Jacobo Carrasco
University of Arizona South
Tumacácori National Historical Park, Arizona—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Jacobo graduated with a Masters of Education in Secondary Education in the spring of 2016. He was particularly interested in this Mosaics position because he was looking forward to connecting the park’s resources to area school districts with the hope that he will inspire youth to become citizen scientists. As a local teacher, his work with the park will help to ensure a long-term relationship between schools and Tumacácori National Historical Park.
Ricardo Escobar-Burciaga
Western Washington University
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Ricardo has a strong passion for Science Education. As a graduate student, Ricardo prepared paleontology lab lectures and activities for undergraduate students. After graduate school, he held a position as a substitute teacher for the Long Beach Unified School District. Ricardo’s future plans are to become a high school science teacher in a low-income neighborhood. At Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, he will be developing a curriculum that will connect summer camp students to the fossils they will see in the park.
Tucker Grigsby
University of California, Santa Barbara
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Tucker graduated in June 2016 with a degree in Aquatic Biology. Given his past experience performing research-related tasks both in the lab and in the field, Tucker walked into this internship confident in his ability to collect data about wildlife. He is excited to work alongside National Park Service biologists who are part of the Cascades Butterfly Program, which monitors the distribution and abundance of subalpine butterflies. Tucker envisions himself in a biological research position in the future.
Griselda Landa-Posas
Colorado State University
South Florida / Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network, Florida—[Network Home]
As a senior at Colorado State University, Griselda is pursuing her degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. She has a passion for all wild things, from a small Alaskan poppy to a large grizzly bear. In Florida, she will be applying her knowledge of acoustics to study the vocalizations of local frog communities. This will involve field work that will culminate in a presentation to a tri-park science and technical board. In addition to her involvment in conservation biology Griselda is also particularly interested in helping to immerse children from under-privileged communities in the natural world. This is her second year as a Mosaics intern.
Kayla Fermin
Syracuse University
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Oregon and Washington—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Kayla Fermin is a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Art in Geography. Kayla enjoys talking to people and educating them about the environment. She will work with scientists from Lewis and Clark National Historic Park and other organizations, such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administraton, to examine restoration activities. Her work will involve data entry and analysis, culminating in a technical report. Kayla’s future goals include pursuing a Master of Science degree in GIS and working on environmental justice issues.
Dominique Ong
University of Virginia
Lava Beds National Monument, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Dominique Ong is a senior pursuing a degree in Environmental Science and Global Studies. Dominique’s ideal career would involve the design and management of citizen science outreach programs. Citizen science is valuable to her because it acts as a bridge connecting scientific research and the community. At Lava Beds, she will share information about caves and bats with park visitors and help with bat monitoring projects.
Nicole Ornelas
University of California, Berkeley
Cabrillo National Monument, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
With a major in Marine Science, Nicole Ornelas is no stranger to Cabrillo National Monument. As a part of the Natural Resources and Science Education team, Nicole has become very familiar with this coastal habitat and shares her knowledge with the public by administering science education programs for the park. She believes that the key to success is not in individual endeavors, but in collaborating as a community to address important challenges, such as climate change and the decline in biodiversity.
Noelani Parker
California Polytechnic State University
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Noelani Parker is a recent graduate with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection. She has a deep-rooted love for the environment and nature. She has held many positions as a lab, field, and research technician. Working with park biologists, she will help track the white pine blister rust in Lassen Volcanic National Park. This pathogen is a fungus that affects whitebark pine. It has been a long time dream of Noelani’s to work for the National Park Service.
Sofia Petros-Gouin
Columbia University
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Sofia Petros-Gouin is a junior at Columbia University, majoring in American Studies and Sustainable Development with a special concentration in Education. Sofia is particularly interested in learning more about educating others, especially young people about the outdoors and environmental justice, protecting natural spaces, and how to make natural areas more welcoming to all people. She will hone her skills in the majestic Rocky Mountains, where she will develop interpretive educational programs.
Evelin Preciado
Colorado State University
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Evelin has a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Environmental Affairs, she is constantly seeking experiences to learn about nature. Her academic goals include returning to school to pursue a Master’s degree. In Alaska, Evelin will document the diversity, distribution, and phenology of several arthropod groups. This Mosaics project is ideal for Evelin as she has always found arthropods fascinating and beautiful.
Gabriela (Bella) Reyes
University of Virginia
Point Reyes National Seashore, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
With a major in Environmental Science, Bella Reyes has participated in studies involving forest biomass modelling, mangrove DNA extractions, tropical forest and coral reef monitoring. At Point Reyes, she will assist with science communication both online and through in-person education programs. She hopes to instill a sense of “call-to-action” in young, future scientists, while continuing to develop her own research questions. Bella wants to pursue a PhD in marine ecology, habitat restoration and conservation and ultimately become a professor.
