Alma is a PhD student at New York University studying Environmental Engineering. She currently is researching the fate and transport of microbiological contaminants in water. At the Silverman Lab, she focuses on the photodegradation of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater effluent. At the Henaff Lab, she is supporting the understanding of microbiome changes from flooding events occurring near the Gowanus Canal. She holds a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from San Diego State University (SDSU) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Prior to doing research at NYU, she was a project manager and head laboratory technician for the SDSU dormitory wastewater COVID-19 surveillance study in Fall 2021-Spring 2022. Alma also serves as a program assistant for the Water Environment Federation InFLOW scholar program assisting students of underrepresented ethnic/racial backgrounds and underserved local green infrastructure trainees. She assists in cultivating inspirational programming to connect scholars to the water industry and serves as a networking guide during the WEFTEC conference.