Programs & Initiatives
- Bouchet Honor Society
- Climate Interns
-
Competitive Edge
- STARS
- UC LEADS
- C-CIDE
The Graduate Division offers Competitive Edge as a summer transition program for selected incoming graduate students. This six week program is designed to give selected graduate students an opportunity to begin research prior to the start of their graduate program and to acclimate to the campus environment. Competitive Edge is motivated by the campus's commitment to be fully inclusive and supportive of all students, and by the belief that a diverse graduate student body enhances the quality of the educational experience for all students. This year's program took place virtually from August 3 through September 11, 2020.
In addition to the research experience, participants are required to attend workshops to acclimate them to the campus environment. Workshop facilitators are members of the UC San Diego community and serve as faculty, staff or continuing graduate students in various academic fields. In addition to the workshops, participants are expected to attend an orientation at the beginning and a luncheon at the conclusion of the program.
Each Competitive Edge student is expected to work with a summer faculty mentor from their respective departments. The faculty mentor will provide guidance on a research project, new or existing. The project does not have to be completed during the 6-week program, which allows the scope of the project to span the entirety of the summer quarter, through the Fall quarter, or beyond.
At minimum, meetings between Competitive Edge Fellows and their respective mentors should occur every other week. Ultimately, this depends on the nature of the project, the amount of oversight each student requires, and the level of mentorship the faculty member is able to provide.
In addition to research, the faculty mentor can provide an introduction and guidance to the department, as well as any tips on how to make the most of the summer, first quarter, and first year of their graduate experience.
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Kelechi Agwuncha MFA Student, Visual Arts |
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Sara Almalla PhD Student, Ethnic Studies |
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Anthony Anderson PhD Student, Political Science |
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Mia Borzello PhD Student, Cognitive Science |
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Marvic Carrillo Terrazas PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences |
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Matthew Carter PhD Student, Linguistics |
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Ashley Cronk PhD Student, Materials Science |
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Nathaniel James PhD Student, Anthropology |
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Reed Kendall PhD Student, Education |
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Shai Nielson PhD Student, Linguistics |
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Joseph Riley MFA Student, Art History |
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Chiaki Santiago PhD Student, Neuroscience |
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Melonie Vaughn PhD Student, Neuroscience |
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Hannah White PhD Student, Education |
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David Ochoa Cadena PhD Student, Bioengineering |
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Thien Hoang Doan MFA Student, Visual Arts |
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Jose Armando Fernandez Guerrero PhD Student, Linguistics |
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Jennifer Ellen Fromm PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering |
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Incamu Ray Huaute PhD Student, Linguistics |
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Sanaa Sameena Khan PhD Student, Education |
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Julian Gonzalo Kosacki PhD Student, Bioengineering |
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Rochelle Alexia McFee PhD Student, Ethnic Studies |
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Taylor Sherisse McKie PhD Student, Oceanography |
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Monica Newton Molgaard PhD Student, Education |
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Lauren Ann-Ru Oey PhD Student, Psychology |
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Angel Payan PhD Student, Chemistry |
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Meghan J Rossi PhD Student, Neuroscience |
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Carlos Anthony Vasquez PhD Student, Chemistry |
Please direct inquiries about this program to: competitiveedge@ucsd.edu