OUTREACH WITH GIRL SCOUT TROOPS

As a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA, I led multiple outdoor education events for local girls scout troops. These activities included wildflower hikes and volunteer days planting native plants for restoration project at Stunt Ranch. More recently, I mentored a high school student completing her Gold Star Project, which included installing bee boxes for Mason bees in the Heritage Creek Nature Preserve at CSUDH, which I oversee.

RESTORATION AND OUTDOOR EDUCATION WITH THE SANTA ROSA PLATEAU FOUNDATION

Since 2012, I've partnered with the Santa Rosa Plateau Foundation, Riverside County Parks, and teachers from the Murrieta School District to develop a Habitat Studies and Restoration program for local elementary, middle and high school students. Students test methods of native grassland restoration while receiving training in botany and plant ecology. I design experiments and guide students in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. You can learn more about the Santa Rosa Plateau Foundation here. Or read about the project in a recent article I wrote for Grasslands.

FIELD GUIDE TO THE MUSTARDS OF THE MOJAVE DESERT

The Mojave Desert is home to a variety of native and invasive plant species in the Mustard family -- species that can easily be confused. Working with fellow researchers from the University of California, we created a field guide of the common mustard species in the region aimed at assisting local land managers dealing with invasive mustard species.

CALIFORNIA INVASIVE PLANT COUNCIL

I'm an active member of the California Invasive Plant Council, a non-profit whose mission is to protect California's lands and waters from ecologically-damaging invasive plants through science, education and policy. I previously served as chair of Cal-IPC's Student Chapter and on the Board of Directors as a graduate student liaison. Visit Cal-IPC's website to learn more about all their great work.

ESA SEEDS PROGRAM - DIVERSE PEOPLE FOR A DIVERSE SCIENCE

In summer 2017 I joined the Ecological Society of America's Seeds Diversity Mentoring Program for the first time. For the 2017 ESA conference, I was paired with undergraduate student Fernando Vila Terrada from the Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan Puerto Rico. The goal of this part of the SEEDS program is to help students of diverse backgrounds navigate a scientific conference and network with fellow ecologists. I look forward to participating as a mentor again at future meetings and becoming involved in other components of this wonderful program.