• How did you get to where you are now, in terms of your education and training in science?

I had a lot of great mentors throughout my career that really inspired me and helped me get to where I am right now, which is why I am very excited to serve in this same role at St. Mary’s College.

In Colombia, our bachelor’s degree takes five years and in the last year of the program, it is required that all students do a research project. Some of my favorite courses were genetics, ecology, evolution and botany. Early as an undergraduate, I performed small ecological research projects with birds and marine invertebrates, but I knew I wanted to be able to apply molecular techniques while still having the chance to do field-based ecological studies. I wanted to perform a conservation-related project in my final year. My professor of population and quantitative genetics -who later became my research advisor- suggested a research project with the American bamboo, a plant species that is an important forestry resource in my home country, but due to the expansion of agriculture its natural populations had been decimated. This was a collaborative project with multiple institutions and the bulk of the molecular work was done at the Tissue Collection and Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Alexander Von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute (IAvH) located at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT-CGIAR). Here, I had the chance to interact with scientists from all over the world and gained all of my molecular skills. I got even more interested in understanding how patterns of gene flow could modulate the maintenance of genetic variation in natural plant populations and crops, and how environmental conditions could shift these patterns. Purdue University had a strong connection with CIAT and in one of their recruitment sessions I got very interested in their PhD program with the EEOB cluster. My graduate work focused on estimating the interaction between local selection pressures and patterns of gene flow that determines the potential for species to adapt in situ to novel climate regimes. I used as a model system Lasthenia fremontii, a non-model plant species adapted to the variable conditions of seasonal wetlands in California. Throughout my PhD, I was a teaching assistant in different courses and trained multiple undergraduate students. This is how I discovered that I enjoy mentoring and teaching through research, so when I saw the opportunity to be a Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow at Tulane University, I immediately applied to this position. At Tulane, thanks to one of my faculty mentors, I learned about the fascinating connection between plants and soil microorganisms and decided to do more research-intensive postdoctoral work on this topic. At the University of California, Riverside (UCR), I investigated the evolution of specificity in mutualistic interactions between leguminous host plants (Acmispon spp) and soil bacteria. The host plants are legumes that have diversified and are adapted to arid and nutrient poor conditions in Western United States. The goal of understanding the genetic basis of host- specificity is to translate this knowledge to sustainable agriculture practices. At UCR, I also collaborated in different projects aiming to understand the role of domestication in symbiosis traits of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculate), an important African crop.

• What classes are you planning to reach this coming fall semester? Is there one in particular you are most excited about?

I will be teaching Plant Physiology (BIOL 435) and Principles of Biology I lab (BIOL 105L). I am honestly very excited to teach both courses, but I am putting my soul and heart to the plant physiology course with the hope that students can fall in love with plant biology the same way I did as an undergraduate student.

• Please describe your line of research

My research focuses in understanding how plants adapt to variable/extreme climate conditions to predict their evolutionary trajectory in response to climate change. Global warming is projected to bring more extreme and unpredictable conditions and some species might not have the capacity to withstand these environments. In comparison to animals, plants do not have the capacity to move and pursue more suitable environments. The only means by which plants can “move” is via seed dispersal and in some plant species the seeds do not disperse long distances. Therefore, their only chance at surviving novel environmental conditions is by adapting in situ, evolving to be more plastic in response to the environment or developing associations with soil fungi and bacteria that can promote their growth under stressful climate conditions. Throughout my career I have studied these different eco-evolutionary strategies and it is my purpose to continue doing so at St. Mary’s to ultimately create well-grounded conservation strategies for the survival of native plant species.

• Do you have a favorite type of plant and why?

The American bamboo (Guadua angustifolia). It was the first plant species that I focused my research on. I developed the first microsatellite molecular markers for this remarkable species. The American bamboo was widely used by the indigenous people in Colombia for building hunting tools, aqueducts, houses, cooking utensils and it is still an important forestry resource in my home country. The “stems” which are called culms are made with silicates that allows them to be very flexible and resistant. This characteristic has made the bamboo an important scaffolding material for houses and buildings in areas that are prone to earthquakes. Bamboos are gigantic grasses; they reproduce mostly vegetatively and most forests are likely to be the result of a single genotype that spread through an underground root structure called rhizomes. The natural bamboo forests are just beautiful and one of my favorite things is the peaceful sound of the leaves as the wind passes through them.

• Besides being a professor and researching, what else do you like to do for fun?

I love exploring nature, hiking, and camping. In my free time, I find new gardening projects. I also enjoy dancing salsa music as a good native of Cali – the capital of the salsa music in the world!

• What else would you like the St. Mary’s community to know about you?

I am here to share my knowledge and I welcome anyone to contact me at any time with questions, projects, and ideas of all kinds related to plant conservation and agricultural practices. I hope I can be of help to everyone and inspire the future generation of plant biologists.

• How did you get to where you are now, in terms of your education and training in science?

I started off knowing I loved the ocean, but while I was an undergraduate at New College of Florida (the other public honors liberal arts college), I discovered how much I enjoyed math as well.  I ended up combining the two in a joint concentration for my bachelor’s degree and was co-advised by a biology and math professor for my thesis.  I was also co-advised for my Ph.D. (which I started at UF and finished at UGA), and all of my postdocs (ECU, Radford, and Tulane) have had a combination of math and biology for either research or undergraduate education.  I love going out and getting dirty collecting data in the field, and working on mathematical models on a chalkboard.  I wanted to come back to a place like where I discovered the connection between biology and math, so I’m incredibly excited to keep the combination going at St. Mary’s.

• What classes are you planning to reach this coming fall semester? Is there one, in particular, you are most excited about?

