UA SRP Undergraduate Lia Ossanna Wins Multiple Honors
July 16, 2019
The UA SRP congratulates Lia Ossanna (undergraduate mentored by Julie Neilson and Raina Maier) on her graduation and multiple honors.
Lia graduated in May with a major in Environmental Science and a focus in Physics and Chemistry. This amazing undergraduate won a series of award during her studies. She was the 2019 Outstanding Senior for the Department of Soil Water and Environmental Science and also received the 2019 Honors College Silver Award for a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Lia was the recipient of a 2019 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Undergraduate Research Fellowship to pursue her project on nitrogen dynamics in the soil of an open copper pit mine that is undergoing reclamation. Lia presented her research at the 2019 University of Arizona Earth Week SWESx Day celebration and won second place for her oral presentation entitled: “Nitrogen dynamics as an indicator of mine waste revegetation progress”.
Lia is taking the next year to continue her research in Maier’s lab while she applies to graduate schools. She says of her experience: “One of the most valuable aspects of my undergraduate career was working in a research lab for three years. Being part of the Maier Lab Group was as critical to my academic success as my classes were. It was through this experience that I was able to gain exposure to the world of research in academia, meet excellent graduate student and post doc mentors, and complete a rigorous individual research project my senior year. Engaging in research as an undergraduate helped me cultivate my love for soil science and guided my decision to pursue a career that uses applied research to shape environmental policy. In particular, I have been incredibly fortunate to have Julie Neilson as an advisor and mentor; she has been instrumental in helping me achieve my ASM fellowship and Outstanding Senior award”.
Well done Lia!! We can’t wait to hear where you will go for your graduate studies.