Alexandra LaPat Polasko
PhD Candidate, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Alexandra LaPat Polasko received her B.S. from UC Berkeley and is currently a PhD candidate at UCLA in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in Dr. Shaily Mahendra's laboratory. Alex's graduate research focuses on microbial interactions with water contaminants and surfaces with applications ranging from bioremediation to biofouling. She is the recipient of the Eugene V. Cota Robles 4-year Fellowship, American Water Works Association Drinking Water Fellowship, and New England Biolabs Passion in Science Award. Post graduate school, Alex hopes to become a professor and she recently won UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award in which 5 students in all of UCLA are recognized for their ability to teach students effectively. When she is not in the laboratory, she can be found either swimming in the ocean or learning Russian!