Graduate Students

Graduate Students

Graduate Student Photo Thesis project title and/or area of study Brief bio CSULB email Thesis Advisor
Aida Cisneros   Environmental justice, perceptions of pollution exposure     Gary Hytrek
Alana Salas-Yoshii   A Case of Environmental Racism? Seeking Justice Through Community Agency in Huntington Beach, California Alana Salas-Yoshii is a master’s candidate pursuing her Master of Arts in Geography. Driven by her interest in public policy, urban development, and social justice, Alana’s thesis studies the environmental justice concerns of a marginalized community in Huntington Beach, California. Through her work, she hopes to amplify the community’s voice and contribute to environmental justice research in Southern California. In Spring 2022, Alana was awarded the Frank Gossette Scholarship to aid in her thesis work. Alana currently works for the Municipal Water District of Orange County. Alana.Salas-Yoshii01@student.csulb.edu Gary Hytrek
Alejandro Beltran-Cortez   Racial capitalism, Political economy, economic systems, GIS and migration     Gary Hytrek
Alexie Berberian   Food Geography When I first started college I changed my major a few times before I chose geography. I transferred from El Camino College to UCLA with a major in Geography and a minor in Anthropology. After finishing my Bachelor’s, I decided to apply to Master’s programs without any idea of what I wanted to research. I still do not have a set research study, but, overall, I am interested in food geography and ethnic identity. After completing my Master’s, I plan to travel and eventually work to become a community college professor, so I can share the wonders of Geography like how my former El Camino professors shared with me. alexie.berberian@student.csulb.edu Lily House-Peters
Andrea Cano   Emotional Geography, Cultural Geography, Latin America      
Ashley Guerrero          
Brendan Schultheis Brendan Schultheis How UAVs can make “Foresting” Easy: Using Conservation Drones to Model Aboveground Biomass and Carbon in California’s Blue Oak Woodlands I am a first year Geography graduate student interested in studying physical and environmental geography through the use of field work, remote sensing and GIScience. I recently graduated with my BA in Environmental Science & Policy and a minor in Geology, and I jumped straight into the Geography Master’s program. I work as a Research Associate for Dr. Paul Laris, which has offered me opportunities to do work from georeferencing years of sUAS imagery from River Ridge Ranch to supervising our REU program. I am also a Lab technician in the Geography department’s Open Lab where I help students with remote sensing and GIS lab exercises. brendan.schultheis@student.csulb.edu Paul Laris
Bryan Velasco Medina House-Peters Human geography and place Hello everyone. My interest in geography started when I was in 9th grade and ever since then, I have always wanted to get a degree in geography. My interest is in human geography and place, but I also love to go thrifting! I also love to go hiking and something I would like to do is explore rural cities in America.  bryan.velascomedina01@student.csulb.edu  
Darrell Carvalho   Gendered experiences and perceptions of mobility via the Los Angeles Metro A Line Darrell Carvalho is a graduate student in Geography at CSU, Long Beach. He is a substitute teacher in LBUSD. He has also recently joined a multi-disciplinary study exploring how geospatial technology can enhance STEM education for K-12 students. He is passionate about using GIS and qualitative methods to study urban social life. His thesis employs semi-structured interviews with transit riders to understand how gender influences people’s experiences of mobility, safety, and comfort on Los Angeles public transit. He has nearly a decade of experience in individual and small-group instruction for STEM students in vocational and collegiate settings. He is an active member of URISA and Gamma Theta Upsilon. His career goal is to become a spatial data scientist and instructor who can improve educational access and equity with data-driven solutions based on Geography. darrell.carvalho@student.csulb.edu Lily House-Peters
Dylan Charnon   Physical/ Environmental Geography My name is Dylan Charnon, I am a second-year Geography graduate student from Girdwood, Alaska. My thesis involves working with a species and habitat management. I have been working with the U.S. Forest Service to analyze data on one of their species of interest, the dusky Canada goose, and plan to continue working with the agency after graduation.  Dylan.Charnon@student.csulb.edu Mystyn Mills
Elizabeth Lind          
Enadina Lozano   GIS, archaeology, migration, Mesoamerica     Suzanne Wechsler
Isis Amanda Amoah   Environmental justice     Gary Hytrek
Jacob Ingram   Ecology, deserts, water/land use, cultural geography, geographic theory      
John Adrian   Planetary science, geomorphology, geologic mapping, Mars      
Kate Prell   Cannabis Equity: Analyzing policy, interests, and spatial outcomes in Long Beach, California Kate Prell is graduate student completing her MA in Geography at California State University, Long Beach. She holds a BA in Global Studies from Temple University. Prior to beginning her graduate program, Kate worked in non-profit education. Her academic interests include human and urban geography, with a focus on policy and neighborhood change. Her thesis is focused on analyzing cannabis policy and its socio-economic implications on neighborhoods in Long Beach, California. She hopes to conduct meaningful research on these policies to help guide lawmakers in creating equitable outcomes for local neighborhoods and residents. Kate’s career goal is to continue academic research in a PhD program and teach at the university level. When not at school, you can find her at the dog beach or looking for the best coffee shop in Long Beach. kate.prell01@student.csulb.edu Christine Jocoy
KB Smith   Planetary analogs, extreme environments, marine ecology, biogeography, functional ecology, geography with applications to astrobiology KB Smith is a current Masters student at Cal State Long Beach. Though a Long Beach native, KB received their Bachelors Degree in Physics from Sonoma State University. KB’s interest in space and specifically astrobiology took a more terrestrial turn, bringing them back to Long Beach to study physical geography. When not in class, KB enjoys playing bass, going to deathrock and darkwave shows, touring cemeteries, and appreciating neon art. kb.smith01@student.csulb.edu Mystyn Mills
Lidia Lopez   Climate change, ecosystems, sustainability      
Lluvia Lastra-Morales   Human-environment interaction, environmental degradation, environmental science and policy education     Lily House-Peters
Luis Mendiola Luna          
Maria Venegas   Environmental justice, climate justice, climate change, social justice, gender analysis, human impact     Gary Hytrek
Mina Nada   Forestry, carbon sequestration, fungi, ecology, data science      
Natalie Marcom   GIS/remote sensing, food deserts, social justice     Theresa Gregor
Sara Avrit   Biogeography, Marine Conservation, Species Distribution under Climate Change, Sharks A little about me… I received my bachelors from CSULB in 2020 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Geography. I am a Teaching Associate for Geography 130: Weather and Climate and a Research Assistant for the REU summer program up at River Ridge Ranch. My passions and research interests include sharks, extreme weather, and endangered species. I highly recommend making a trip up to River Ridge whenever possible as it is a great research site and beautiful! Always remember to ask questions and be curious!   Mystyn Mills
Steven Bowyer   Remote sensing, environmental geography     Christine Rodrigue
Venus Meza   Habitability & housing security concerns among senior renters in Long Beach, CA I am interested in human geography! I am fascinated by the spatial relationships between communities and their environments. I have a particular focus on housing and community development. I am doing research on the housing conditions for older adults who live in Long Beach. This work is crucial because there is currently no data on senior housing. Working with the senior population has shown me the importance of community-based outreach. By doing this research I hope to advocate for policy change and bring visibility to an often-overlooked community. venus.meza01@csulb.student.edu Gary Hytrek
Wendy Barahona