Projects

2011 - present: Ph.D. Research

I am currently working in the Revell Lab at UMass Boston on Anolis lizards and will be developing my research in the coming months on the influences of urbanization and anthropogenic stressors on lizard ecology and evolution.

2009 - 2010: M.A. Thesis research for Columbia University: Population Response of Two Freshwater Turtles to an Urban-rural Gradient

This project focused on the habitat characteristics that affect turtle abundance, individual health, and population health and persistence and how those characteristics vary along an urbanization gradient. A special focus was given to golf course wetlands to determine the role they play in urban population persistence and how they can be improved to better support freshwater turtles. The focal species were the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). The project was funded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) under their joint Wildlife Links program. The project advisor was Dr. James Gibbs, Columbia Adjunct Professor and SUNY ESF Professor.

2009 - 2010: Genetics research at the American Museum of Natural History
I interned for two semesters at the AMNH genetics laboratory. I assisted in all stages of the DNA extraction and preparation including microsatellite analysis and DNA sequencing. I primarily worked on two projects: endangered large felids, and cetaceans.

2007 - 2008: Digitization and Cataloging of the California Academy of Sciences Field Expeditions and Collections
This project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the PI was Dr. Stan Blum in the California Academy of Sciences CBRI (Center for Biodiversity and Research Informatics) department. The project focus was to catalogue, digitize, and make available in an online searchable database the information and photos of field expeditions and CAS specimens.

2006-2007: Morphological Analyses of Reptiles from Myanmar and China at the California Academy of Sciences
I focused on two projects overseen by Jens Vindum, curator of the Herpetology department at the California Academy of Sciences. The first project examined two morphotypes of Calotes mystaceum from Yunnan Province, China, and Myanmar. Large size discrepancies between the two populations raised suspicion that the populations were separate subspecies. Based on morphological analyses, this hypothesis was not validated. The second project involved morphological analyses and an inventory of reptiles in the CAS collection from the Alaungdaw Kathapa park in Myanmar.

2005: Behavioral Ecology of Black Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata), Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

As part of a field course with the Ometepe/La Suerte Biological Field Stations I conducted an observational experiment of Black Mantled Howler Monkeys. My project looked at affiliative and aggressive behaviors and how they changed with group size and amount of forest degradation.

2005: UV dosage response of San Francisco Bay Phytoplankton

I conducted dose response experiments of UV-B on phytoplankton collected from the San Francisco Bay. The project involved radioactive marker (3H) and LSC use. The project was supervised by Dr. Paul Chien and Dr. Deneb Karentz at the University of San Francisco.