UConn Master's ResearchBetween the summer of 2016 through fall 2018, I performed research in the forest preserves of Lake County, Illinois as part of a larger experiment, also known as the Southern Des Plaines Restoration Project, being implemented by Lake County Forest Preserves.
This research primarily focused on the impact of different intensities and placements of canopy thinning on oak seedling regeneration and ground layer response. I performed two summers of field work, in which I collected a variety of data which assisted in the understanding of the management's impact on environmental conditions, ground-layer communities, and seedling growth. I defended my research in the spring of 2018. We hope to use these findings to develop a better understanding of management for natural areas throughout Illinois and the east coast. |
Puerto Rico
In 2015, I participated in a LTER study in El Yunque Rainforest. For this project, we identified, measured, and recorded Puerto Rican plant species native to El Yunque rainforest in over 500 plots. The ultimate purpose of this research is to look at seeding recruitment and growth in response to hurricane disturbance.
Undergraduate Research
During my undergraduate degree, I spent two semesters investigating the differences in growth between four hybrid crosses of Echinacea. E. pallida, was introduced to prairie restoration sites near native populations of E. angustifolia in sites throughout Minnesota. We performed a hybridization experiment to look at the effects introduced E. pallida may have on native E. angustifolia populations. I examined height, width, cotyledon size, emergence time and mortality of the progeny of four cross types.
My findings were published in Lake Forest College's Science Magazine, "Eukaryon", and can be found here.
My findings were published in Lake Forest College's Science Magazine, "Eukaryon", and can be found here.