Nayeli Carvajal is an ecologist broadly studying the effects of anthropogenic factors (i.e., climate change, land disturbance.) on insect–plant interactions in natural and agricultural systems. She received her PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine and a master's degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she studied butterfly habitat response to forest restoration treatments.
Kayce completed a B.S. and M.S. in Biology at Idaho State University and Ph.D. in Biology at the University of New Mexico. Throughout her career she has studied diversity and biogeography of mammals and their parasites. Her master's research was on genetic diversity and relationships between two desert dwelling ground squirrels, the Mohave ground squirrel and round-tailed ground squirrel. Between her M.S. and Ph.D., she worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on a chipmunk research project studying the relationships among chipmunk species and hybridization between species.
Lindsay McCulloch received her BA in Environmental Biology and Geography from Colgate University, where she was involved with several research projects spanning epiphyte ecology to root dynamics in Alaskan ecosystems. She did her doctoral work at Brown University in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. Her dissertation focused on understanding the abiotic and biotic controls on symbiotic nitrogen fixation, a mutualism between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Disjunct distributions of flora and fauna have intrigued biogeographers for centuries and have been central to debates over the roles that dispersal and vicariance have in speciation and evolutionary biology. One of the most notable disjunct distributions is when a single species or closely related taxa are present in temperate or polar regions of both hemispheres, but absent near the equator.
Dr. Nelson's research interests include climate change impacts on mutualisms, biodiversity loss, chemical ecology, and trade-offs in multi-species interactions. She will discuss her past work on the effects of biodiversity loss on plant-aphid-ant interactions in the Rocky Mountains, as well as her ongoing work on the chemical ecology of plant-ant interactions in Costa Rica.
Please reach out to oasin@oxy.edu for Zoom details.
Observations of phenotypic diversity among closely-related organisms, especially those preserved as museum specimens, have driven the fields of systematics, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology for hundreds of years. In recent years, improvements in sequencing and laboratory techniques have enabled the collection of genome-scale data from many of these historical museum specimens, unlocking the potential for incorporating historical specimens into studies of phylogenomics, population genetics, and phenotypic evolution.
Dr. Kenji Quides is a microbial evolutionary ecologist with broad interests in microbial symbioses. He received his B.A. from Occidental College where he developed his appreciation for all things biology. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from UC Riverside in the department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology studying hidden conflict in the legume-rhizobium mutualism.
What can a ten year long successful struggle to curb oil drilling in Los Angeles and a study of chemical exposures from beauty products used by women of color tell us about the role of community-based research in environmental justice? This talk examines these case studies to consider how research operates on the ground in environmental justice social movements.
Please reach out to oasin@oxy.edu for Zoom details.
Each year Oxy seniors and alumni win Fulbright award to fund research projects, English teaching assignments, and graduate study abroad after graduation. Join IIE and Oxy's Office of National and International Fellowships to learn more about the award and how to apply through Oxy's process.
Register here for Zoom info.
BIOLOGY SENIOR COMPS
PRESENTATIONS
Fall 2021
Please reach out to oasin@oxy.edu for Zoom details.
1:30-2:15 JESS THOMPSON
Bullseye! Targeting Mosquitoes to Control the Spread of Malaria
2:15-3:00 ELIZA KIRSCH