Sara Carvalho
Msc student
Sara is using genomic data to explore speciation and hybridization in Andean wax palms, Ceroxylon.
Carmen Webster
MSC, PHD student
I love studying stories of plant evolution, how (and if) adaptations have developed, and what environmental pressures could be causing them.
My previous research experience includes transcriptomic work with the Arctic foundation species Eriophorum vaginatum, addressing questions of gene selection important for phenology. Currently, I'm studying two morphologically distinct yet closely related species of Andean palms (in the genus Geonoma), and how they differ genetically.
I enjoy outdoor climbing, spending time with my family and friends, and reading fiction novels!
Undergraduate Students
Zoe Gentry - Bachelor in Environmental Science. Zoe is studying ecological strategies in palms that lead to their population structure in sites across the Tropical Andes.
Maritza Guzmán - Bachelor in Environmental Science, will be studying plant-plant and plant-soil interactions in several sites near the Phoenix Valley.
Madison Schwenk - Bachelor in Environmental Science, will be studying plant-plant and plant-soil interactions in several sites near the Phoenix Valley.
Group Alumni
MSc Biology
Andrés Camilo Gómez - MSc, pecies range maps of all palms of Colombia for the establishment of conservation priorities for the Colombian system of protected areas (now hired at the Medellín Botanic Garden as a GIS specialist).
Ángela Alegría Ortega - MSc, Conservation genetics of Orbicella faveolata in the Caribbean of Colombia. Works full-time for Corales de Paz, a coral reef restoration and conservation organization in the Caribbean.
Natalia Arcila Marín - MSc, Climate change and deforestation effects on the distribution of seven montane palms in the Colombian Andes. Independent consultant in aerial photography and cartography for conservation.
Arturo Aristizábal - MSc, Conservation genetics of two endangered and poorly known species of Zamia (Cycadales) in Colombia. Now an instructor at a Colombian Univesrity, he owns and leads a company that reproduces and does landscaping with native plants of South America.
Yerson Ospina - MSc, climatic predictors of palm distributions. Now a full-time hired faculty member in a Colombian university.
Fabián Gregorio Mejía-Franco - MSc, Phylogeography of three species of Geonoma (Arecaceae). Works as a part-time instructor in a Colombian university.
BSc Biology
David Gómez - Plant species delimitation in Magnolia species in the Colombian Andes by morphometry.
Diana Vargas - Population censuses for Ceroxylon sasaimae an endangered, endemic palm from Colombia. Works for a conservation organization in the Amazon.
Vanessa Correa Agudelo - Bachelor in Biology, Vegetation composition, structure and physiognomy of the treeline at Paramo de Belmira, Antioquia. Works as a Project manager for research projects in Urban ecology.
Lina Bolívar - Bachelor in Biology, Ethnobotany of the palms of PNN Las Orquídeas. Is a graduate student.
Sara Carvalho - Bachelor in Biology, Bar codes for the small non-flying mammals of PNN Las Orquídeas in Antioquia. Is currently finishing her MSc under my supervision.
Ana Ospina - Bachelor in Biology, Pollination of three species of Pleurothallidinae from the Western Cordillera of Colombia. Works as a field botanist for Instituto SINCHI in the Colombian Amazon.
María Camila García - Bachelor in Biology, A list and potential uses of the species of order Zingiberales in two river canyons of Antioquia.
Valentina Rodríguez Castillo - Ethnobotany of Wettinia kalbreyeri in the Western Cordillera of Colombia.
Katherine Chacón-Vargas - Bachelor in Biology, Comparing the genetic diversity of Ceroxylon quindiuense in three live collections and three putative wild sources. Just defended her PhD at University of Massachussets Amherst.
Yenny Patricia Zapata - Bachelor in Biology, genetic diversity of Ceroxylon alpinum. Hired full time researcher at CIAT-CGIAR.
María J. Sanín
My research focuses on plant ecology and evolution: plant speciation in response to landscape change across time, plant-plant and plant-insect interactions, and conservation. Most of my research has focused on Neotropical Palms (family Arecaceae).
I am committed to providing the means for local communities to use science for the growth of public wealth. Biodiversity knowledge makes vulnerable communities stronger.
I enjoy outdoor sports like trail running, biking and hiking, reading about science and reading literature, music, being in nature, narratives involving rural and indigenous communities, and spending time with family and children.
Photo by Felipe Mesa in Choco, Colombia.