ThisIsWhatAScientistLooksLike

#ThisIs WhatA Scientist Looks Like

Liz Cervantes

By Hailey Schmidt

Community is essential to the college experience. It gives students a sense of belonging and encourages us to achieve goals greater than ourselves. For Liz Cervantes, community is personal.

Cervantes is a biochemistry major from Richmond, Texas. She is part of the RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) program. RISE is a federally funded program aimed at increasing the number of faculty, students and investigators in biomedical sciences from underrepresented communities. Cervantes credits this program with her academic and personal success.

“I was surrounded by people who were really high-achieving, and they pushed me to do that, too,” Cervantes said. “That’s why I try my best to be like them, and it’s always been a very empowering community. They motivate you. ... Having this network is awesome because you will always have your friends.”

Cervantes is passionate about the importance of representation in the scientific community.

As a first-generation college student, she appreciated that the RISE program allowed her to learn about academia from people who understood her background.

“We all go through this struggle together,” she said. “You may not see yourself represented when you go to a Ph.D. program, but if you want to be the change you wish to see in the world, you have to go through that struggle.” The RISE program also helped her get out of her comfort zone and improve her public speaking skills. At the college’s spring 2021 Undergraduate Research Showcase, she won first place in oral presentation and placed second in the three-minute thesis competition for her research on the potential of biochar, a charcoal-like substance, to retain pathogenic bacteria.

Cervantes’ experiences at UTSA have led her to success beyond San Antonio. This past summer, she participated in a prestigious neuroscience program at the Mayo Clinic to conduct behavioral studies on zebrafish. Although Cervantes was excited to join the program, she said she was intimidated at first.

“I have to remind myself that I earned this, and I earned my spot,” she said.

After graduating this fall, Cervantes intends to pursue a Ph.D. and continue her work in biochemistry, either in the biomedical industry or in academia. Regardless of where her work takes her, Cervantes hopes to give back to underrepresented communities and inspire other minorities to pursue STEM fields, just as she did.

Lindsay Peck

By Cecilia Nwaichi

During the challenging atmosphere of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindsay Peck started her freshman year at UTSA. Despite Fall 2020’s unique uncertainty, Peck was confident she chose the right university.

Peck, who is originally from Austin, Texas, made her decision with a holistic understanding of everything UTSA had to offer. On a campus tour, she learned about the university’s resources, such as financial and educational programs, academic organizations, study abroad opportunities and student support services. This helped Peck picture the abundance of possibilities she would have as a Roadrunner.

Now in her second semester and a student in the Honors College, Peck says becoming a Roadrunner means belonging to an extended family of people who have contributed toward making the university a great place to pursue dreams.

“UTSA’s ability to offer me access to every aspect of a great college experience is what drew me here, and it’s what makes UTSA different,” said Peck. “UTSA also stood out to me as a university that truly cared about the students and their success.”

Peck is majoring in biology and plans to become a physician assistant. Ever since she was young, her goal has been to work in the medical field. “I want other people to learn about their body and to help them heal,” she said. “I think that a career as a physician assistant will allow me to be close to my patients while also being able to see a multitude of them.”

Since becoming a Roadrunner, Peck has been amazed at the level of engagement and support she receives from her professors. “All the professors I have had in the College of Sciences clearly love their field and want you to love it, too,” she said.

As a woman in STEM, Peck wants to make a positive impact in the medical field and help improve health equity among all populations. Her favorite student organization at UTSA is Women in Medicine because it has helped her connect with like-minded peers interested in the field of healthcare. The student organization invites healthcare professionals to speak at their meetings on a wide variety of topics such as sexual health, racism in healthcare and COVID-19. As part of this student organization, Peck also had an opportunity to tour a cadaver lab at the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences in Spring Branch, Texas.

“I fully intend to make the most of the opportunities that have been given to me as I pursue and complete my college studies,” said Peck, who plans to represent UTSA as a proud Roadrunner alumna. “When I graduate, I plan on paying forward the opportunities given to me by doing my part to support and light the way for future UTSA students by representing my alma mater with pride, purpose and integrity as I set out to make my mark in my personal and professional endeavors.”

Sally Lent

Show of hands: How many of you were told to go outside more as a kid?

Not so much for Sally Lent. She spent her youth outside catching grasshoppers, chasing butterflies, and turning over loose rocks and logs to look for beetles. Her adolescence was made up of days discovering the great outdoors and making friends with little critters. Over the years, Lent has held on to her wonder of nature and has channeled it into her scholarly pursuits.

“I chose to study environmental science because I’ve always been fascinated by nature,” Lent said. “I wanted to keep that curiosity alive and make a career out of my passion.”

Originally from Peru, Lent is earning her M.S. in environmental science. She chose UTSA for its eclectic community and because she wanted to make a difference at a younger university.

During her undergraduate program, Lent conducted a yearlong study funded by UTSA’s Sustainability Office on the diversity of bees in Bexar County. It was her first research project, and she took what she learned into her graduate studies.

“This experience helped me gain confidence as both a student and researcher by allowing me to apply what I learned in my classes to a real-world problem,” she said.

In 2020, Lent landed an internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via their Directorate Fellows Program. In this program, she studied western bumblebees and interacted with many renowned bumblebee researchers. The project gave Lent valuable insight into the wildlife agency and allowed her to make research contributions to an ongoing conservation project. The results of the project will be published in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s final species status assessment for the western bumblebee. For her thesis, Lent is studying how bees can vary between different green spaces within an urban landscape. In this project, she is conducting bee and vegetation surveys and collecting data from several study sites. Lent hopes the outcome of this study will offer insight on the impact of urban development on native Central Texas bee populations.

Although Lent loved playing with and learning about insects as a kid, she became afraid of them as she grew older. It was only at UTSA that she overcame her fear and rediscovered her interest after taking an entomology course with Dr. Jessica Beckham, lecturer in the Department of Integrative Biology, and Dr. Terri Matiella, senior lecturer in the Department of Integrative Biology. “Entomology reminded me of my love for insects, which has ultimately led me to where I am with my research,” Lent said.

Lent might not be where she is today if she had not made an effort to connect with her professors and take her education outside the classroom.

“Use every opportunity available to you, as it could lead to discovering things that you’re passionate about,” Lent advises other students. “My professors helped me get connected to some unique opportunities that allowed me to explore my interests.”