Biography

Andrea is a fourth year undergraduate studying biological sciences and environmental studies. With funding from an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities grant awarded by UCSB, Andrea is working on an independent project, with the help of PhD student Natalie Love, investigating the climatic drivers and potential plasticity of pollen grain size of Streptanthus tortuosus. Using pollen sampled from ~150 herbarium specimens, historical climate data, and Imaris image-processing software to model pollen grain size, she aims to detect the selection pressures that shape pollen grain evolution, and how pollen may evolve in response to future climate change. Andrea has also assisted with several other projects in the lab, including the digitization of herbarium specimens; a large-scale greenhouse breeding project investigating quantitative genetic variation in Nemophila menziesii; and measuring phenotypic selection in field populations of Nemophila menziesii. When she is not in the lab, you can find her producing animations, making music with her band, or whipping up a mean meal.