Gabriela is a 19-year old from Madison, Wisconsin whose passion for geology started at a young age – collecting rocks as a little girl with her father. Gabriela has been a friend of the UW Geology Museum since she was 7 years old. Her personal mineral collection is very impressive.
While in high school, Gabriela studied in our department with Prof. Huifang Xu, researching the causes of color in gems (Oregon sunstone). She presented a poster in the UW Geology Graduate Student research symposium and at the international Goldschmidt Conference.
In 2009, as a senior in high school, her hard-work and research won her one of the top awards in the Intel Science Talent Search, winning a scholarship for her independent research describing why certain gemstones appear to change color when viewed from different angles—a finding that directly affects the gemstone industry and may have applications in the nano- and materials sciences. Gabriela is now in college as a freshman at Stanford University, and a declared geology major.
Gabriela is also a National Hispanic Scholar awardee, has two very proud parents, Abigail Farfan and Carlos Peralta, and has a real dedication to the arts: singing, drawing, painting, speaking French and Spanish, and following operas and musicals.
We can all share Huifang's great pride in the recognition of his former student.
Look for Gabriela tonight (Wednesday January 27), beginning at 8:00 PM CST