Tracy Ortega, an environmental planner at Dudek, a national environmental, planning and engineering firm headquartered in Encinitas, said her research experiences as a Cal State Fullerton undergraduate and graduate geology student helped her prepare for entering the scientific workforce.
Ortega said her faculty-student research projects, mapping and data collection in the field, and other relevant skills helped her land her current role. She uses skills she learned at CSUF every day, like interpreting data, reviewing maps and synthesizing complex information.
As an environmental planner, she reviews environmental documents to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, which involves complex regulatory permitting and documentation processes.
“Through my CSUF degree programs, I developed strong science communication skills,” Ortega said. “A major component of CEQA involves promoting transparency with the public. Being able to translate complex findings into clear, accessible language has been invaluable.”
After returning to college in her mid-20s, Ortega enrolled at Saddleback College then transferred to CSUF, earning her bachelor’s degree in 2021 and master’s degree in 2024, both in geology. She is the first author of an article based on her thesis research published in the international, peer-reviewed Journal of Sedimentary Research.
For her master’s project with research adviser and geological sciences professor Sean Loyd, Ortega focused on carbonate concretions, a type of cementation that occurs in sedimentary rock. She studied carbonate concretions that form in deep, hot environments in Ridge Basin, near Castaic in Los Angeles County.
“Every professor I encountered was deeply invested in their students’ success,” she said. “Having mentors like Dr. Loyd, someone who believes in you and pushes you to think critically, makes all the difference.”