UCR Celebrates First Undergraduate Microbiology Grad

Cristian Carrera

The undergraduate microbiology major, which was launched in fall 2011, has its first graduate: Cristian Carrera, who received his bachelor of arts degree last June. Carrera, who grew up in Chino, is interested in pursuing a career in microbiology.

I want to learn more about bacteria, viruses and other microscopic organisms, he said. I am also interested in immunology.

The first person in his family to graduate from college, Carrera wasnt expecting to make UCR history.

I am proud to be the first graduate in the microbiology major, he said. I didnt know I had this honor until only very recently.

Carrera plans to become a professor in microbiology. He is interested, too, in teaching at a high school for a few years.

I used to run cross-country and play soccer, he said. Teaching at a high school will give me a chance to coach.

The steering committee for the microbiology major James Borneman, Katherine Borkovich and Marylynn Yates presented Carrera with a plaque to commemorate the milestone the microbiology major has reached.

I had the pleasure of having Cristian as one of my students in my new research-based course Experimental Microbiology during the Spring 2013 quarter, Borkovich said. Cristian was an excellent student and will be a great representative for both UCR and the new microbiology major out in the larger community. I wish him well as he embarks on the next stage of his career.

The rest is here:
Research and Scholarship