Three CSUB students selected for California Pre-Doctoral Program

Scholarships will cover grad school application fees, support research

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 26^th, 2024

Three California State University, Bakersfield students have been selected as 2024-25 Sally Casanova Scholars as part of the California Pre-Doctoral Program.

Kelbi Banducci, Gisel Larios and Ashley Sevier will each receive $5,000 scholarships to help them pay for graduate school application fees. As part of the program, the students will also receive support for their research through opportunities to work with faculty from doctoral-granting institutions and receive one-on-one guidance.

The goal of the California Pre-Doctoral Program is to help students prepare for success in a doctoral program in their field of study.

“I am very excited for Kelbi, Gisel, and Ashley. To be selected as Sally Casanova Scholars amongst 212 applicants is truly an honor,” said Dr. Denver Fowler, campus coordinator for the Pre-Doctoral Program. “I am confident all three of them will go on to do great things with the guidance from their faculty mentors coupled with the support of this wonderful program.”

Here is more information about each of the recipients.

Three CSUB students selected for California Pre-Doctoral Program

Kelbi Banducci

Banducci is a biology major with a concentration in biotechnology who is pursuing a doctorate in medicine and plans to apply to a Medical Scientist Training Program. She hopes to become both a clinical physician and a basic research scientist.

Her interests are in the fields of neuroimmunology, child neurology, neuro-oncology, psychiatry and endocrinology.

Banducci works in Dr. Amy Gancarz-Kausch’s behavioral neuroscience lab, which is investigating how sucrose, a type of sugar, affects the sensation-seeking behavior of rats and how this correlates with human drug addiction.

She has been awarded the Undergraduate Research Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) grant to support her research at CSUB.

“I am extremely grateful for the support that the Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral program has provided me. I am excited to see where my research takes me this upcoming semester!” Banducci said.

Gisel Larios

Larios is a biology major whose faculty mentor is Dr. Danielle Solano. She is working with Dr. Solano to make a new derivative of a birth control compound, norethisterone, that could be used to help treat people with certain cancers, such as endometrial cancer.

“Pursuing a higher education such as doctorate school has never been accomplished in my family and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to have wonderful mentors to help guide me to achieve that,” Larios said.

Ashley Sevier

This fall, Sevier will be working with Dr. Antje Lauer in her environmental microbiology lab, which is examining whether the use of azole pesticides can lead fungi to become resistant to azole medications, which are prescribed to people suffering from valley fever.

"Being accepted into this program and pursuing my doctorate is an incredibly rewarding journey,” she said. “This program will assist me in working in my field of interest, contributing to meaningful research and collaborating with outstanding individuals.”

Students who are juniors, seniors or in masters’ programs are eligible for the California Pre-Doctoral Program. The 2024-25 scholarship application cycle will open in December. Visit the CSU website for more information.