Jacob Villalpando
St, Joseph’s College
Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
As he completes his undergraduate degree in Biology-Wildlife Ecology Track, Jacob is looking forward to his experience at Indiana Dunes and the opportunity to expand his knowledge of pollinators while sharing this knowledge with the public. He believes that pollinators are one of the most important groups of organisms in ecosystems, because they are responsible for pollinating flowers to produce seeds. Jacob hopes to become a conservation biologist.
Fabiane Barato
University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Gulf Coast Network Inventory and Monitoring Network—[Network Home]
Fabiane is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Geology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, evaluating the variability of the Chicot Aquifer in Louisiana. Fabiane’s Mosaics in Science internship last summer involved preserving historical photos of the coastal geomorphology of Gulf Islands National Seashore. This summer she will be radio tracking Texas tortoises in Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park.
Sophia Bass Werner
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Boston Harbor Island National & State Park, Massachusetts—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Sophia is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston, with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in GIS. Sophia is originally from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. She has held a variety of positions with the National Park Service, as a biotech intern and a cartographer, and will be a Next Generation Geologic Science Educator intern at Boston Harbor this summer. Sophia is interested in expanding her knowledge of place-based and curriculum-based education.
Laura Del Valle
University of Puerto Rico-Humacao
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Laura is currently finishing her Wildlife Management B.S. degree from University of Puerto Rico-Humacao. This summer Laura will be working as an acoustic biology technician at Great Smoky Mountains Natioal Park, where she’ll learn how to “observe” the forest with other instincts and show park visitors how to do the same. She looks forward to gaining advanced skills while doing wildlife field work in the Smokies and learning how research and policy are combined.
Christian Heggie
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Christian is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she is majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainability. She loves being outdoors and is always looking for new opportunities to learn and explore new environments. This summer Christian will be interning as a River Use Planning Assistant, and her future career goals include working at a national park or on an organic farm.
Mauro Hernandez
University of California, Santa Cruz
Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, Idaho—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Mauro completed his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2016. He is passionate about conservation, and hopes to focus on how species behavior can better inform and influence conservation efforts. This summer Mauro will be working as an interpretive ranger and bat ecologist at Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve.
Laura Palma
Florida International University
Buck Island Reef National Monument, Virgin Islands—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Laura graduated from Florida International University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. Passionate about conservation, she has spent the past two years closely involved with multiple coral reef research projects. This summer Laura will be assisting the park in studying the plant-herbivore interactions of green turtles and seagrasses at Buck Island Reef National Monument.
Saba Rahman
University of Maryland
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Saba is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in wildlife ecology and management. Saba’s love for nature and wildlife began while camping and visiting national parks in Virginia and Maryland growing up. She has always wanted to work with the National Park Service, and is excited about her
internship this summer at Manassas as a biological technician.
Elizabeth Rico
University of California, Berkeley
Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Elizabeth just finished her last semester at the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.S. in Conservation Resource Studies and a minor in Forestry. She loves being surrounded by nature. Elizabeth is still not sure what field in conservation she’d like to pursue, however she is excited to be interning this summer with the National Park Service as a Resource Conservation Assistant and learning about the many options available.
Malik Robinson
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network, Wyoming—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Malik is a junior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and is majoring in Agriculture and Environmental Systems with a concentration in Sustainable Land Management. This summer Malik will be working with natural resource professionals on a number of long-term monitoring programs. He loves the environment and hopes to find a job pertaining to soil science and the health of the natural world.
Brenna Rodriguez
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Great Basin National Park, Nevada—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Brenna is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she studied geology and outdoor adventure leadership. She has a strong interest in astronomy, paleontology, and acoustics. This summer as an Astronomy Interpretation intern, Brenna hopes to gain a greater breadth of experience that would connect her academic pursuits with her interests in resource interpretation
and public speaking.
Marquise White
Frostburg State University
Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network, Wyoming—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Marquise is a senior at Frostburg State University pursuing a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries with a minor in Biology and French. Marquise has always been interested in the preservation and protection of the environment and its organisms, and hopes to have an occupation that embodies his interests. This summer he will be working with natural resource professionals on a number of long-term monitoring programs.
Sidney Woodruff
University of Georgia
Yosemite National Park, California—[Geodiversity Atlas] [Park Home]
Sidney is a senior at the University of Georgia, completing a dual bachelor’s degree program in Wildlife Sciences and Forestry. Upon graduation, she aspires to obtain a master’s or doctorate degree in wildlife conservation and ecology. This summer, Sidney will be a Herpetological Conservation Intern at Yosemite National Park. She has always had a passion for the outdoors and is excited to continue this passion into her career and life.
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Last updated: August 25, 2022