# @ucsc on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/ByiV84WB2E7
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20346459-ucsc-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/f08140702a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2019-06-10T16:51:57.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** UC Santa Cruz (@ucsc) — https://gondola.cc/ucsc

## Caption

#SlugStories Commencement 2019 Special Feature “The Planet 9 search algorithm I developed revealed observational constraints on infrared space telescopes, encouraging the development of next-generation sensors. My work with Professor Smith found correlations between chromospheric and coronal activity in dwarf stars, leading to more accurate solar storm predictions to protect our power and communication grids. In a talk given at NASA Ames, Professor Deamer used my mathematical model for RNA polymerization to argue in support of sending a Mars rover to dry hydrothermal sites in search of life. My work with neuron sensors will lead to pharmacological trials being run on lab-grown human brain tissue as opposed to rats, improving the relevance of data. These sensors will also help discover how genes affect human development, revealing the causes of disorders like autism and schizophrenia.

UC Santa Cruz is an incredibly unique campus in that, so long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can find professors who will readily include you in their research efforts. The ubiquitous undergraduate research culture at UC Santa Cruz has given me invaluable experience in skills ranging from hands-on laboratory work, to data analysis, to developing simulations, to writing and publishing peer-reviewed scientific papers. Most importantly, however, my experience at UCSC taught me the art of interdisciplinary collaboration.”
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Mason Hargrave (metaphysical_ramblings) is receiving a B.S. in physics as well as a B.A. in computational mathematics and graduating magna cum laude. During his time at UC Santa Cruz, he earned Dean's Honors every quarter and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Kenneth & Ann Thimann Scholarship, the Ronald H. Ruby Memorial Scholarship, the Hierarchical Systems Foundation Undergraduate Research Award, and the Tau Kappa Epsilon Long G. Justice Scholarship. This fall Hargrave will be working toward his Ph.D. candidacy from the Rockefeller University in Manhattan.
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📸: lunar_lindsey 
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#ucsc #ucsantacruz #commencement #commencement2019 #graduation #stem #nasa #studentprofile

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## Tags

commencement, ucsc, ucsantacruz, slugstories, nasa, commencement2019, stem, graduation, studentprofile

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