Carlos Puentes Mestril, PhD   /   2021 CCST (California Counsil on Science and Technology) Science Fellow

From Florida, Carlos studied how sleep differentially regulates gene expression in different cell types and regions of the brain. He earned his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan and a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida.

  Placement: Office of Senator Wieckowski
As a CCST science fellow, Carlos reported for boot camp in November of 2020 and participated in their annual policy training program - a crash course on the process, history, and landscape of California policymaking, as well as skills development and communications workshops to prepare him for the intense, dynamic pace of the Capitol policy world.  He was also brought up to speed regarding the duties he might perform in the executive or legislative branch.  At the end of training, Carlos interviewed with various offices and ranked them according to preference.  He was then placed in the Office of Senator Wieckowski where he will be essentially working as a legislative aide. In addition to staffing bills through the legislative process, Carlos will also be meeting with stakeholders on behalf of the senator, and updating the senator on pertinent legislation, and working on talking points until November.  They also have CCST seminars every Friday on a variety of topics, including career building and policy studies.
 
Congratulations to Carlos Puentes Mestril from the UM NGP Program!

Click HERE to learn more about the CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellows