A plant ecophysiologist studies the ways in which plants interact with the environment.
I love to figure things out. I like to look at a landscape for patterns and then unravel the processes that shape plant communities. It is like a puzzle and the puzzle pieces like plants can only fit in a predictable pattern.
How do you effectively restore native-dominated ecosystems and the services that they provide? The answers must be adaptive because the world is always changing.
I like to measure how plants perform in different environments so I use a machine called a portable gas exchange system (Li-Cor 6400) which measures how much carbon dioxide a plant takes up and converts to plant productivity.
A decade ago, people thought we were crazy to attempt restoration in Hawai’i’s dry forests because they had been completely invaded by a nonnative grass. Much to our surprise when we first removed fountain grass in areas where goats were kept out—native species flourished while the fountain grass took a long time to recover.
As an undergraduate, I loved to scuba dive and volunteered at the Seattle Aquarium where I interacted with the staff scientists. I couldn’t believe how dedicated they were and that they actually made a career out of something they loved. It empowered me to really think about my natural interests. Science allows us to ask questions and challenge ideas.
