Principal Investigator
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Dr. Kirsten Fisher
I spent my formative years playing in creeks and ditches in northern California, where I learned to appreciate small, growing things. I earned my undergraduate degree in Biology at UC Santa Cruz, and after a couple of years of varied employment as a gardener, bakery cashier, and bank teller, decided to pursue graduate education. I was wooed into the world of mosses by Brent Mishler at UC Berkeley, who served as my PhD advisor and provided me with the opportunity to study the systematics of a tropical moss family, Calymperaceae. After earning my PhD, I did a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, NC, where I learned to appreciate barbeque and California weather. I returned to California in 2008 to join the faculty at Cal State LA, where I am now a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
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Recent Graduate Students
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Ugbad Farah
I completed my undergraduate degree in Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration at California State University, Sacramento. After I graduated, I worked in the Plant Pathology department at the California Department of Food and Agriculture where I was able to work with agricultural commodities and provide molecular lab assistance to investigate the citrus-greening disease known as Huánglóngbìng. As an MS Environmental Science candidate and NSF Bridges to the Doctorate Fellow, I completed my thesis on the environmental and geographic differentiation in moss species.
Contact: ufarah@calstatela.edu |
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Simone Benjamin
I completed my undergraduate degree at Cal State LA, were I received a BS in Biology and a minor in Pan-African Studies. Since graduating, I work as a Staff Scientist for an environmental firm where I am able to assist companies in creating more environmentally sustainable medical devices and perform environmental remediation on various terrains. For my MS in Environmental Science, I worked on a project that compared the phenotypic and genetic population sex ratios in Syntrichia caninervis.
Contact: sbenjam@calstatela.edu |
Graduate Research Assistants
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Lilian ChouI graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Environmental Science and minor in Environmental Engineering. Since then, I have had a diversity of experiences in urban planning, shorebird monitoring, and ecological restoration doing fieldwork and native/local plant care in the SF Bay Area. To continue my passion for wildlife and ecology, I enrolled in the M.S. in Biology at Cal State LA. I am excited to be back in Southern California with fresh eyes and look forward to working on my urban ecology project in the Wood Lab. In addition, I also work in Dr. Fisher's lab, helping prepare samples for DNA extractions, run PCRs for moss samples, and maintaining the lab.
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Amy Vasquez
I attended Tufts University as an undergraduate, where I earned a BS in Biopsychology and Environmental Studies. I discovered my passion for wildlife field research the summer before my senior year in college after I studied abroad in Tanzania. Shortly after graduation, I enrolled in an MS in Environmental Science program at Cal State LA . I am currently working on an urban ecology project investigating how bird abundance and diversity in LA urban parks varies across a socioeconomic gradient. Although I conduct my thesis research through a different lab (The Wood Lab), I also work in Dr. Fisher's Lab as a Research Assistant. I help out with DNA extractions and run PCRs on moss DNA samples among other things, as well as general lab maintenance tasks. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
Contact: avasqu118@calstatela.edu |
Undergraduate Research Assistants
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Vivian Soai
Hello, my name is Vivian Soai and I am currently a 3rd year studying at California State University Los Angeles. I love to explore nature and play badminton. I also spend my free time going on food adventures because I LOVE FOOD! I am currently working in Dr. Fisher's Lab and assisting in determining moss sex ratios using PCR, Gel Electrophoresis, and Enzyme Digestion.
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Lab Alumni
Jameka Jefferson – MS Biology 2018
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Alexa Garcia – MS Biology 2018
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Israel Jimenez Luna – MS Biology 2016
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Jenna Baughman Ekwealor – MS Environmental Science 2015
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Tigran Panasyan – MS Biology 2015