This fall, I’m teaching the Ecology of Coastal Systems and POB I Lab.  I’m really excited about Coastal Ecology.  There are beautiful coastal ecosystems right off campus and I’m hoping we’ll be able to collect some field data that will not only be interesting for the students taking the class this fall but will lay a foundation for some longer-term data sets students can add to over the next several years.

• Please describe your line of research

My research primarily explores how interactions between biogenic (or living) habitats (e.g. corals and seagrasses) and their occupants create feedbacks that alter the abundance and distribution of both occupants and the habitats.  I’ve studied things like how snails that eat coral change the morphology of the coral (and likely benefit from those changes) and how the configuration of corals affects fish and snail populations (and how feedbacks affect the coral).  I’m also interested in other kinds of variation, such as temporal variation (or pulses) in predation and variation in predator diversity.   For almost all this work, I use a combination of mathematical or simulation models and data collected from field experiments and am happy to work with students on either side or with both of these methods.

• You’ve traveled for research to many different locations. Which do you consider to be your favorite?

I think Moorea is my favorite place for research. It’s an island in French Polynesia near Tahiti and has two research stations.  Throughout my Ph.D. research, I spent so much time there it really felt like a second home.  The reef is beautiful and the field station is usually full of other scientists doing really interesting work.  Even though travel has been tricky lately, I’m hoping to make it back out there.

• Besides being a professor and researching, what else do you like to do for fun?

I’m glad you think being a professor and researching is fun 🙂  I really like being outside with my family.  I enjoy hiking, camping, snorkeling, and scuba.  My husband, daughter, and I have been exploring some of the local trails and I finally made it out to snorkel around the oyster reef.  So far, Maryland has been lots of fun!

• What else would you like the St. Mary’s community to know about you?

There are two related things.  The first is that I wanted to come back to a liberal arts college because of the ability to connect across fields.  The second is that I am quite easily distracted and love hearing about what other people are working on and excited about.  In the past, I’ve had a tendency to wander and just ask people what they’re doing and if they’ve found anything cool.  I especially love figures.  So, please tell me about what you’re doing and interested in!  Even if, maybe especially if, you’re not doing what I’m doing.  It will quite possibly make my day.

• How did you get to where you are now, in terms of your education and training in science?
  • I did my undergraduate at DePaul University in Chicago in Psychology and Biology. I then went on to do a Masters in Biomedical Science with a specialty in Neuroscience at Florida Atlantic University. From there I worked with Dr. Juan Dominguez at University of Texas at Austin for my PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience. After that I did my first postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada under Dr. Kiran Soma with a focus on neuroendocrinology. Finally, I worked with Dr. Matthew Fuxjager at Brown University in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department as a postdoctoral associate. 

• What classes are you planning to reach this coming fall semester? Is there one in particular you are most excited about?
  • I am teaching BIOL311 Biostatistics and POB I Lab this semester. I am really excited to teach the biostatistics course because statistics and dealing with data is one of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of research, but this is rarely conveyed in statistics courses. I hope to inspire students to truly understand the concepts behind statistics and to be able to analyze and understand data and research methods. I believe that this understanding is incredibly important even if they don’t continue on in a STEM field after they graduate, especially in this age of misinformation and sensationalism . 

• Please describe your line of research
  • My line of research has shifted dramatically since my PhD, but I have always looked at how hormones influence behavior and/or the brain. My planned lines of research at St. Mary’s are three-fold. First, I plan on working with local woodpecker species on the SMCM campus, banding them, and looking at how steroid hormones influence inter- and intra-specific  socio-sexual interactions and fitness over many years. My second line of research will be to utilize woodpeckers as an animal model for traumatic brain injury. For example, I will be comparing how woodpeckers’ brains endure repeated hammering of their head (drumming). This communicative behavior occurs during the breeding season, so I will be looking at aspects like neuron death and birth, neuroimmune responses, and other molecular markers indicative of neuroprotection during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Finally, I would like to continue my research looking at how sex steroids influence mate choice in a lekking species with extreme sexually dimorphism and amazing mating displays. I would like to set up a study-abroad or summer research opportunity where we go to Colombia and study bearded manakin (Manacus spp.) species to study these questions. That research probably won’t begin for another few years, however. 

• What is your favorite type of bird and why?
  • That’s a tough question. I would say that I have 3 favorite birds that I have worked with. First, is the Royal Flycatcher. They have this gorgeous crest but it’s only displayed when threatened. Second, I would say the Northern Bentbill. It’s a very small, olive green bird and blends in with the jungle, so it’s nothing spectacular to look at. But when you net one, they act so melodramatic and even after removing it from the net they’ll stay in your open palm for minutes. It’s really endearing. Finally, I would say the Blue Jay. When you have one in hand and they look you in the eye, you can just see the intelligence behind those black eyes. It’s quite stunning. 

• Besides being a professor and researching, what else do you like to do for fun?
  • I’ve been playing music since I was in middle school, so that is something that is essential to my life. I have 2 young kids and try to spend as much time as I can with them. Finally, I am a big Chicago Cubs (baseball) fan, so I love going to games. I’m glad that I ended up in a place where I can see them play a few times a year (sorry Nats fans). I have also decided to root for the Orioles and can’t wait to see Camden Yards. 

• What else would you like the St. Mary’s community to know about you?
  • I cherished my liberal arts undergraduate education, and I look forward to emulating the best parts of my experience at DePaul in my teaching, mentorship, and research with the students at St. Mary’s. I am also incredibly excited that I have the opportunity to help shape the future of the Biology department and develop the Neuroscience major with my colleagues.