# BSP members highlighted in MCB Dept. Newsletter as award recipients, featured alum

**Source**: https://bsp.berkeley.edu/news/bsp-members-highlighted-mcb-dept-newsletter-award-recipients-featured-alum
**Parent**: https://bsp.berkeley.edu/news

December 15, 2021

UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program News

Several members of the BSP community were featured in the Fall 2021 edition of the MCB Transcript newsletter, published by UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB).

Current BSP members **Estephannie Alvarez**, **Marvin Miller**, and **Anna Rios** were named the recipients of the [MCB Class of 2021 Sponsored Research Award](http://mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-events/transcript/fall-2021-new-noteworthy-postdocs-students).

Recent BSP alumni **Lara Ocumen** and **Vera Qu** received [2021 MCB Undergraduate Commencement Honors](http://mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-events/department-news/congratulations-mcbs-class-2021), awarded to graduating seniors in recognition of outstanding academic achievement. Lara received the I.L. Chaikoff Award in Cell & Developmental Biology and the CDB Best Poster award. Vera received the Award for Academic Excellence in Immunology.

BSP alumna **Nazineen Kandahari** was [interviewed](http://mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-events/transcript/fall-2021-alumna-nazineen-kandahari) about how her personal experiences motivate her professional and academic goals, including the foundation of the Afghan Clinic. She cites her undergraduate research mentors and BSP as important parts of her support system as a student at Cal. Nazineen is currently at UCSF pursuing her MD.

View the full newsletter here:

**[Fall 2021 MCB Transcript | Department of Molecular & Cell Biology](http://mcb.berkeley.edu/news-and-events/transcript/fall-2021-mcb-transcript)\***University of California, Berkeley*

---

## RELATED INFORMATION

The newsletter articles are archived and available here:

- [New & Noteworthy: Postdocs & Students](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/mcb_2021_researchawards.pdf) \
  *UC Berkeley Department of Molecular & Cell Biology Transcript Newsletter. Fall 2021.*
- [2021 MCB Undergraduate Commencement Honors](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/mcb_2021_commencementawards.pdf) \
  *UC Berkeley Department of Molecular & Cell Biology Transcript Newsletter. Fall 2021.*
- [Nazineen Kandahari finds a balance between two worlds](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/mcbfa2021_alumna_nazineen_kandahari.pdf) \
  *Kirsten Mickelwait, UC Berkeley Department of Molecular & Cell Biology Transcript Newsletter. Fall 2021.*