After her time in iEcoLab, Christina returned to Drexel, where she is finishing her degree in Environmental Science and will graduate in May 2018.
I am an Environmental Science major and am also pursuing a minor in Environmental Studies and Sustainability and a Certificate in Writing and Publishing at Drexel University. I am interested in ecological research and conservation of biodiversity, as well as animal behavior and cognition. Because my interests also include environmental policy and writing, I am particularly interested in the intersection of science, policy and public opinion, such as how the effects of government and deep-rooted culture may affect the use of resources and status of environmental protection in an area.
In the iEcoLab, I am contributing to an exotic species database which aims to compare how human-facilitated intentional or passive introductions of reptile and amphibian species throughout the Caribbean compares to the shipping network in this region. I have also been involved in measuring functional traits of anole species from Curacao to determine whether urban versus natural habitat affects their morphology. Past study abroad and internship experiences have included tropical field research in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea with the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program and sampling for aquatic insects and diatoms throughout the Delaware River Basin with the Academy of Natural Sciences, as well as a planned trip to Cameroon to expand my experience with field research in tropical ecology with the Central African Biodiversity Alliance.