Conducting research on strawberry propagation in controlled environments with Dr. Ricardo Hernández.

My team at BMSIS is developing a database for research on plants in space.

I analyzed research about plants in space, synopsized crucial information into a custom database, and wrote reviews of the current state of research in this field.

I write informative articles for Astrobotany.com. This experience has sharpened my ability to analyze literature and communicate science, especially about the challenges of growing plants in space.

Organize and run the state-level Environmental Science and Natural Resources CDE.

I conducted a research project with Dr. Gómez, funded by the UF University Scholars Program. This study assessed the effect of light quality on intumescence development in compact tomato cultivars.I also helped support many graduate student projects, including controlled environment cultivar trials, propagation studies, and several ginger/turmeric experiments. I learned how to use growth chambers and grow rooms for plant experiments, and I now have a much deeper understanding of the challenges of research in controlled environments. I also learned how to use hardware like leaf porometers, SPAD chlorophyll meters, and spectroradiometers, and I’ve learned how to install various lights, dimmers, and sensors in growth chambers.

Over the summer and fall I helped manage sesame and peanut experiments. I collected phenological and morphological data, and I operated equipment like an in-situ rhizotron and a deep soil moisture sensor. We used this data to map soil moisture and root distribution, to understand how sesame roots react to drought conditions.Throughout the fall I collected VOC samples from field-grown peanut plants, to track the changes in VOC content over time. This study investigates treatments of soil microorganisms that compete with Aspergillus fungi.In the winter I digitally traced sesame roots from rhizotron images, so we can understand trends in sesame root development and senescence.

I worked at the Enloe Lab, carrying out experiments that investigate methods to control invasive plants. In this role I cultivated numerous native and invasive plant species, applied experimental treatments, and harvested/collected morphological data.

This lab focuses on the ecology of aquatic microalgae and zooplankton. My work included preparing zooplankton samples, performing bacterial surveys, and collecting samples during fieldwork expeditions to Cape Canaveral.