Dryland Plant & Microbial Ecology:
Welcome! I'm Cassie, a Ph.D. student at the University of New Mexico, where I work in the talented labs of Dr. Jenn Rudgers and Dr. Lee Taylor. My research focuses how climate change disrupts plant-microbe interactions in drylands across New Mexico and how these changes may impact the belowground carbon cycle. I'm fascinated by the interactions between microbes, especially fungi, and their ecosystems. It is my intention that my research is able to aid regional decision making that works to promote ecosystem recovery and resiliency in the land that has shaped me and my family for generations.
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Recent happenings:
August 2023:
- ESA: Presented a poster titled " Drought legacy impacts plant and plant-soil interactions to improve Bouteloua gracilis recovery post-drought in a desert grassland"
- We had a robust Rudgers lab showing -- Labmates Purbendra Yogi, Mariah Patton, Dylan Taylor and I presented posters during the session. Jenn and our postdoc Vanessa Moreira C. Fernandes presented talks. I'm always so proud of the work we do at Sevilleta LTER!
- Finally, my two summer students presented their summer research:
- Taeya Boi-Doku presented her Sevilleta REU research titled - "Little drought recovery: Persistence of drought legacy on biocrust communities"
- Timberlee Castillo presented her summer internship work at Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute title -"
- Taeya Boi-Doku presented her Sevilleta REU research titled - "Little drought recovery: Persistence of drought legacy on biocrust communities"
- I'll speak on a panel at my alma mater, Grinnell College, about how to apply for the GRFP. Please reach out if you would like a link to the recording!
- ESA: Presented a poster titled "Dryland ecosystems diverge in the sensitivity of litter accumulation to drought across an elevational gradient"
- ESA: Co-presented a talk titled "Identifying factors that contribute to positive and negative student experiences at field-based institutions"
- Submitted a chapter focusing on the student experience for the upcoming book, "Women of the Wild: Challenging gender disparities in remote field stations and marine laboratories -- Look out for publishing in early 2022!
- Assisted in the set up of Dr. Anny Chung's newest NSF Project investigating the spatial and temporal contributions of plant-soil feedbacks during shrub expansion at Sevilleta LTER
- Albuquerque city council formally adopts the updated Climate Action Plan! This is the culmination of work that I, and other task force members, have worked on since Aug. 2020.
- Submitted my first NSF proposal to study belowground contributions to the C cyle -- fingers crossed!
- Raced the annual Jemez Mountain Trail Race 15 mi run with UNM Bio friends former Grinnell College teammates living in NM. It was my longest racing distance (and run) to date, and I miraculously came in 5th for women and top 20 overall.
- Awarded the competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! I'm so grateful for this honor and appreciative of all the help along my journey, it seriously takes a village.