Prasheetha K
- Research Program Mentor
MS candidate at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Expertise
environmental science, ecology, biology, evolution, sustainability, climate science, public health, air quality, water quality, environmental health, environmental policy and regulation, wildlife biology, ornithology, genetics, earth science,
Bio
Hi! My name is Prasheetha and I am an M.S. student at the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, my research is on the effect of urbanization on the behavioral ecology of the dark eyed junco, and I love incorporating a combination of fieldwork - handling the birds - and data analysis techniques in R and GIS to guide my research process. I graduated with my Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science, and UCLA's interdisciplinary program allowed me to become well versed in a wide array of topics, including conservation biology, environmental health, wildlife and plant ecology, sustainability, public health, and environmental law & policy. I am particularly interested in research that informs conservation and other policy decisions, and as such, I spent a summer working as a Wildlife Biology intern with the Bureau of Land Management as well as my senior year's practicum working on an implementation & recovery plan for the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly. When I'm not catching birds in the field or typing away at a computer, you can find me at the beach, enjoying live music, crafting at home, or playing on my switch.Project ideas
Literature Review: Genomic Tools for Wildlife Monitoring and Conservation
In recent decades, powerful genomics tools have been utilized in an incredible amount of research papers, many of which have been crucial in informing conservation, management, and policy decisions. This is particularly significant in that genomic techniques can often be non-invasive forms of analysis, allowing new methods for Threatened and Endangered species, generally sensitive species, and species with cultural significance. These techniques, such as eDNA, genetic barcoding, and whole genome sequencing all have varying benefits and drawbacks, which are important to evaluate in a holistic manner in order to have a resource to move forward with for future researchers. Thus, this project offer's a unique way to gain knowledge into the world of genomics and biodiversity by reviewing the current literature on the methods themselves, previous studies with significant results that have used these techniques and the respective researchers' evaluations of them, and what future researchers can apply moving forward, creating a valuable resource.
Data Analysis Project: Water Quality in Lake Tahoe after the Introduction of
This project uses publicly available data to analyze the effectiveness of an environmental policy working towards zero emission vessels by reviewing the change in water quality of a body of water after legislation was passed. The California Air Resources Board made amendments to the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation in 2021, which was a phased transition with zero-emission targets, intending to transition towards hybrid and fully electric engines for vessels that go out on bodies of water, such as Lake Tahoe. Of course, it is paramount to establish the effect the amendment actually had on improving the water quality of the body of water. Using water quality data from the USGS, we can perform exploratory data analysis to see what trends in water quality, such as turbidity, occurred after the amendment was made in 2021, and how much change has occurred every year since then.
GIS Project: Mapping Sea Level Rise and its Effect on Endangered Piping Plover Populations on Maine's Coastline
This project utilizes GIS (ArcGIS or QGIS) to map sea level rise on the coast of Maine. Sea level rise, and inevitable consequence of climate change, can have devastating effects of shorebird populations, and can be even more significant for species whose populations are already dwindling - such as the Piping Plover. As such, it is crucial to utilize existing data to note the extent of the impact the sea level rise will have on these birds for conservation purposes. Using publicly available data from NOAA to establish key points in time of sea level rise as well as citizen science sightings of birds from iNaturalist, we can map out the intersection of sea level rise as existing populations of Piping Plovers.