Alumni
Max Piana, M.S., Ph.D. I am an urban and restoration ecologist who works at the interface of science and practice. As a research scientist, teacher, land manager, and consultant, I engage with urban practitioners and integrate ecological research into the planning, design, and management of our cities. My current research focuses on plant community dynamics in urban ecosystems that range in human management intensity. From remnant forest fragments to green infrastructure, I am interested in how the ecological mechanisms and successional trajectories of these systems may be altered and how we may better facilitate and sustain their ecological health and function. Currently, I am a post-doc with the USDA Forest Service. I am originally from the hills of Western Massachusetts and now reside in Philadelphia. www.maxpiana.com
Lauren J. Frazee, Ph.D.. Lauren J. Frazee is a post-doc at Temple University with training in field and systematic botany; interest and practice in advanced quantitative research methods; and experience with cross-disciplinary collaborations. Her dissertation research focuses on trait changes in weedy plant communities and native species evolution in urban environments.
Ben Pisano, M.S. MS student advised by Dr. Myla Aronson and Dr. Jean Marie Hartman. Research interests include impacts of deer herbivory on succession. Specifically, I am interested in how deer browse might alter the composition of the soil seed bank and ultimately, change the successional trajectories of old fields in New Jersey.
Undergraduate Alumni (2015-2020 only)
Morgan Crooks, B.S. (2020, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources). While in the Aronson lab, Morgan examined spatial change and environmental drivers of spring ephemeral populations in the Hutcheson Memorial Forest.
Robert Porch, B.S. (2020, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources). Robert’s research in the Aronson lab focused on phenotypic traits of plants successful in urban landscapes. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon.
Emily Conway, B.S. (2019, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources).
Carlos Olivares, B.S. (2017, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources). Carlos was a research assistant in the Aronson lab examining restoration of native plant communities in the Jamaica Bay urban landscape. See more here.
Carmela Buono, B.S.(2016, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources). Carmela’s research in the Aronson lab focused on restoration of native shrub species under invasive species in northeastern forests. She is currently a Ph.D. student at Binghamton University. See more on Carmela’s research undergraduate research here. And on her graduate work here.
Eliana Geretz, B.S. (2015, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources). While in the Aronson lab, Eliana studied the spatial and temporal changes in tree moss distribution in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. The SEBS newsroom featured her work here.