March 9 @ JOHN F KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL: 1901 Randolph Rd, Wheaton-Glenmont, MD 20902
Meeting room opens at 12:30 pm (Meeting to start at 1:00)
I am from Puerto Rico and completed my BSc in biology with a minor in botany at U. of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (2001). I obtained my PhD at U. of Missouri-Columbia (2008) studying sexual selection and evolution of frog calls in noisy, competitive environments (frog choruses) and worked with conservation projects in the coastal cloud forests of Ecuador.
In July 2008 I became Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles/Amphibian Conservation Biologist at the Philadelphia Zoo, to develop and implement conservation projects for critically endangered amphibians in the Tropical Andes, Caribbean and locally.
I joined Pinelands Preservation Alliance in 2021 as Director of Conservation Science, using science data with policy making and outreach programs to effect conservation actions at the state, regional, and local level in NJ helping save the Pine Barrens. Later, I became Curator of Living Collections at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, PA planning a new Lehigh River watershed exhibit and education programs scheduled to open in May 2024 showcasing the biodiversity of plants and animals in the region and the need to protect this ecosystem.