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The Team
Current Members
Elise Gornish
PI
Interests: Restoration, plant traits, drought effects, inexpensive fixes to challenging problems, talking to non scientists, puns
Marquel Begay
PhD Student
Marquel is a first-generation college student who comes from the Navajo Nation. Marquel is passionate in working with tribal communities to address rangeland, agriculture and watershed issues in the face of drought and climate change. Her research will focus on native seed restoration for degraded rangelands on the Navajo Nation. Marquel hopes that her work will inform best management practices for rangelands on the Navajo Nation and the broader Southwest.
Emily Davis
MS Student
​Emily is a native Tucsonan who fostered a love and appreciation for the Sonoran Desert while growing up here. Through her research utilizing wind tunnels, she is looking to test different placement effects of media luna structures. She is enthusiastic about promoting science communication and engaging various audiences to understand the importance of restoration work and management practices. Emily enjoys being outdoors, trying new foods, and spending time in her garden.
Payette Neess
Undergrad Student
​Hi! I grew up in Madison Wisconsin—where I grew a huge appreciation of the natural world around me. I am currently pursuing a degree in natural resources with an emphasis in wildlife conservation along with a minor in marine sciences. I’m very interested in studying the ways in which climate change is altering our ecosystems and their inhabitants. In my free time I love to go for hikes and runs, thrift, bake and do crafts. I also absolutely adore plants, rabbits and pollinators.
Albert Kline
Field Technician
Albert is a research technician for the Gornish lab who is passionate about nature. He has a BS in plant sciences from the University of Arizona. Through his life experiences and working as a tech, he's garnered knowledge in different field research skills and hopes to apply them to restoration oriented questions and continue to learn along the way. In his free time he enjoys trying new foods, being outdoors, skateboarding, spending time with his cat Neko, and watching anime.
Vega
Lab Cheerleader + Perennial bunchgrass ID expert
Interests: dancing, old Disney movies, dinosaurs, carrots, and dogs
Lab Alumni
Lia Ossanna (PhD student)
Sierra Lauman (PhD student)
Philippa Johnstone (MS student)
Michael Spaeth (MS student)
Magda Garbowski (Postdoc)
Katherine Hovanes (Postdoc)
Trace Martyn (Postdoc)
Suvi Birch (Undergraduate)
Skylar Zuniga (Undergraduate)
Julea Shaw (PhD student)
Hannah Farrell (PhD student)
Amy Gill (MS student)
Marci Caballero-Reynolds (Undergraduate)
Maowei Liang (Postdoc)
Max Li (Postdoc)
Breahna Gillespie (visiting scholar from San Diego State University)
Patricia Ambrosio (visiting scholar from Brazil)
Amanda Dechen (visiting scholar from Brazil)
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