Research Statement:

I am a senior at Washington University in the Environmental Studies program, Ecology track. My interests lay predominantly in behavioral ecology, but also encompass genetics and evolution. In the summer of 2009, I worked, thanks to an REU grant, at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC, to study how patch shape and connectivity in a corridor system affect seed predation in the matrix. This work will form the basis of my senior thesis, which I will complete in the 2009-2010 school year. Another project I have been involved in is the interaction between snails and seeds, specifically whether seeds behave differently in the presence of their predators once germinated. Ultimately, I hope to apply my work toward furthering conservation and have not decided on my path after graduation in the Fall of 2010.