I am a masters student in biology at CSU, Chico, where I am working on a project with the Griffin-Nolan lab to quantify drought tolerance for a suite of CA native grassland species chosen by restoration practitioners interested in using more diverse species assemblages to meet restoration goals such as percent native cover. I am also measuring a suite of drought-related physiological traits to explore the mechanistic basis of differences in drought tolerance between species and functional groups. I became interested in plants and grasslands as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, where I conducted research on the phenology of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) in an experimental prairie restoration at Konza Prairie Biological Station. In addition to a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, I hold BA degrees in English and French.