Public Engagement
WHO'S IN THE LAB?
Graduate Students
Stephanie Ruck
Interests include studying how environmental variables influence organismal behavior, physiology, and evolution. Previous and current experience includes working with federal agencies to collect data on herpetofauna of Southern California to better inform conservation management decisions. For my Master’s thesis, I am studying the behavioral response of lizards to wildfire cues as well as the selection pressures populations may face from such disturbances.
Daisy Xiong
My thesis project involves observations of Sceloporus lizards in urban vs. natural environments to determine whether urbanization is associated with shifts in substrate use, limb and toe morphology, and locomotor performance.
Undergraduate Students
Della Metanai
Coding behaviors from videos for a project on rattlesnake personalities
Faizah Hossain
Identifying herpetofauna
on camera trap photos
Julia Zhou
Coding behaviors from videos for a project on rattlesnake personalities
Alexis Elston
Identifying herpetofauna
on camera trap photos
Amaya Rodriguez
Coding behaviors from videos for a project on rattlesnake personalities
Edward Dao
Coding behaviors from videos for a project on rattlesnake personalities
Brenden Saraf
Managing data loggers for the Cool Lizards in the City Project
Recent Graduates
Deanni Armstrong, B.S. (2025)
Research: The effect of urbanization on the ecophysiology of Western Fence Lizards.
Deanni is now tracking desert tortoises at Boyd Deep Canyon as an UCR Natural Reserve System Summer Intern!
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Bayley Stevens, B.S. (2024)
Research: The effect of urbanization on the size of male sexual signals in Western Fence Lizards​. Since graduating, Bayley has worked as a seasonal biology technician throughout the country!
Elmer Gutierrez, M.S. (2024)
Research: The effects of wildfires on predation risk, dorsal darkness, and background matching in Western Fence Lizards. Elmer is now working for AmeriCorps.
Emily Urquidi, M.S. (2024)
Research: The effect of urbanization on Western Fence Lizard's (Sceloporus occidentalis) health, stress, and response to competitors. Emily is a biologist at WSP.