rather than his research and interests because Quentin is above all – at least for Abigail and Wendy – a sports superfan, his teams being the Philadelphia Eagles, Cal football, the 49ers, and the SF Giants. Like Abigail’s stepdad John, Quentin served as dean of the graduate division at UCSC. He tells the funny childhood story of encountering then-local official Joe Biden on the streets of his native Delaware, Joe enthusiastically urging the kids to have their parents call his office if they ever needed help with anything.

Marcella Gomez is an associate professor of applied mathematics and associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC, where she and Abigail work closely together on cool projects and initiatives. She holds a BS degree from Berkeley and a PhD from CalTech. Marcella was awarded the prestigious UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, doing her postdoc in electrical engineering and computer science at Berkeley. Her research centers around control and dynamical systems with applications to synthetic biology. Marcella grew up in Riverside, CA. She is an avid salsa dancer, and was recruited by Yulianna to play in a local soccer club.

Yulianna Ortega was named the UCSC outstanding staff member of the year in 2020. She is the director of UCSC’s STEM Diversity Programs, which encompasses a variety of programs that support underrepresented students in STEM fields. Professor Enrico Ramerirez-Ruiz, who was honored by the White House with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, describes Yuli this way: “Yuli is one of the most gifted mentors and has empowered hundreds of students. Her intelligence and grace set the bar high . . . and she continues to serve as one of our greatest inspirations.” Yuli, Marcella, and Abigail bonded in the UCSC Leadership Academy.

Sri Kruniawan is a professor of computational media at the UCSC Baskin School of Engineering. Her work focuses on interactive systems to help older persons, people with disabilities, and children. Sri’s projects are often designed to help people in developing countries and people with low socioeconomic status. Her lab is called “ASSIST,” which stands for Assistive Sociotechnical Solutions for Individuals with Special needs using Technology. A native of Indonesia, Sri has lived all over the world, including in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, and Manchester, England. She holds numerous degrees, the most advanced being a PhD from Wayne State University. Sri is an avid gardener and beekeeper, providing the honey for the sweet party favors for The Preview. (Thank you!)

Mircea Teodorescu is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCSC Baskin School of Engineering. His lab connects biology and engineering, focusing on mechanical, electrical and computer engineering applications to bio-molecular engineering, biomechanics, robotics, and assistive technology. He and partner Sri Kurniawan are part of a team of UCSC engineers that has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of miniature, three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells. Mircea grew up in Romania, where he earned degrees in mechanical engineering from Politehnica University, Bucharest, and numerous positions in the UK. He earned a PhD from Wayne State University. Mircea is a spirited gardener and beekeeper. (We thank Mircea for providing the honey for our Preview party favor!)