Center Director
Panama
She/Her/Ella
Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries, Molecular Evolutionary Genomics
University of Miami (FL, USA)
Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program
Columbia University (NY, USA)
B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies, Spanish minor
Middlebury College (VT, USA)
BIOL 1101 Introduction to Biology Lecture and Laboratory
(New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, NY) 2011-2014
SFS 2070 Language Culture and Society of Panama
(The School for Field Studies)
SFS 4910 Directed Research
(The School for Field Studies)
SFS 3530 Tropical Marine Ecosystems: Monitoring and Management
(The School for Field Studies)
In 1998, I ventured to Golfito, Costa Rica to study Tropical Marine Biology for one semester. I learned how to scuba dive and my life was forever changed. The exposure to underwater ecosystems and organisms led me on a path to understand the significance of the biological and genetic diversity that exists within and between all species.
Since completing my PhD in 2009, with a research focus on the heritability of evolved differences in gene expression to better understand the biological significance of genetic variation, I decided to explore an important and pressing issue that continues to affect the education of young people in the United States; low retention of students, particularly women and minority students, in science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM) programs. Prior to joining the School for Field Studies, I served as the National Science Foundation Innovation through Institutional Innovation (I3) Program Manager at New York City College of Technology. In this role, I worked to bring more real-world, hands-on opportunities for students in STEM laboratories to encourage students to pursue degrees in STEM. The objectives of the project included bridging basic mathematics and science with applied technology by creating new interdisciplinary laboratory content as well as adopting laboratory pedagogy that fosters active learning and problem solving rather than rote memorization. I consistently worked with both students and faculty members to understand what was needed to improve laboratory learning. My teaching experience as an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology at City Tech aided my understanding of the student experience at a large urban, commuter, Minority Serving Institution (MSI). I have been an advocate for students to be provided with greater opportunities in STEM research and I worked closely with the Provost, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research to study trends in STEM learning in order to make significant and sustained institutional change.
My interests lie at the crossroads of providing once in a lifetime educational experiences and opportunities for students and the conservation of ocean spaces. I am thrilled to be part of the TIBS, Panama program where I weave together my expertise in marine biology, program management and undergraduate education. My educational and professional background includes grant writing implementation and management, STEM undergraduate education program development and management, strategic planning, broadening student participation in STEM, marine biology, faculty professional development and teaching and mentoring students, strategic advising, and ocean equity initiatives.
My research interests have varied greatly over the years, but I have always been captivated by marine organisms, especially fish. As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to work side by side with some of the foremost marine biologists at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, Maine. While there, I used marine organisms, specifically Squalus acanthias, to understand molecular mechanisms of human disease such as cystic fibrosis. As a graduate student, my work originally focused on diseases in marine organisms with a particular focus on cancer in fish. I completed my graduate work in marine molecular evolutionary genomics and focused my research on answering questions regarding the variation in mRNA expression and whether the heritability of gene expression is primarily a function of genetics or the environment. I look forward to working with the TIBS faculty team to continue to develop and implement the Five-Year Research Plan.
Projects prior to SFS