• Fed the lab animals and changed the water in the containers • Monitored the health of the animals and monitored the water chemistry (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia levels) of the tanks and filtration systems through weekly testing • Measured out and added marine salt to filtration systems to maintain normal water conductivity levels• Prepared stock solution by weighing and measuring constituents according to established methods• Washed numerous dirty animal containers and other laboratory dishes• Hatched brine shrimp in order to feed the baby salamanders

• Experience as both a lab assistant and student researcher in the Sakai/Weller Plant Biology labAs a lab assistant, I:• Assisted lab members with research projects by collecting bulbs from Oxalis plants and weighing the dried biomass of the plant and bulbs• Prepared soil for seedling transplants according to lab procedures• Collected anthers from Schiedea flowers to be used in an experiment to determine the cause of increased pollen grain number in hermaphroditic flowers• Counted pollen grains on a hemocytometer grid using a light microscope as part of an experiment to determine the relationship between stamen biomass and the number of pollen grains in High Male line hermaphroditic flowers• Gained experience working in the field by assisting a lab member with research on the invasiveness of fountain grass in Orange County• Tagged plants in order to determine population size, collected fountain grass propagules, took plant measurements, and recorded soil moisture readings• Assisted in the conservation and restoration of endemic Hawaiian plant species, Schiedea adamantis, by pollinating numerous flowers and collecting seeds in the UCI greenhouses; seeds were sorted by cross and frozenAs a student researcher, I:• Conducted research on an endangered Hawaiian plant genus, Schiedea, testing the hypothesis that the environment affected seed size in the different Schiedea species and that a tradeoff between seed size and seed number occurred• Organized data previously collected on 11 Schiedea species and entered into computer file in Microsoft Excel• Pollinated numerous Schiedea flowers in the UCI greenhouse and tagged each cross; collected the capsules and recorded data on mass per seed, send length, and number of seeds per capsule• Stored seeds from these crosses in freezer for use in future restoration efforts • Analyzed data in Microsoft Excel• Presented a 12-page paper, oral presentation, and poster as part of the Excellence in Research Program