Elena S
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Davis (UCD)

Expertise

Ecology and evolution, botany, plant biology, marine biology, insect biology, science teaching pedagogy

Bio

I was first interested in ecology and evolution because of my curiosity around how genes vs the environment (nature vs nurture) shape living organisms. I've studied lots of different environments and organisms like salt marshes, sea urchins, and pollinators. My PhD work focused on plant responses to climate change in California, especially how they are able to survive and reproduce as conditions become hotter and drier. I'm currently a California Sea Grant State Fellow working at the California State Water Boards doing surface water quality data analysis and policy work. In my free time, you can usually find me spending my weekends backpacking, kayaking, and mountain biking with my husband. At home, I love to read, hang out with my two cats, and cook new meals. My most recent new interests are strength training and science policy.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Effects of fire on California plant communities

Climate change is making California hotter and drier, and fires are increasing in frequency and intensity. While many California plants are adapted to fire, scientists expect many changes to California plant communities over the coming decades as fires become more common. This project could review the most recent research on plant community responses to fire, adaptations plant species use to optimize fitness in fire-prone habitats, and/or how climate change is predicted to increase conditions that can lead to more incidences of fire in California.

Coding skills

Teaching experience

I have served as a teaching assistant for eight courses, from presenting material, leading review sessions, and overseeing labs to holding office hours, leading discussion sections, and grading homeworks, final papers, and exams. I have also taught basic science concepts to middle school students once per month during the academic year at a local school as a STEM Squad volunteer. This graduate student-led group provides hands-on activities demonstrating STEM concepts in underserved schools. Additionally, I have relevant experience as a graduate student mentor for over 25 undergraduates, of whom three designed independent research projects and presented them at conferences or published their results as coauthors on papers under my guidance. I was also a Democracy Coach for Generation Citizen, which places its volunteers into middle schools to teach and empower students to be informed, active citizens in their communities. For a semester, I took over a seventh grade history class and taught students the basic principles of democracy and government for the first half, then guided the students as they designed their own independent project aimed to solve a problem they saw important in their communities. The students created a video aimed to prevent young people from entering gangs, and presented the results of their project at the state Capitol.

Credentials

Work experience

California State Water Boards Office of Information Management and Analysis (2024 - Current)

California Sea Grant State Fellow

Education

Brown University

BA Bachelor of Arts (2015)

Biology

University of California Davis (UCD)

MS Master of Science (2018)

Population Biology