Remember to put your own text here (same as alt text)This student exhibit is supported by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Cal Poly Pomona University's Center for Community Service Learning and the Biological Sciences Department.
Carla Stout, a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Department, presented
“The Nudibranch Family Tree” which explains how scientists determine the evolutionary relationships between organisms.
Jennifer Y’Deen is an undergraduate zoology major in her senior year. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a career in primatolgy. She prepared two posters:
“The Study of our House: Ecology” and “Modern-day dragons: Herpetology”
Allison Roth, a graduate student in Biological Sciences working in the Sonoran Desert presented her work in “Octillo: Desert Mystery”
Rochelle Barnes, a Zoology major in her senior year, plans on pursuing a career working with ungulates in a zoo nursery. She explains some basics on birds in “Feathered Dinosaurs: Ornithology”.
Brandy Ulrich is a graduate student working in Dr. Edward Bobich’s plant physiology laboratory. She presents her work on the Southern California Black Walnut (Juglans californica) in “A Tree Definitely Worth Discovering!” and describes the seasonal adaptations of the coastal sage scrub in "Plant Community with Two Seasonal Life Cycles: Coastal Sage Srub".
Elisa Rodriguez, a senior majoring in Biology, worked at BioTrek’s Rain Bird Ethnobotany Learning Center. Her two posters illustrate ethnobotanical studies on the practices of the Tongva, the indigenous people of the Los Angeles Basin and how they maintained the land here creating conditions of great biological diversity and abundant food. “If you Plant it, Animals will Come” demonstrates the use of drought tolerant native plants to attract useful animals that act as pollinators and as agents of biological control etc. “Tongva-Gabrielino Maintain the Land” describes the California native plants used by the Tongva-Gabrielino for food.
Folley Igbinosun, an undergraduate in the Biological Sciences Department, presented two posters of interest to the public: “California Fungi: Eating Away At Your American Dream” which highlights how wood eating fungi can infest wooden houses, causing severe damage and repair costs. “CALIFORNIA SEA LION:Zalophus californianus, describes the California sea lions as intelligent, playful, and noisy marine mammals.
Francisca Herrera, a graduate student, with a career goal to become a plant ecologist specializing in California ecosystems, presented two posters highlighting her graduate work on the coastal sage scrub community of the Voorhis Ecological Reserve.
“Scrubby Shrubs: The Coastal Sage Scrub”, describes the coastal terraces and foothills of Southern California, home to the coastal sage scrub community. These plants can survive fire and drought, but can they survive smaller disturbances?
Justin M. Wood is a graduate student working in the field of stream ecology.
“Hot Spots for Biodiversity: Southern California Streams” describes the incredible diversity of organisms in natural streams including algae, plants, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals, birds, fish, and many others. “Rapid Recovery following a Flood: Southern California Freshwater Ecosystems” describes how riparian communities of the southwest are adapted to recover from disturbance very rapidly.
Kimberly Kato, a graduate student in Biology, is interested in aquatic ecology and conducted a study looking at the effects of off road vehicles on aquatic macro-invertebrates in the San Gabriel River located in the Angeles National Forest. Her poster, “Do off road vehicles damage streams? Ask the species who live there… “, describes her research using inventories of macro-invertebrates to determine the health of the environment. Kim’s second poster, “Know your Neighbors” describes the six native freshwater fishes in the Los Angeles River basin streams.
Lorena Muro, a fourth year Cal Poly undergraduate has been studying larval Sucker (fry) diet and recently received an HHMI Scholarship to continue research on the diet and ecology of this native fish considered to be threatened. “Why large lips? Think like a scientist!” describes how young fish live near the bank where algae grows on the water’s surface. Adults live on the river bottom, where algae grows on gravel How do you think mouth position on the head influences where a sucker can feed?
Marie Winans is a biology student at Cal Poly Pomona and will receive her degree in Fall ’07. Her interests include traveling, fishing, SCUBA diving, and the common honey bee (Apis mellifera L.). She hopes to one day have a small apiary (bee farm). “You’re in Good Hands With Nature!” describes how saving the wild lands at Cal Poly Pomona in the Voorhis Ecological Reserve, provides homes for over 100 species of birds and many other animals. But we benefit also. Not only can we enjoy the peace of nature and wildlife on campus, but there are many ways that animals help humans too. Marie’s second poster, “Got Baskets? Rush (Tongva - Soár)” describes how the Tongva used soár’s long cylindrical leaves to create various baskets and mats.
Stephanie Leach, an undergraduate Zoology student who hopes for a career as a zoo biologist, presented “ Life in the Salty Sea: Marine Biology” to promote the Marine Biology class at Cal Poly by highlighting the field trips and the ocean-going research vessel available to students. “Who Lives in Newport Bay” highlights the sampling techniques used by marine biologists to survey the organisms that live in the bay. “Fish are Friends, Not Just Food” describes the field of Ichthyology and the resources for students at Cal poly to explore this fascinating subject.
