Highlights – Summer 2024
Boz has a new home: our new lab research location is in La Jolla Cove – 505 Coast South Boulevards.
While our priorities are compelling life science research and education, it helps to sneak out occasionally and catch a few waves in front of our new lab.
“The Doctor is In”
Congratulations to our UCSD Program Director on a successful Ed.D. thesis defense “Comparative Analysis of In-person, Online, and Hybrid Modalities in a Pre-College. Science Research Immersion Program: A Statistical Inquiry”.
Maysoon is now a Doctor of Education, continuing her research and pedagogical hypothesis testing at Boz. Well done!
Flannery and Zuying are pursuing Ph.D.
Flannery (University of Maryland, Department of Computer Science) and Zuying (Portland State University, Center for Life in Extreme Environments) are starting their Ph.D. programs this summer!
Boz is awarded California Coastal Commission Whale Tail® Grant to continue research and engage students in Tijuana River Estuary ecological and human health risk assessment research.
Boz publishes environmental chemistry research in “Chemosphere”.
As part of the TRE-project series focused on Tijuana River Estuary (TRE), our first manuscript focused on non-targeted and targeted analysis of sediments’ chemistry has been published. Stay tuned for the phase 2 (comprehensive water quality at several TRE sites using novel CIPS technology) and phase 3 (metagenomics and biological risk assessment of TRE sediments and water with sea urchins, fish embryos, and human liver cells).
Boz is going international.
Liisa and Goran visited Vietnam in June and attended the 2nd annual Conference on Sustainability and Emerging Technologies (CSET 2024) at Dong Nai Technology University. After a day of engaging presentations focused on environmental bioengineering and AI applications, they accompanied Dr. Thong Le and collaborators from Australia and Taiwan on a day-tour of the Mekong Delta. This was a unique opportunity to learn about research projects at the university and about the country and Vietnam culture.
Dong Nai University researchers, staff, students, and collaborators at the end of the 2nd annual CSET conference in June 2024
Ongoing discussions between Boz Institute and Dong Nai Technology University are focused on establishing collaborative research projects in three major areas:
- Water quality, environmental & human risk assessment, and environmental science education in Mekong Delta Region.
- Molecular ecology and genome sequencing to promote ecotourism in the Mekong Delta Region: a pilot project to sequence the full genome of the Vietnamese bee from Ong Chua – Unicorn Island – (https://boniebee.com/collections/sua-ong-chua) and the host plant along with a Southern California bee (Dufourea australis) the host plant (Encelia california), to study horizontal and vertical gene transfer between the species. This project would include the nutrient analysis of the Vietnam honey and promote local ecology and sustainable ecotourism.
Visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda in Mekong Delta
- UNESCO Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve – Phu Quoc Island: Boz is exploring ways to include this region of Vietnam as part of a broader international marine ecology research effort in South America, Africa, and Europe. By involving local students in research collaborations and utilizing local bivalve species and analytical chemistry, this project will characterize marine intertidal environments and contribute to an international marine protection program, promoting environmental and ecological awareness.
Boz also visited VIDE, the Vietnam Digital Economy Institute (www.vide.vn) to learn about sustainability efforts through public private partnerships. Ongoing discussions are focused on research collaborations in ecology, water quality, and sustainable bioproduct (microalgal biomass) manufacturing and commercialization. Partnerships will be built on strong fundamental research and opportunities for students to engage in shared projects and participate from Vietnam, USA, and other countries Boz Institute partners with.
Liisa and Goran with VIDE Leadership at the Institute’s headquarters in Ho Shi Min City, June 2024