MS in Biology
Advisor
Joel Sharbrough
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Raymond Castillo is currently a Master’s student in the Biology Department studying population genetics in plant genomes. Raymond’s interest in biology began in high school when he had learned about Evolution in his freshman biology class. Knowing he had wanted to pursue biology he looked around for potential colleges in New Mexico, landing at the Biomedical Sciences program at New Mexico Tech in Fall 2018.
Immediately after starting at NMT, Raymond got a position as an undergraduate laboratory assistant in a microbiology lab under the mentorship of Dr. Linda DeVeaux. Through this, Raymond learned a slew of laboratory techniques and had his first exposure to a research environment. This experience got Raymond excited to pursue research and led him to apply for several NSF-Research Experiences for Undergraduates involving evolutionary biology and was accepted to one during the summer of 2021. This NSF-REU through the Donald Danforth Plant Science center focused on studying the genetic basis of elemental signatures in maize and was largely computational, allowing Raymond to work remotely during the pandemic. This experience gave Raymond experience in studying evolutionary biology in plants and experience with computational methods to do so.
While applying for NSF-REU programs, Raymond was also considering graduate study and eventually applied to the Accelerated Master’s Biology Program to work in Dr. Joel Sharbrough’s lab. Raymond’s current thesis work involves the creation of an R Package to analyze the frequency of Loss-of-Function mutations in highly redundant genomes to make inferences on evolutionary pressures. This project allowed Raymond to focus his interest in evolutionary biology and bioinformatics and thanks to the encouragement from his advisor, he presented this work at the Evolution 2022 Conference and intends to do so again this year.
Raymond aims to defend his thesis this spring and will be attending Washington University in St. Louis in the Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology PhD program this Fall. This spring, Raymond was awarded the NSF – Graduate Research Fellowship Program which will aid him in pursuing a lifelong dedication to research in evolution.
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Congratulations to the Newly Elected and Appointed GSA Officers for 2023-2024
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| Dylan Purcell |
President |
| Luis Contreras-Vidal |
Vice President |
| Kiran Rao |
Grants officer |
| Andre Ortiz |
Treasurer |
| Christopher Nance |
Information Officer |
| Harriet Tetteh |
Events Officer |
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GSA SRS Poster Competition Winners
Congratulations to the GSA Student Research Symposium Winners.
First place: Casia Esparza, Ashley Bradshaw, and Kayla Mackowski, "Isolation and Evolution of Novel Phages for Potential Use in Phage Therapy"
Second place: Mohamed Metwally, "Effectiveness of Shale Inhibition by Anionic and Cationic Polyacrylamide Copolymers in Water Based Mud"
Third place: Jeffrey Gordon, Maria Acevedo, and Simon Lotero, "Investigation of the Efficacy of Blended Learning Techniques for Safety Training Material Development: A Case Study"
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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP)
We are working with NSF to have a webinar about the NSF-GRFP to introduce you to the program, talk about benefits, requirements, and the application process. Please stay tuned for an announcement on when we will have this information session. This is a great opportunity for you to get this prestigious award and further support your education. Please be on the lookout for an email with registration information.
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Responsible Conduct of Research
All participants in research are required to complete the Responsible Conduct of Research Training. Graduate students are to file a copy of their training certificate with the Center for Graduate Studies.
But, it is highly encouraged that all graduate students go through this basic training. Responsible Conduct of Reseach (RCR) is very valuable as you are working on your research and is available to you for free.
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04/26
Completion paperwork for Spring graduation to be eligible to participate in Commencement and have your degree conferred at the end of Spring semester in the month of May
The completed report of the advisory committee, iThenticate report from academic advisor, and ProQuest submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Center for Graduate Studies or one final copy of an accepted independent study paper must be submitted to the student’s advisor and advisory committee. Please refer to the Completion Guideline on the CGS website.
Must have submitted your intent to graduate form prior to the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester.
Must have already submitted your Diploma and Intent to Walk to the Registrar.
Student degrees are not complete until final materials have been approved by the Center for Graduate Studies and the student receives final acceptance via email from the ProQuest system. Students are encouraged to submit their thesis/dissertation drafts earlier to ensure that it will be accepted by the Registrar's deadline.
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05/3 Starting at 1pm
Graduate Students Appreciation Day
This day is all about graduate students. Traditionally it has been a BBQ but this year GSA and CGS are hoping to expand the events to include fun activities. The events will start at 1pm and the BBQ will start at 5pm. Please join us at any time even if you can't make it from the beginning. Families, faculty, staff and anyone that supports graduate students are invited
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05/09
Completion requirement for Spring graduation to be eligible to participate in Commencement and have your degree conferred in the month of June
Students that have defended successfully and completed all their degree requirements with exception to some editorial changes to their thesis, dissertation or independent study. For the degree to be conferred in June, deadline for completion of the paper work is May 15th, 2023. The completed report of the advisory committee, iThenticate report from academic advisor, and ProQuest submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Center for Graduate Studies or one final copy of an accepted independent study paper must be submitted to the student’s advisor and advisory committee. Please refer to the Completion Guideline on the CGS website.
Must have submitted your intent to graduate form prior to the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester.
Must have already submitted your Diploma and Intent to Walk to the Registrar.
Student degrees are not complete until final materials have been approved by the Center for Graduate Studies and the student receives final acceptance via email from the ProQuest system.
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There are some Endowed scholarship opportunities open to graduate students, which are listed here on the Endowed Scholarship website. Native American graduate students should contact the Financial Aid Office for information for additional scholarship opportunities (financial_aid@nmt.edu).
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Graduate Student Association (GSA)
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Alejandra Mayorga-Del Valle
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Center for Graduate Studies
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Admission & Student Success
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Graduate Coordinator / Technology Manager
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