Profile

• Time Zone

  Central

  
  
• Organization

  Texas Tech University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My research interests broadly speaking are restoration ecology, invasion biology, grass-woody plants dynamics and tropical dry forest dynamics. Currently my research will focus on non-native grasses and their effects on native ecosystems in semi-arid lands in Texas and the island Puerto Rico. I will study possible range expansion of these grasses due to changing climate patterns, their current effects in the soil nutrients and water dynamics and finally greenhouse experiments between the non-native grasses and native plants that might enter into contact as the invasives begin their expansions.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  When and why did you decide to go into a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  Early in life I have been attracted to biology and it has always held a fascination in my mind. This fascination was focused towards plant life, which intrigued me, but it was only once I started my undergraduate degree that I was able to explore the areas of plant biology, such as the field of plant ecology. While working on my bachelor's degree, I was accepted as a summer REU student in El Verde Field Station in El Yunque Experimental Forest in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. During that summer, I studied the association between bryophytes and riparian epiphytic orchids and assisted in the population census of the studied orchid. This particular experience cemented my life- long attraction and interest in field ecology with plants as well as becoming enthusiastic about conducting field-based research.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Can you describe your attitude toward science when you were in high school?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  Curiousity. I have always been fascinated with the natural world and I have always loved to learn more about it, to understand it, to appreciate it. To learn why things did the things they did.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What lessons have you learned in your career about how science works?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  Always be consistent in your data collection (taking notes), be sure you have fully thought-out your experiments and bad data is still data.

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  2