The Team
Current Members
Elise Gornish
PI
Interests: Restoration, plant traits, drought effects, STEM inclusion, puns
Trace Martyn
Postdoctoral Researcher
In general, Trace is interested in plant community and quantitative ecology. She particularly enjoys studying semi-arid ecosystems; she has worked on grazing projects on the shortgrass steppe in Colorado, studied complex annual plant communities in Western Australia, and studied climate change impacts on the sagebrush steppe in the Western US. Trace is excited to combine her past experiences with the expertise in the Gornish lab to explore using plant functional traits to inform strategies for multiple management goals.
Katherine Hovanes
Postdoctoral Researcher
Katherine is interested in population and community ecology and diversity. She studies fine-scale spatial patterning of individuals within populations and wants to use demographic data to model long-term population growth under variable conditions and to study species coexistence. Katherine is also a fan of cooking and playing strategic board games.
Sierra Lauman
PhD Student
Sierra is broadly interested in plant community and restoration ecology. She has worked extensively in annual plant communities in Southern California. Her focus is on developing theory driven ecological restoration projects that can be used to inform and improve restoration success and management practices. She is a big fan of potlucks and karaoke.
@stlauman
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.
Lia Ossanna
PhD Student
Lia is interested in soil ecology of arid lands and utilizing the soil microbiome to better assist in ecosystem recovery. Her previous work includes research on mine revegetation and incipient soil development. Lia intends to use her career to stronger relationships between scientists and policymakers to better inform regulations and management practices, as well as promoting science communication and diversity in STEM. She is a native Tucsonan, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast.
Skylar Zuniga
Undergraduate Student
Skylar is an undergraduate Plant Scientist and certified permaculturist, perennially interested in acquiring knowledge of ancient and modern agricultural / agroforestry techniques. With an emphasis on using local materials to shift and increase the carrying capacity of the landscape and the biodiversity of the area. To create more resilient environments in arid lands, sowing the seeds of a refugia for the next great extinction event. When not thinking about plants, he can be found rock climbing, longboarding, or taking a walk through the local scenery enjoying a locally fermented beverage.
Suvi Birch
Undergraduate Student
Suvi is an undergraduate student studying environmental science. She wants to learn how to create better and more feasible ways to restore disturbed lands and protect biodiversity in ecosystems. In the future, she aims to explore a career in renewable energy, pollution control, or climate change mitigation. In her free time, Suvi enjoys gardening at the campus community garden, reading, hiking, and going on runs.
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.
