Assessing the determinants of collective behavior of seed dispersing ants at the UC Sedgwick natural reserve
Awardee: Sean O'Fallon, Ph.D. student in the Pinter-Wollman lab. His research focuses on the collective behavior of ant colonies.
Projects
Assessing the effects of warehouse and logistics operations on air quality and public health in environmental justice communities
Air pollution from diesel vehicles harms human health and the environment. While air pollution is a widespread issue, the harmful effects accumulate in heavily trafficked areas, which disproportionately burdens vulnerable…
Characterizing the Evolutionary History of Southern California UC Reserves with an Integrated Computational Approach
Awardee: Maya Chari, senior Computational Biology student, interested in mathematical and computational applications to Ecology. Maya has worked both field and computational jobs and enjoys collecting data and processing it.
Communicating extreme heat risk: incorporating community perspectives
Los Angeles County has long been known for its perennially pleasant weather, but increasing occurrence of extreme heat events and recurring droughts threaten public health and welfare. Water shortages, wildfires,…
Developing a sustainable procurement policy for the Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California is the largest aquarium in Southern California and the fourth-largest aquarium in the United States. Founded in 1998, the Aquarium’s mission…
Developing an accessible framework to monitor antibiotic-resistant bacteria in watersheds and coastal waters
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance is a pressing issue that leads to hundreds of thousands of lives lost per year. Antibiotic resistance arises when bacteria evolve to build up…
Developing Novel Coastal Infrastructure Habitat Through Beneficial Reuse of Carbon Sequestration Spoils and Cutting-Edge Biosurvey Methods.
Awardee: Gabriela M. Carr, IoES Ph.D. student focused on improving coastal infrastructure as marine habitat.
Effects of interspecific competition on habitat use by Stephens’ kangaroo rat
Awardee: Janine Fischer, Ph.D. student co-advised by Dr. Grether and Dr. Shier at UCLA. Janine is interested in how aggressive interference between species influences their coexistence and habitat use.
Energy Team: Energy Reduction in UCLA Facilities
The 2023 Energy Team will work to optimize energy use in UCLA facilities on the basis of the occupants’ schedules to produce savings for Facilities Management. To accomplish this, we…
Field-testing innovative and sustainable agricultural technological solutions to improve employment for incarcerated youth in Cameroon
Within the West African country of Cameroon, intense food and job insecurity has led to an increase in crime as young Cameroonians resort to committing petty crimes as a means…
Impacts of domestic dogs on gray fox behaviors in the Santa Monica Mountains
Awardee: Madeleine Zuercher, Ph.D. candidate advised by Greg Grether and Debra Shier in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Madeleine is interested in how invasive species affect native carnivore behavior and ecology.
Improving the Environment in California’s Most Vulnerable Communities (Implementing SB 158 (2021-2022))
Senate Bill 158 – Hazardous Waste was adopted by the Legislature and approved by Governor Newsom in 2021. SB 158 made process and organizational improvements to DTSC, and increased allocations…