Biodiversity Initiative Fall 2022

 

Projects

Xavier Adams (Biodiversity Monitoring through Bird Observation)

Laurel De Santis (Equipping Students to Slow Biodiversity Loss)

Kya Hargett (Restoring Monarch Butterfly Habitat on Campus)

Shawn Larson (Response of Reptiles to Environmental Change)

Joshua Mok (Supporting Native Bee Populations Through Native Flowers)

Morgan Phillips (Correlation Between Bacterial Contamination and Rainwater Runoff)

Alessandra Sinlao (Non-Functional Turf Assessment)

 

Xavier Adams Political Science   Xavier Adams is a second-year student at College of the Canyons majoring in political science. His work for the biodiversity initiative is two-fold: his research is concerned with the link between economic inequality and biodiversity while his project entails measuring College of the Canyon’s bird population – a proxy for biodiversity – to observe any changes throughout the years. In addition to monitoring birds, Xavier is helping to clean out and set up new birdhouses around the Valencia campus.   You can watch the presentation here!

 

Laurel De Santis Biology Major   Laurel De Santis is a Biology major at College of the Canyons. Over the course of the Biodiversity Initiative, she worked with more than 260 students (from 3 schools and 3 Girl Scout troops) to raise awareness of biodiversity loss and to teach students how to slow or prevent further loss. Her goal with to equip students with the tools and resources to further educate themselves and others.   You can watch the presentation here!

 

Kya Hargett Undergraduate Student   In the hopes of restoring balance to the entire ecosystem of College of the Canyons' native gardens, Kya Hargett dedicated her time in the Biodiversity Initiative to planting 50 milkweed seeds in the facilities and community base area of the campus. These milkweed have since provided Monarch Butterflies a place for food and growth. Kya's project not only helped Monarchs to heal from damage done to their populations, but allowed other species to benefit with them as well.   You can watch the presentation here!

 

Shawn Larson Chemistry Major   Shawn is a sophomore at College of the Canyons majoring in Chemistry. Shawn spent his semester working with the reptile communities at COC (both human and animal. His project was the creation of six plots that modeled the response of reptile population to environmental changes such as the reintroduction of native plants or availability of basking spots. This upcoming year he plans to transfer to Cal Poly SLO or UCSB and receive his undergraduate in chemistry.   You can watch the presentation here!

 

Joshua Mok Academy of the Canyons Student   Joshua Mok is an Academy of the Canyons / College of the Canyons student who researched which California native flowers could best support native bee populations on campus. To do this, Joshua compiled temporal profiles of different native bees to ensure the flowers he selected would flower at the proper times. He also checked with California water to ensure the plants he selected were compatible with the area and required little water. He also worked to pin, take pictures, and identify different bees that were sampled from the nearby area.   You can watch the presentation here!

 

Morgan Phillips Marine Biology Major   Morgan Phillips is a second year COC student studying biology and hoping to transfer to UCSD for marine biology. This interest motivated her to try something new and join the biodiversity initiative, where she could further explore this field. For her project, she studied the correlation between bacterial contamination along the California coast and rainwater discharge events. To accomplish this, she drew transect lines projecting runoff flow from 25 drainage sites and categorized the surrounding environments based on bacterial contribution levels. Morgan aims to bring awareness to the importance of water quality and the potential negative effects of contamination. She hopes others learn from her findings and are inspired to continue developing this research.    You can watch the presentation here!

 

Alessandra Sinlao Environmental Studies, Geography, and Water Systems Technology Student   Alessandra Sinlao completed her Associates in Environmental Studies, Geography, and Water Systems Technology in Fall of 2022 at College of the Canyons. She will be transferring to CSUN for Urban Planning and interning at LA Sanitation as a student worker for Water Treatment Operations. For her project, she assessed nonfunctional turf on campus and, with this data, created a proposal and presented to facilities three nonfunctional turf locations that should be transformed into native habitats. As a result, all three locations will be replaced, totaling 31,485 square feet. Two locations will be turned into native habitats, totaling 11,295 square feet.   You can watch the presentation here!