Alternative Energy and Biodiversity
A U.S. Department of Energy Funded Project to Understand the Demographic Impacts of Solar Energy Sites on Migratory Bird Populations Increased solar energy production is a critical element of efforts…
Projects
California State Parks: A Valuable Resource for Youth Health
California state parks are a tremendous, potentially underutilized resource to promote youth health. More than half of young people under 18 in California live within the “visitorshed” of one or…
Characterizing interactions between mountain yellow-legged frog and unarmored threespine stickleback fish to assess the potential for their coexistence
Awardee: Samantha Snowden, Master’s student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, co-advised by Greg Grether and Debra Shier. Samantha is interested in bridging ecological research and wildlife conservation.
Corporate Sustainability Metrics
Firms play an important role in the well-being of their communities. From determining the compensation, working conditions, health coverage, and training of workers, to the environmental impact of their operations…
Does Eutrophication First Drive “Basification” Then Acidification in California Estuaries?
Awardee: Regina Zweng, 3rd year Ph.D. student. Regina is involved with the Science Policy Group which facilitates interactions between students and local policy makers and provides career guidance for students interested in a career in science policy.
Effects of urbanization on the diet, gut microbiome and prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)
Awardee: Vivien Enriquez, Ph.D. student in the Yeh Laboratory. Vivien's interests incorporate animal behavior, animal host-bacteria interactions, and environmental change.
Environmental DNA as a tool for assessing microbial diversity & ecological impacts by contaminants at The Bowtie parcel Brownfield site in Southern California
Awardee: Maura Palacios, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Wayne Lab. Maura's projects use eDNA to assess species assemblages in the Mojave Desert Springs, a threatened ecosystem and to explore microbial community changes in relation to hazardous materials at Brownfield sites throughout Southern California, for potential bioremediation practices.
La Kretz Field Station is base of operations for postdoc Rachel Blakey
Rachel is a La Kretz Center Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dan Blumstein and Seth Riley on the effects of fire on mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation…
Managing Pond Hydroperiod to Reverse Invasive Tiger Salamander Introgression
Awardee: Robert Cooper, PhD student in the Shaffer and Grether labs. Robert uses genomics to understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of recent hybridization between the endangered California tiger salamander and a non-native salamander.
Novel approaches and policies for sustainable transportation
By 2050, the phrase “the motor of the economy” might be more apt than “the engine of the economy.” For now, however, the conventional wisdom[1] on electric vehicles is that…
Resilience: 2020-2021 Focus
In the face of widespread changes brought about by COVID-19, record-breaking wildfires across the west coast, and one of the most active Atlantic tropical storm seasons on record, the importance…
The Future of Extreme Precipitation in California
Our researchers are investigating the effects of climate change on heavy precipitation events in the state. Specifically, we're focusing on atmospheric rivers, moisture-laden filaments of air that move across oceans and produce heavy precipitation when they make landfall. Understanding how atmospheric rivers are affected in a changing climate is key to smart water planning in the future.