Electrical engineering student Ruby Diaz recently presented her research on carbon removal projects at the Emerging Researchers National Conference.

Not only was it her first-ever academic conference and first time presenting her research as a California State University, Bakersfield student, she also was there all on her own. But thanks to support from her fellowship with the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF), Diaz was ready to share her expertise.

"I went by myself - not in a group like many other students - so I was definitely a little nervous at first," she said. "But it ended up being a great experience. It pushed me to meet people and connect with students from all kinds of schools and research backgrounds. Everyone brought something different to the table, and it was exciting to be surrounded by so much curiosity and passion."

The conference, held in Atlanta in April, was three full days of presentations, workshops, guest speakers and networking. There, Diaz shared the research she has been conducting as the Davis Family Carbon Fellow for LLF over the past year.

Working with co-author Mark Julian, Diaz has created an educational toolkit to help students learn about carbon removal technologies and efforts. Carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere contributes to climate change, and carbon removal is seen as an important process to address harmful levels of the greenhouse gas.

Diaz and Julian mapped and analyzed carbon removal projects in three key regions: California; Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana; and Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. They looked at factors including political climate, economic viability, social acceptance, legal context, technology readiness and environmental impact.

"We're trying to figure out how the implementation of carbon removal projects varies regionally," Diaz explained. "It's not just about the science or technology. We're looking at the full picture, including policy, economics, local acceptance and the environment. This kind of research matters because carbon removal is one of the tools we'll need to fight climate change, especially in places like the Central Valley where environmental and economic challenges overlap. It takes more than engineering plans to implement these projects."

Sharing this work at her first conference was "nerve-wracking," Diaz said, "but I felt confident in the work I've done and was proud to share it. I had amazing mentors who helped me prepare, and I ended up really enjoying the experience!"

When she wasn't presenting her work, Diaz had the opportunity to take in everything else at the conference. One of her biggest takeaways was realizing how broad and creative science, technology, engineering and mathematics research can be.

"Everyone's doing something different, but we're all contributing to something meaningful," she said. "One of the guest speakers said something that really stuck with me: 'It only takes a small group of people from different disciplines to make a big difference.' That really resonated with me - I love interdisciplinary work and how powerful it can be when people from different fields come together."